Study Questions. CLST 1003. Blanco/Roberts
Herodotus Histories 5-7
Book 5: Herodotus' Histories
1. How did Aristagoras the tyrant of Miletus attempt to convince the Spartan King Cleomenes to help the Ionians to attack Persia? Why did he fail? And where is Miletus? (127-130)
2. What does Herodotus say about the origin of the Greek alphabet? Who was Cadmus, and where did he come from? (You might have to look this one up elsewhere.) (131)
3. What is the nature of the three early inscriptions which Herodotus quotes? (i.e., What kind of inscriptions are they? What were they used for? Who were their intended readers?) (131)
4. Who were the Alcmaeonids? How did they and the Spartans force the Pisistratid tyrants out of Athens? In what year did this take place? (see Chronology of Events, page xv) How was the Delphic oracle involved? (132-133)
5. What reform did Cleisthenes the Athenian introduce to Athenian life? In what year did he make this reform? (133, and Chronology of Events, page xv).
6. Why were the Alcmaeonids referred to sometimes as "the Polluted Ones"? How did this incident cause Cleisthenes' exile at the time of Isagoras? (135)
7. How did the priestess of Athena have a role in stopping Spartan support for Isagoras against Cleisthenes? (135)
8. What does the inscription on page 137 commemorate? What is Herodotus' theory about the relative benefits of "equality before the law" and tyranny? How does he prove his point? (137)
9. The people of Aegina were happy to help the Thebans against Athens, because the Aeginetans hated the Athenians. What was the origin of this hatred? (138-140)
10. How did Cypselus' smile save his life? What did he become, and where? Who was his son? (142-143)
11. What advice did his Periander receive from Thrasybulus, the tyrant of Miletus? Where did Periander live, and what was his position there? What wicked deeds did he commit? (143-144)
12. What are necromancers? Why did Periander consult them? What did he learn that caused him to strip the women of Corinth of their clothes? (143-144)
13. What arguments did Aristagoras the Milesian use to convince the Athenians to help the Ionians revolt against Persia? What was the Athenian reaction? (145)
14. What was the year of the Ionian rebellion (see Chronology of Events, p. xv), and what was the reaction of the Persian king Darius to the burning of Sardis? (147)What might argue against the historicity of his reactions?
Book 6: Herodotus' Histories
15. What was the fate of Eretria at the hands of the Persians? Why did it suffer thus? (149-150)
16. What was so remarkable about the mares of Cimon when they were alive? Where were they buried? (150)
17. What religious experience did Philippides have on his way to Sparta, and what was the result of it? What answer did Philippides take back to Athens from Sparta?
18. What did Hippias learn from his dream and his tooth? Why was he so anxious to bring the Persians against Athens? (151-152)
19. How were Miltiades the general and Callimachus the war chief so important to the Athenian victory at Marathon? (152-153)
20. What was the date of the battle of Marathon, and why were the Athenians able to win it?
21. The story of the man who ran back to Athens to announce victory and then die is not in Herodotus' account. Where does that story come from? (148) What story about the quick march back to Athens does Herodotus tell? (154)
Book 7: Herodotus' Histories
22. Why did Darius not himself punish the Athenians for their defeat of the Persian army at Marathon?
23. What role does Herodotus say that the Aleuadae, the Pisistratids, and Onomacritus have in persuading Xerxes to attack Athens? What role did Mardonius play? What is a "satrap"? (156-157)
24. What are Artabanus' two main arguments against Xerxes' plan to invade Greece? (159-160)
25. Why did Artabanus sleep in Xerxes' bed, in Xerxes' pajamas? What was the result?
26. What is Herodotus' opinion of the relative size of Xerxes' army sent against Greece? To what does he compare it in size? (164)
27. Why did Xerxes order a canal to cut the isthmus of Athos? (164) Why does Herodotus think he did it? (165)
28. Why -- and how -- did Xerxes punish the Hellespont and his original bridge makers? What does Herodotus think of these actions? (164)
29. How does Xerxes treat Pythius when he first meets him? (163) How does this compare to how he treats him and his family later? (168-169) What kind of picture of the Persian king does this contrast create?
30. What did Xerxes do at Troy, and what happened to his forces there? (169-170)
31. Why does Xerxes cry when looking on his mighty army? Why does Artabanus fear about the outcome of the expedition? (170-171)
32. How long did it take Xerxes' forces to march across the Hellespont bridge? To whom does an onlooker compare Xerxes? What is the point of this comparison? (173)
33. What does Demaratus say that causes Xerxes to laugh? What does the king's incredulity say about barbarian understanding of Greeks? (176-177)
34. How does Demaratus describe the Spartans to Xerxes? (177)
35. What "unpopular" opinion does Herodotus feel the need to express about the Persian Wars? Why do you think he makes this statement? Why do you think it was "unpopular"? (177-178)
36. What do the oracles of Delphi seem to portend for the Athenians in their struggle against the Persians? Why do you think the oracle had such an attitude? (178-179)
37. What was Themistocles' interpretation of the oracles? What wise advice had he earlier given to the Athenians? (179-180)
38. Why did the Argives remain neutral in the Persian conflict? What does Herodotus say about his obligation as an historian? (181-183)