Anthony Minghella: King of poetic lust Mar 20, 2008
He wove spells by referencing Herodotus, Neruda, cello-playing, extravagant winds that one fought with knives and swords - as hopeless as fighting passion with social rules. The palace of winds, the hollow at the base of a woman's neck (The English Patient); the moments like a bag of diamonds in a black heart (Cold Mountain) - all of these evoked mystery, desperate longing and romance, of which he was the undisputed master. (Times Online)
Herodotus, the Father of History Mar 1, 2008
Herodotus Historical Method Changes the Way History is Done. By applying skeptical inquiry with a shift from poem to prose, an ancient Greek writer becomes Herodotus, the first historian ... It was the Greek writer Herodotus who first made the transition from collecting and recounting traditional stories to skeptically searching for historical truth. (Suite101.com)
JFK was a man of collected letters Feb 15, 2008
A sculpture of the Greek historian Herodotus glowered at him from his desk. His wife, Jacqueline, gave him as a gift a sculpture of a Roman soldier. (Boston Globe)
Restless eastKaushik Basu says India's north-east is dangerously neglected Feb 14, 2008
When Kapuscinski journeyed to remote lands, he carried with him the greatest travel book of antiquity, Herodotus' Histories. Out of this experience came his own masterpiece, Travels with Herodotus. (BBC News -- South Asia)
T. Convery: Ten years of thinking back Feb 13, 2008
The Greek historian, Herodotus, is considered the father of history and I think that all Medfordians can agree that Tom is the father of Medford history. I have worked for Congressman Markey for the last six years and Tom has always been there for me with an entertaining story, sage advice, or a quick joke. (Medford Transcript, MA)
Tracking the Complexities of the Caucasus Jan 19, 2008
Who are the likely descendants of the Scythians, the ancient steppe dwellers described by Herodotus. Where are the passes in the mountains. (EurasiaNet.org)
Globe-trotting Jan 13, 2008
If you have read and relished Ryszard Kapuscinski's "Travels With Herodotus" (Knopf, 288 pp ... Marco Polo, Herodotus, Richard Burton, Isabella Bird, the writers are scientists, pirates, merchants, soldiers, settlers, and they span millennia and describe places on the planet, astonishing, disturbing, dangerous, beautiful, mysterious places, now utterly changed by exploration and exploitation. (Boston Globe)
Spread the pm's literary love around Dec 7, 2007
Herodotus was paid to write his Histories. Thucydides self-published, and Homer was published posthumously. (ABC Online)
Luxury with Lucia: Book of delights Nov 23, 2007
Nor did I know that the list of the Seven Wonders of the World, said to have been devised by the historian Herodotus, came to us via a poem from the 2nd century BC by Antipater of Sidon, and that in fact he named only six, forgetting to include the lighthouse at Alexandria. As for me, my wonder has to be elephants in the wild. (Times Online)
United States Nov 20, 2007
On either side of the campus square stood imposing library buildings bearing the names of Homer, Herodotus, Sophocles, Plato and the boast "By royal charter in the reign of George II". Gathered in the middle was a group of 200 protesters carrying their own competing signs: "Stop Columbia!", "Harlem not for sale!", "Say no to eminent domain!". (Guardian Unlimited)
The Massacre of the Helots Oct 5, 2007
But it was the Greeks of other city-states who wrote Sparta into the histories historians such as Herodotus and the Athenian Thucydides. Athens was home to a political and cultural life contrary to that of Sparta, including a rich literary and philosophical tradition that now grounds much of modern understanding of the ancient Greek world. (Suite101.com)
Take a tour of 'Zookeeper's Wife' Oct 2, 2007
In the fifth century b.c., Herodotus said how much he enjoyed watching herds of tarpans grazing in the bogs and marshes of what is now Poland. For ages, purebred tarpans outwitted all the hunters and somehow survived in Europe, but by the eighteenth century not many remained, in part because diners prized tarpan meat it was sweet, but more appealingly, it was rare and in part because most tarpans had interbred with farm horses to produce fertile offspring. (USA Today -- Life)
'Stanley': The lies and daring of the great British explorer Sep 28, 2007
Thoreau, who had Africa specifically in mind, added, "Do you hear it, ye Wolofs?" These people have been in and out of the continent since the beginning of the 19th century, much earlier if we include the Arab slave traders and the tourist Herodotus. A common denominator in this assortment of foreign visitors - high-minded pests and exploiters alike - is their wish to transform themselves while claiming they want to change Africa. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
The pot boils over Sep 22, 2007
Vicious feud threatens to split Britain s most famous authors and their agents - Times Online. Free with tomorrow's Sunday Times, the essential Uni guide. (The Sunday Times)
Why are we here? Sep 17, 2007
At Yale, where I teach, incoming freshmen can apply to the Directed Studies program, which begins in the fall with Herodotus, Homer, and Plato, and concludes in the spring with Wittgenstein, T. S. Eliot, and Hannah Arendt. These programs differ in many ways, and inevitably reflect the culture of their schools; some are mandatory and others, like Yale's Directed Studies, are elective. (Boston Globe)
Modern wonders Sep 5, 2007
As long ago as the 3rd century B.C., historian Herodotus made reference to "Ancient Wonders", but maddeningly, his choicesand manuscriptshave not survived. Later in the 2nd century A.D., Callimachus of Cyrene, apparently ensconced in the reserved book room of the Library of Alexandria (which unaccountably did not make the final list), also referred to his roster of wonders without naming them. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Review: Talking Hands Aug 18, 2007
This anecdote appears in the second book of Herodotus' Histories, and although its veracity is disputed, it continues to tantalize linguists, among whom it has become known as the Forbidden Experiment - forbidden because its replication would be ethically untenable; tantalizing because of the rich psycholinguistic data such an experiment would surely yield. The Forbidden Experiment is the specter that haunts "Talking Hands," the story of a remote Bedouin village where an indigenous sign language... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Traveler's last work an ode to history Jul 23, 2007
Travels With Herodotus ... His last book, "Travels With Herodotus," is a delicious coda to his oeuvre ... It's made up of approximately 30 small chapters, and the vertebrae keeping them together is a rhetorical conversation the author has with Herodotus, the Greek historian, whom he first encountered as a student, when he read "The Histories" in the early '50s, after the Soviet-sponsored government had delayed its Polish translation. (San Francisco Chronicle)
New Seven Wonders named amid controversy Jul 10, 2007
History of seven wonders dates back to ancient period when the historian Herodotus (484 BC 425 BC) and the noted scholar Callimachus (305 BC 240 BC), made lists of Seven Wonders of the World. Their list included the Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum of Masussollos at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes and Lighthouse of Alexandra. (Merinews)
New7 wonders of the world chosen Jul 8, 2007
The historian Herodotus (484 B.C.-ca ... The Hanging Gardens of Babylon built around 600 B.C. Herodotus claimed that the outer walls were 56 miles in length, 80 feet thick and 320 feet high. (MSNBC -- Race)
RON PAUL HAS MORE CASH THAN MCCAIN... Jul 7, 2007
Political Radar: Ron Paul Tops McCain in Cash on Hand. Ron Paul Tops McCain in Cash on Hand. (The Drudge Report)
'Wonder' full world Jul 4, 2007
were popular guidebook staples in ancient Greece, immortalized by the historian Herodotus and later set to verse by Antipater of Sidon. There was no expert panel, no public voting and, presumably, very little text messaging. (MSNBC -- Travel)
A lucky number? 7/7/07 Jul 4, 2007
Greek historian Herodotus chose the original seven, which included the hanging gardens of Babylon, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Colossus of Rhodes and the lighthouse of Alexandria. And for those more interested in preserving the future than the past, the global Live Earth concerts funding Al Gore's foundation against global warming also take place July 7. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Ancient Etruscans Were Immigrants From Anatolia, Or What Is Now Turkey Jun 19, 2007
"But the question that remained to be answered was -- how long was this process between pre-history and history"" says Professor Piazza. In 1885 a stele carrying an inscription in a pre-Greek language was found on the island of Lemnos, and dated to about the 6th century BC. Philologists agree that this has many similarities with the Etruscan language both in its form and structure and its vocabulary. But genetic links between the two regions have been difficult to find until now.Herodotus'... (Science Daily)
The enigma of Italy's ancient Etruscans is finally unravelled Jun 18, 2007
The latest findings confirm what was said about the matter almost 2,500 years ago, by the Greek historian Herodotus ... About seven and a half centuries later, Herodotus wrote that after the Lydians had undergone a period of severe deprivation in western Anatolia, "their king divided the people into two groups, and made them draw lots, so that the one group should remain and the other leave the country; he himself was to be the head of those who drew the lot to remain there, and his son, whose... (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
A Great 20th Century Chronicler Strives to Make Sense of History Jun 16, 2007
Ryszard Kapuscinski is identified in his author bio as "Poland s most celebrated foreign correspondent," which is a bit like calling Herodotus "Helicarnassus" most famous father of history. " Origins are slightly less relevant than destination for both the Greek and the Pole, and both have defined their lives by leaving home. Kapuscinski is one of the 20th century s great chroniclers. For three decades he traveled the third world, an eyewitness to Africa s independence, Latin America s conflict,... (EurasiaNet.org)
'Divisadero': Where narrative splinters Jun 13, 2007
"The English Patient," for which he won the Booker Prize, jumped back and forth among four protagonists living in an Italian villa near the end of World War II, with discussions of mapmaking, condensed milk sandwiches, and Herodotus interspersed throughout. (Oh, and unlike in the movie, the English patient isn't even the main character. (Christian Science Monitor)
Easy, readers Jun 11, 2007
Some of the early reportage of the great war correspondent Ryszard Kapuscinski , who died in January, is collected in "Travels With Herodotus," about his forays beyond the Iron Curtain beginning in the 1950s. Two additions to our understanding of medicine have appeared this spring: Jerome Groopman's "How Doctors Think" and Atul Gawande's "Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance." Science-trained novelist Barbara Kingsolver turned her attention to home - grown chickens, asparagus, and the... (Boston Globe)
Extract: Travels with Herodotus Jun 9, 2007
Herodotus did not always accompany me ... But even if I had not opened The Histories for years, I never forgot about Herodotus ... He was now my Herodotus, near and dear to me, someone with whom I shared a common language and with whom I could communicate, or at least commune, almost without speaking. (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
A sense of wonder Jun 9, 2007
In his final book before he died earlier this year, Ryszard Kapuscinski hails his inspiration and travelling companion Herodotus as a 'vivacious, fascinated, unflagging nomad ... As Kapuscinski himself says of those times in Travels with Herodotus, "Nothing was ever plain, literal, unambiguous - from behind every gesture and word peered some referential sign, gazed a meaningfully winking eye." Thus, because one corrupt, autocratic regime is likely to have many things in common with another, The... (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
Book Review: Travels With Herodotus Jun 9, 2007
Travels With Herodotus By Ryszard Kapuscinski ... Kapuscinski's final book, "Travels With Herodotus," is about the Father of History, a man so bound by his fifth-century-B.C. perception and experience as to appear by modern standards almost intellectually comatose ... Yet, to Kapuscinski, Herodotus was "the first globalist" and "the first to argue that each culture requires acceptance and understanding." How much Herodotus actually traveled we cannot know, and a good deal of "Travels With... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Things fall apart for farm family Jun 4, 2007
Ondaatje's most famous novel, 1992's "The English Patient," took just such a romance and revved it into high gear with details about Italy, Herodotus, desert research, bomb-disposal and the North African theater of World War II. His new novel, "Divisadero," adopts the same strategy, but set mostly at gambling tables in California and country towns in southern France, it's both seedier and more pastoral. The novel opens on a farm near Petaluma, where three lonely children are raised by a... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Reign Of Terror Jun 3, 2007
SIMMERING SUMMER READING / OLD-TIMERS, NEWCOMERS HAVE GOT SOMETHING FOR EVERY TASTE -- LAZY BEACH READS TO BITS OF BRAIN FOOD (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Obituary: Christiane Sourvinou-Inwood May 31, 2007
A study (1983) of a supposedly historical incident of the 7th century BC told by Herodotus exposed it as a fanciful explanation for a ritual. Reading Greek Death (1995) is a book of almost 500 pages arguing that existing interpretations of a two-line funerary epigram assumed an attitude to death impossible in archaic Greece. (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
The legacy of Antiquity and Western identity May 26, 2007
Consider the marble bust of Herodotus labeled "Roman" at the Met. The historian is named in Greek on the pedestal and the sleek handling of the carving rather suggests a Greek hand. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Opine: Stephen Berry May 25, 2007
It isn t a timeless work like The Histories of Herodotus, for example, or Origin of the Species, which are books I might also have suggested, but it confronts one of the most frustrating shortcomings of our society, yet leaves open the sense that we might be able to deal with it. The reason I choose it is because I think science illiteracy threatens our democratic way of life in a variety of ways. (Univeristy of Chicago Chronicle, IL)
Scientists ramp up theory on pyramid construction May 17, 2007
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus reckoned around 2,500 years ago that 100,000 slaves worked for 20 years to achieve this near-perfection. More than 2 million stone blocks, 5. (USA Today -- Tech)
Pinpointing the start of Mideast conflict May 7, 2007
Herodotus, the "father of history," warily but inimitably attributes the entire "East-West" rift to a series of abductions of various womenfolk (or were they elopements. by the Greeks and Persians. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Editors attacks on NPP Ministers over Kotoka May 2, 2007
"The history of a nation is, unfortunately, too easily written as the history of its dominant class( i.e. what Ministers say, what doctors say, what chiefs say etc sic )and he went on to say the connection between an ideological standpoint and the writing of history is a perennial one. A check on the work of the great historians, including Herodotus and Thucydides, quickly exposes their passionate concern with ideology. Their irresistible moral, political and sociological comments are... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
LOUIS RENE BERES: Deterrence and modern aggressors Apr 13, 2007
At Thermopylae, we learn from Herodotus, the Greeks suffered a terrible defeat. But Persian King Xerxes could not even contemplate the destruction of Athens until he had first secured a decisive victory. (Washington Times)
God loves a smoker Apr 11, 2007
Scythians of cannabis (on the Black Sea coast) was recorded by Herodotus in the 5th century BC.. The three religions of the Book, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, are not well known for having drug cultures associated with them, so it comes as something as a surprise to learn that Islam, perhaps the most puritanical of the three, has a strong undercurrent of marijuana use throughout its long history. (Asia Times Online)
Out of Body Experience Apr 9, 2007
Astral Travel has been the topic of much scientific debate and skepticism. Although many have claimed to be able to induce this altered state of consciousness at will, science is still dubious as to the legitimacy of these experiences. (Suite101.com)
Prepare for glory Apr 6, 2007
The story is loosely based on the ancient scholar Herodotus's account of the Battle of Thermopylae, which tells how this heroic Spartan force, led by their king, Leonidas, held off the Persian invasion for days in central Greece ... Hanson, a Stanford University classics professor and ancient warfare expert, says that "purists must remember 300 seeks to bring a comic book, not Herodotus, to the screen". (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Heavy-handed| Mar 31, 2007
I read everything from Herodotus onwards, studied the ancient worlds history and put it in context. And I traveled through Greece, saw those tall cliffs and cruel skies, and realised what a formidable place it would be to attack. (iAfrica.com)
Sparring over the Spartans Mar 30, 2007
Herodotus' account of the battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan soldiers held a mountain pass for three days against the armies of the Persian empire in 483 BC, is one of the all-time great stories. Defeated only because they were betrayed, the Spartan king Leonidas and his men are synonymous with Boys' Own ideals of courage, self-sacrifice and sheer fighting prowess. (The Age, Australia -- Entertainment)
A silly celebration of shiny manflesh Mar 24, 2007
I would like to suggest you read a bit of Herodotus for starters. I should point out that the mottos of the Greek Armed Forces TODAY are: "Come and get them," and "We will fight in the shade." The film made $70M in the opening weekend and broke $125M within 10 days of release, given that it cost only $65M that isn't something to scorn. (Scotsman)
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: '300': Fact or fiction? Mar 24, 2007
Many of the film's corniest lines -- such as the Spartan dare, "Come and take them," when ordered by the Persians to hand over their weapons, or the Spartans' flippant reply, "Then we will fight in the shade," when warned that Persian arrows will blot out the sun -- actually come from ancient accounts by Herodotus and Plutarch ... Some of the film's most graphic killing -- such as Persians pushed over the cliff into the sea -- derives from the text of Herodotus. (Washington Times)
Battling evil with abs of steel Mar 23, 2007
Yet according to the Greek historian Herodotus and 300, the new film version of the event, that is precisely what the doughty band ... Or does it have more to do with the fact that successive historians since Herodotus have depicted Thermopylae as the critical moment when Western civilization and its future hung in the balance against Oriental tyranny. (Asia Times Online)
Spartans Overwhelmed at Thermopylae, Again Mar 22, 2007
Herodotus, the Father of History, told many good stories, but there are few tales in his repertoire that surpass his narrative of the last-ditch stand of the Greeks against numerically superior forces at the pass of Thermopylae in August, 480 B.C. A huge military force led by Xerxes, the Persian King of Kings, crossed the Hellespont from Asia into Europe, intent on the subjugation of Greece ... The screenwriters put the words into Leonidas' own mouth when the Persian envoys demand surrender,... (Archaeology Magazine)
'300' Fact or Fiction? Mar 22, 2007
Many of the film's corniest lines - such as the Spartan dare, "Come and take them," when ordered by the Persians to hand over their weapons, or the Spartans' flippant reply, "Then we will fight in the shade," when warned that Persian arrows will blot out the sun - actually come from ancient accounts by Herodotus and Plutarch ... Some of the film's most graphic killing - such as Persians being pushed over the cliff into the sea - derives from the text of Herodotus ... Many of the film's corniest... (Townhall.com)
Between Faith & History: A Biography of J A Kufuor Mar 19, 2007
As Herodotus, the father of History, stated in another context, not to know what happened before you were born is to forever remain a child. In other words, we need to learn about our past as well as the present so that we can reflect and speak meaningfully about the future. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
300 is More than a Bloody Tale of Good versus Evil Mar 17, 2007
Perhaps if Ms. Puig finds the 300s unrelenting bravado tiresome, the dialogue too clichd, and the opposing sides too drawn in "black and white," she should take it up with Herodotus, not a couple of screenwriters. For all its exaggerated combat sequences (this is a comic book movie, after all), 300 deserves credit for staying relatively true to the Greek record of the legendary battle. (Townhall.com)
300 Sparks an Outcry in Iran Mar 15, 2007
" demanded an elderly lady buying tuberoses. "Yes, truly it is a grave offense," I said, shaking my own bunch of irises. Related The ancient battle drama is a Spartanian smash I returned home to discover my family in a similar state of pique. My sister-in-law sat behind her laptop, sending off an e-mail petition against the film to half of Tehran, while my husband leafed through a book on the Achaemenid Empire, noting that Herodotus had estimated the Persian army at 120,000 men, not one million... (Time.com)
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON DEFENDS FILM... Mar 14, 2007
Greek writers and poets such as Simonides and Herodotus were fascinated by the Greek sacrifice against Xerxes, and especially the heroism of Leonidas and his men ... Yet the collaboration of Director Zack Snyder and screenwriters Kurt Johnstad and Michael Gordon is much more of a hybrid, since the script, dialogue, cinematography, and acting all recall scenes of the battle right from Herodotus s account ... Again, purists must remember that 300 seeks to bring a comic book, not Herodotus, to the... (The Drudge Report)
Go tell of the Spartans Mar 9, 2007
An interesting account of the battle can be found in "The Histories" by Herodotus, who was alive at the time of Thermopylae. It is available at Borders and Barnes & Noble in a fresh, evocative translation by David Grene (The University of Chicago Press). (Times Herald-Record)
Sweating it out at the Hot Gates Mar 9, 2007
Otherwise, the movie is busy trumpeting such abstract principles as Glory, Duty, and Destiny, in speeches roared by the cast as though Herodotus himself had written them. It's a testament to the inherent cinematic depth of Miller's graphic novels that the movies based on them are so vicariously dull. (Boston Globe -- Living)
300 *½ Mar 9, 2007
Of course, thanks to Herodotus, the world also knows that these particular free men were eventually done in by the traitor Ephialtes, personified here as a wickedly deformed hunchback his breach of national security rendered literally ugly. Happily, back on the home front, the Queen has successfully lobbied for a troop surge, and the rest, more or less, is history. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Blood, Guts, Etc. Mar 9, 2007
And there, according to the historian Herodotus, they invented trash talk. "Throw down your weapons!". (CTNow.com)
Oh, what a lovely war - that hides its violent truth Mar 8, 2007
He said Miller's story simply adopts the partisan point of view that Greek writer Herodotus and other home-team historians had about the Spartans, who were lauded as champions of Western freedom. "From their point of view, they are fighting to uphold freedom from subservience to Persia, who had no concept of individual liberty," Hanson said. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
A Thermopylae scholar weighs in Mar 7, 2007
Thermopylae was a mountain pass in Greece that was wide enough for one chariot, with cliffs on one side and the sea on the other, the historian Herodotus wrote ... USA TODAY asked Paul Cartledge, author of Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World, who has seen a preview of the movie, to give his take on how Hollywood stacks up against Herodotus, whose writings first recounted the fight ... 300 is squarely based on a work of history, the Histories of Herodotus, which was the first work of... (USA Today -- Life)
The Spartans are coming Mar 6, 2007
Back in 480BC, on the cliffs of Thermopylae, it s unlikely that the band of Spartans repelling the Persian hordes thought of anything beyond slicing off a few heads, a quick bit of boy love and perhaps a kebab on the way home. Time has elevated their sacrifice, which ultimately saved the Greek city states from conquest, into a defining moment for western freedom. (Times Online)
A hot time at the 'Hot Gates' Feb 28, 2007
At the back of the comic, Miller gives a shout-out to the H-man, Herodotus, the venerable Father of Lies, who lays out the Thermopylae tale in Book VII of his "History." ... But Herodotus is kinder to the Persians, generally praising their valor and spiritual bent, if not their diet; "They eat little solid food, but abundance of dessert." On a grimmer note, Herodotus records that Xerxes, whose name means "warrior," lost two brothers at Thermopylae ... Although the Persians are portrayed as... (Boston Globe)
Remembering a fearless journalist Feb 3, 2007
"Kapuscinski used to travel with Herodotus," said another writer, Maciej Wierzynski, referring to the ancient Greek historian. "We used to travel with Kapuscinski.". (Newsday -- World)
Stoppard has Oprah-effect for book Jan 27, 2007
The film the English Patient had, for example, led to a run on the works of Herodotus, and the Italian movie Il Postino had put sales on Pablo Neruda's love poems. The other cause of the ripple of interest in Berlin's book was an article in the New York Times shortly before The Coast of Utopia opened in Manhattan. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Polish reporter Kapuscinski dies Jan 24, 2007
His final book, Travels with Herodotus, came out two years ago. He also published several volumes of poetry. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
