Herodotus Study Guide
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Herodotus’ story about the Persian Wars is in what book?
- The Histories
Why did Herodotus write The Histories?
- He wanted to make sure that the acts of great people in history are not lost.
Who were the Phoenicians?
- They were a culture which lived on the coast of what is modern-day Israel and the
surrounding area. They migrated across the Mediterranean Sea.
What caused the initial feuding between the Greeks and the Middle East?
- They were kidnapping each other’s women.
Who did Alexander (Paris) take from Greece?
- Helen, the queen of Sparta.
What is an oracle?
- A person or a temple that specializes in telling the future. (Or discovering the will of the
gods).
What does the Greek word ‘Hubris’ mean?
- Pride; specifically excessive pride.
What was strange about Candaules being in love with his wife?
- Most marriages were arranged back then; rarely did people marry for love.
What is the name of Candaules’ bodyguard?
- Gyges
What does Candaules force his bodyguard to do?
- See his wife naked.
What is the name of Candaules’ queen?
- It is never mentioned. (But it is Nyssia.)
What goes wrong, when Gyges spies on Canadaules’ wife?
- She catches him leaving the room.
What options does Candaules’ wife give to Gyges?
- Gyges can both kill the king and marry her or he can die.
When Gyges asks the Oracle at Delphi if he is the rightful king of Lydia, what do they tell him?
- That he IS the rightful king, but the 5th generation of his descendants will be punished for the
killing of Candaules.
What did Gyges donate to the Oracle at Delphi?
- 1800 pounds of Silver treasure.
Who is the 5th generation of Gyges’ descendants?
- Croesus
Why did Adrastus seek refuge at Croesus’ throne?
- He accidentally killed his brother, and was seeking penance.
Why does Adrastus commit suicide?
- Because he killed King Croesus’ son when he was on a mission to protect him.
How did Adrastus accidentally kill Atys (Croesus’ son)?
- When they went hunting, Adrastus threw his iron spear at a boar, and it missed and hit Atys
instead.
How does Adrastus commit suicide?
- He slits his own throat.
Where is the oracle who sees the future located?
- Delphi (The temple to Apollo).
What question did Croesus ask Solon?
- Who is the most prosperous man you know?
What is Solon’s first answer to that question?
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Tellus of Athens, because that man lived to see several generations of his family prosper and
he could feel accomplished when he died.
What is Solon’s second answer to that question?
- The sons of a woman named Hera, who were so glorified that they divinely ascended.
What is Solon’s reasoning for his answers?
- You can never know how happy one is until they are dead, because they may encounter
misery while they still live.
Croesus was over-protective of his son, Atys, because his son was fated to die from…..
- Iron
Where is Lydia?
- It is located in what is now central Turkey.
What is the capitol of Lydia?
- Sardis
Where is the Persian Empire from?
- Mesopotamia.
Who is the Emperor of the Persian Empire?
- Cyrus the Great.
When Croesus asked the Oracle whether or not he should attack Cyrus’ army, what did the Oracle
tell him?
- The Oracle told him that “a great Empire will fall”.
How did Croesus interpret this prophecy?
- He believed that the prophecy was that the Persian Empire would fall, and it gave him the
confidence to go to war with Persia.
What happened when he went to war with the Persians?
- Croesus lost, and it was Lydian Empire which fell.
How does Cyrus plan to put Croesus to death?
- By burning him alive.
Why does Cyrus wind up sparing Croesus’ life?
- Because Croesus brings up the wisdom of Solon while the pyre is lit, and Cyrus becomes
curious about it.