The Histories of Herodotus: The Unabridged and Complete Edition (Herodotus Classics)

The Histories of Herodotus is considered the founding work of history in
Western literature. Written around 430 BC in the Ionic dialect of classical
Greek, The Histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics,
geography, and clashes of various cultures that were known in Greece, Western
Asia, and Northern Africa at that time.[citation needed] Although not a fully
impartial record, it remains one of the West's most important sources
regarding these affairs. Moreover, it established the genre and study of
history in the Western world (despite the existence of historical records and
chronicles beforehand). The Histories also stands as one of the earliest
accounts of the rise of the Persian Empire, as well as the events and causes
of the Greco-Persian Wars between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states
in the 5th century BC. Herodotus portrays the conflict as one between the
forces of slavery (the Persians) on the one hand, and freedom (the Athenians
and the confederacy of Greek city-states which united against the invaders) on
the other. The Histories was at some point divided into the nine books that
appear in modern editions, conventionally named after the nine Muses.