The new Egyptian king, Psammetichus, decided to find out what language was the most ancient, and the experiment he conducted involved isolating two newly born children from any language by prohibiting their caretakers from pronouncing any words in their presence as they were growing up. Many other myths are told in Book One, along with accounts from the Persian Empire where Herodotus had traveled.īook Two begins with the conquest of Egypt and a description of an experiment that exemplifies Herodotus’ writing: storytelling instead of merely recording dates and events. Herodotus interprets this well-known story in a more historical vein, eliminating elements of supernatural intervention and making his interpretation closer to history than mythology. In Book One, Herodotus describes the abduction of Helen, wife of the king of Sparta, by Paris, a Trojan prince, causing the Trojan War. It is important to understand that, for the Greeks, myths were not only a part of their religion in the modern sense but also part of their historical heritage in other words, their mythology was in some respects their history. One aspect that might surprise the reader exploring The Histories is that the author dedicates remarkable attention to describing mythological stories.
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