Herodotus at 2500

This paper engages directly with the theme of Herodotus@2500, by considering what it means to read and interpret Herodotus’ Histories in the context of the unfolding Humanities. Specifically, it will stage a dialogue between Herodotean interpretation and divergent theories of post-humanism.

This paper examines the recurrence at the close of Herodotus' Histories of the themes of the limits of vengeance taken in victory and the question of whether certain acts generally recognized as beyond the pale can nevertheless be legitimately justified in terms of retaliation.

Herodotus' construction of authority is a process that spans the whole of the Histories. The sweeping expanses of the text's claims to truth and knowledge are traced and defended throughout all nine books. If certain key passages function as cornerstones of the massive narrative edifice, a great many other sections of the Histories contribute in asserting the "demonstration of enquiry" offered by the author to his audiences.

This paper seeks to raise questions about our own engagement with Herodotus’ text through an exploration of one element of his reception: the rich tradition of Herodotean ‘spoofs’ from Lucian to the present day.