These included the establishment of the Delian League in 478 BCE, its development into the Athenian Empire, the collapse of a coalition of states that together fought against the Persians, and more (Munson 12). However, according to Munson, “the historical narrative of the Histories ends in the year 479 BCE, after the defeat of the Persians and their withdrawal from Greece,” and some significant historical events actually took place beyond Herodotus’ chronological range (12). The Histories provide one of the most complete chronicles of the Persian Wars known today, including a record of how the Greeks and the Persians first became engaged in conflict during the Ionian Revolt of 499-494 BCE. Thus, the present paper will aim to explain different perspectives on the meaning and purposes of Herodotus’ book. However, even though the author of the Histories clearly states his purpose for the work, the problem of the objectives Herodotus pursued in the writing still concerns modern scholars and literary critics mainly because the ending of the book seems uncertain and incomplete, especially if it was created to be a narrative of war.

He notes in the introduction to the Histories that they were published in the hope of “preserving from decay the remembrance of what men have done, and of preventing the great and wonderful actions of the Greeks and the Barbarians from losing their due meed of glory” (Herodotus, Book I, 1). However, the historian achieves unity in his narration by tracking the development of the conflict between the Greeks and the Barbarians in detail.

Herodotus the histories sparknotes