Barbour's Selections include excerpts from the first eight books of Herodotus' work. We will begin with the prooimion (p. 49, lines 1-5) and then proceed to selections from books 1-8, including the story of Gyges, Egyptian customs, and the wars between the Persians and the Greeks. We may also take brief, Herodotean-like digressions and read chapters that particularly interest you. This will depend on you reading all of the text in English.

We will also read all of the work in English as presented in the new Landmark Herodotus. Strassler's edition, with a translation of Herodotus' Histories by Andrea Purvis, is notable for a number of reasons:

• The translation is generally precise, provides a minimum of footnotes (usually to other parts of the text) and is amply illustrated.
• The Introduction by Rosalind Thomas takes the reader through many of the most critical issues relevant to reading Herodotus' work. We will read and discuss the Introduction during the second week of the semester.
• The Appendices, while not required, are brief and specific and they add insight into individual aspects of Herodotus' subject matter.

If time permits, we may do some readings of other genres of Greek literature - e.g., for the Persian wars, we might read Aeschylus' Persians - as well as examine material remains relevant to our studies - e.g., the "cityscapes" of Athens, Sparta and Persepolis at the time of the Persian wars. We will also examine Frank Miller's graphic novel 300 and screen the 2006 film of the same name.