History, particularly ancient history, isn't an American strong suit. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if watching 300, a retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae in 486 BC, is perhaps the lengthiest encounter much of that movie's audience has had with Greek history. It's an even safer bet that far fewer were aware that a line in the movie, a Spartan commenting that if the Persian arrows blocked out the sun they would at least be fighting in the shade, actually comes from some ancient Greek dude named Herodotus.
As a result, it should come as no surprise that a droll and enlightening look at Herodotus comes from a British writer. With The Way of Herodotus: Travels with the Man Who Invented History, Justin Marozzi uses his skills as a travel and history writer to introduce us to the fifth century BC Greek known as the West's "Father of History". More important, Marozzi does so using the prism of today.
Herodotus becomes Marozzi's companion and guide as he travels to Turkey, Iraq, Egypt and Greece to follow in the steps of the man who helped document the birth of Western Civilization (with caps, of course) and a clash of cultures that still exists. To call Marozzi a Herodotean is an understatement. He is unquestionably passionate about not only Herodotus' role in history, but his writing style and the approach to and breadth of his multi-volume history of the wars between Greece and Persia. In addition to being the world's first historian, Marozzi writes in his introduction,
he is also its first foreign correspondent, investigative journalist, anthropologist and travel writer. He is an aspiring geographer, a budding moralist, a skilful dramatist, a high-spirited explorer and an inveterate storyteller. He is part learned scholar, part tabloid hack, but always broad-minded, humorous and generous-hearted, which is why he's so much fun.Marozzi seeks to prove these points with both a sense of adventure and a waggish touch, relying most heavily on his skills as a travel writer. This is as much a travel book as a history book and enjoyable in that sense alone. To Marozzi, the land and the people are an integral part of his pursuit of Herodotus, just as they were important to Herodotus. Marozzi is observant to detail and uses The Histories as not only a source of information but a tool to compare, contrast and entertain. Like Herodotus, he is not afraid to embark on tangents and digressions, particularly if he thinks they help make for good storytelling. He isn't always successful in that regard.
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