Where can I find the primary source for Herodotus' Histories?











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I'm looking for information re: the primary source for Herodotus' Histories.



The two primary sources on the Wikipedia page for Herodotus Histories both trace back to Godley’s translation. Godley's translation is based on Stein's translation. Stein's translation is in German, which I don't read. It may contain a reference to a primary source, but I wouldn't know. Any ideas?










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  • 1




    Welcome to History:SE Are you looking for the earliest surviving manuscripts / fragments of Herodotus' Histories, or the primary sources used by Herodotus?
    – sempaiscuba
    Nov 26 at 15:47






  • 2




    I think I've edited the title to represent your question, but I'm not sure - can you verify? The primary source for Herodotus' Histories is Herodotus; you're looking for the Greek original, not a translation? Perhaps I just misunderstand "primary source"?
    – Mark C. Wallace
    Nov 26 at 15:50






  • 3




    @PieterGeerkens - Are you actually suggesting using Google Translator on the original ancient Greek? I tried using that a couple of decades ago on an email I had gotten in French, and ended up writing a long detailed technical reply to someone's automated out-of-office email message. I sure hope its gotten better since.
    – T.E.D.
    Nov 26 at 15:52








  • 2




    @T.E.D.: No, on the Stein's translation to determine the next source back. OP states: "Stein's translation is in German, which I don't read." It's not like OP is looking for nuance - just another link in the derivation chain.
    – Pieter Geerkens
    Nov 26 at 16:00








  • 2




    Would a more accurate title of the question be "Where can I find Herodotus' Histories in the actual Greek?", or perhaps, "Where can I find scholarly criticism of Godley's translation of Herototus' Histories?" (I think this is probably a very good question, diminished by confusion over what is being asked. That's why I'm a stickler for clear titles).
    – Mark C. Wallace
    Nov 26 at 18:13

















up vote
7
down vote

favorite
1












I'm looking for information re: the primary source for Herodotus' Histories.



The two primary sources on the Wikipedia page for Herodotus Histories both trace back to Godley’s translation. Godley's translation is based on Stein's translation. Stein's translation is in German, which I don't read. It may contain a reference to a primary source, but I wouldn't know. Any ideas?










share|improve this question









New contributor




mikeoly123 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 1




    Welcome to History:SE Are you looking for the earliest surviving manuscripts / fragments of Herodotus' Histories, or the primary sources used by Herodotus?
    – sempaiscuba
    Nov 26 at 15:47






  • 2




    I think I've edited the title to represent your question, but I'm not sure - can you verify? The primary source for Herodotus' Histories is Herodotus; you're looking for the Greek original, not a translation? Perhaps I just misunderstand "primary source"?
    – Mark C. Wallace
    Nov 26 at 15:50






  • 3




    @PieterGeerkens - Are you actually suggesting using Google Translator on the original ancient Greek? I tried using that a couple of decades ago on an email I had gotten in French, and ended up writing a long detailed technical reply to someone's automated out-of-office email message. I sure hope its gotten better since.
    – T.E.D.
    Nov 26 at 15:52








  • 2




    @T.E.D.: No, on the Stein's translation to determine the next source back. OP states: "Stein's translation is in German, which I don't read." It's not like OP is looking for nuance - just another link in the derivation chain.
    – Pieter Geerkens
    Nov 26 at 16:00








  • 2




    Would a more accurate title of the question be "Where can I find Herodotus' Histories in the actual Greek?", or perhaps, "Where can I find scholarly criticism of Godley's translation of Herototus' Histories?" (I think this is probably a very good question, diminished by confusion over what is being asked. That's why I'm a stickler for clear titles).
    – Mark C. Wallace
    Nov 26 at 18:13















up vote
7
down vote

favorite
1









up vote
7
down vote

favorite
1






1





I'm looking for information re: the primary source for Herodotus' Histories.



The two primary sources on the Wikipedia page for Herodotus Histories both trace back to Godley’s translation. Godley's translation is based on Stein's translation. Stein's translation is in German, which I don't read. It may contain a reference to a primary source, but I wouldn't know. Any ideas?










share|improve this question









New contributor




mikeoly123 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











I'm looking for information re: the primary source for Herodotus' Histories.



The two primary sources on the Wikipedia page for Herodotus Histories both trace back to Godley’s translation. Godley's translation is based on Stein's translation. Stein's translation is in German, which I don't read. It may contain a reference to a primary source, but I wouldn't know. Any ideas?







ancient-history






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mikeoly123 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









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edited Nov 27 at 2:22









sempaiscuba

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asked Nov 26 at 15:35









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Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 1




    Welcome to History:SE Are you looking for the earliest surviving manuscripts / fragments of Herodotus' Histories, or the primary sources used by Herodotus?
    – sempaiscuba
    Nov 26 at 15:47






  • 2




    I think I've edited the title to represent your question, but I'm not sure - can you verify? The primary source for Herodotus' Histories is Herodotus; you're looking for the Greek original, not a translation? Perhaps I just misunderstand "primary source"?
    – Mark C. Wallace
    Nov 26 at 15:50






  • 3




    @PieterGeerkens - Are you actually suggesting using Google Translator on the original ancient Greek? I tried using that a couple of decades ago on an email I had gotten in French, and ended up writing a long detailed technical reply to someone's automated out-of-office email message. I sure hope its gotten better since.
    – T.E.D.
    Nov 26 at 15:52








  • 2




    @T.E.D.: No, on the Stein's translation to determine the next source back. OP states: "Stein's translation is in German, which I don't read." It's not like OP is looking for nuance - just another link in the derivation chain.
    – Pieter Geerkens
    Nov 26 at 16:00








  • 2




    Would a more accurate title of the question be "Where can I find Herodotus' Histories in the actual Greek?", or perhaps, "Where can I find scholarly criticism of Godley's translation of Herototus' Histories?" (I think this is probably a very good question, diminished by confusion over what is being asked. That's why I'm a stickler for clear titles).
    – Mark C. Wallace
    Nov 26 at 18:13
















  • 1




    Welcome to History:SE Are you looking for the earliest surviving manuscripts / fragments of Herodotus' Histories, or the primary sources used by Herodotus?
    – sempaiscuba
    Nov 26 at 15:47






  • 2




    I think I've edited the title to represent your question, but I'm not sure - can you verify? The primary source for Herodotus' Histories is Herodotus; you're looking for the Greek original, not a translation? Perhaps I just misunderstand "primary source"?
    – Mark C. Wallace
    Nov 26 at 15:50






  • 3




    @PieterGeerkens - Are you actually suggesting using Google Translator on the original ancient Greek? I tried using that a couple of decades ago on an email I had gotten in French, and ended up writing a long detailed technical reply to someone's automated out-of-office email message. I sure hope its gotten better since.
    – T.E.D.
    Nov 26 at 15:52








  • 2




    @T.E.D.: No, on the Stein's translation to determine the next source back. OP states: "Stein's translation is in German, which I don't read." It's not like OP is looking for nuance - just another link in the derivation chain.
    – Pieter Geerkens
    Nov 26 at 16:00








  • 2




    Would a more accurate title of the question be "Where can I find Herodotus' Histories in the actual Greek?", or perhaps, "Where can I find scholarly criticism of Godley's translation of Herototus' Histories?" (I think this is probably a very good question, diminished by confusion over what is being asked. That's why I'm a stickler for clear titles).
    – Mark C. Wallace
    Nov 26 at 18:13










1




1




Welcome to History:SE Are you looking for the earliest surviving manuscripts / fragments of Herodotus' Histories, or the primary sources used by Herodotus?
– sempaiscuba
Nov 26 at 15:47




Welcome to History:SE Are you looking for the earliest surviving manuscripts / fragments of Herodotus' Histories, or the primary sources used by Herodotus?
– sempaiscuba
Nov 26 at 15:47




2




2




I think I've edited the title to represent your question, but I'm not sure - can you verify? The primary source for Herodotus' Histories is Herodotus; you're looking for the Greek original, not a translation? Perhaps I just misunderstand "primary source"?
– Mark C. Wallace
Nov 26 at 15:50




I think I've edited the title to represent your question, but I'm not sure - can you verify? The primary source for Herodotus' Histories is Herodotus; you're looking for the Greek original, not a translation? Perhaps I just misunderstand "primary source"?
– Mark C. Wallace
Nov 26 at 15:50




3




3




@PieterGeerkens - Are you actually suggesting using Google Translator on the original ancient Greek? I tried using that a couple of decades ago on an email I had gotten in French, and ended up writing a long detailed technical reply to someone's automated out-of-office email message. I sure hope its gotten better since.
– T.E.D.
Nov 26 at 15:52






@PieterGeerkens - Are you actually suggesting using Google Translator on the original ancient Greek? I tried using that a couple of decades ago on an email I had gotten in French, and ended up writing a long detailed technical reply to someone's automated out-of-office email message. I sure hope its gotten better since.
– T.E.D.
Nov 26 at 15:52






2




2




@T.E.D.: No, on the Stein's translation to determine the next source back. OP states: "Stein's translation is in German, which I don't read." It's not like OP is looking for nuance - just another link in the derivation chain.
– Pieter Geerkens
Nov 26 at 16:00






@T.E.D.: No, on the Stein's translation to determine the next source back. OP states: "Stein's translation is in German, which I don't read." It's not like OP is looking for nuance - just another link in the derivation chain.
– Pieter Geerkens
Nov 26 at 16:00






2




2




Would a more accurate title of the question be "Where can I find Herodotus' Histories in the actual Greek?", or perhaps, "Where can I find scholarly criticism of Godley's translation of Herototus' Histories?" (I think this is probably a very good question, diminished by confusion over what is being asked. That's why I'm a stickler for clear titles).
– Mark C. Wallace
Nov 26 at 18:13






Would a more accurate title of the question be "Where can I find Herodotus' Histories in the actual Greek?", or perhaps, "Where can I find scholarly criticism of Godley's translation of Herototus' Histories?" (I think this is probably a very good question, diminished by confusion over what is being asked. That's why I'm a stickler for clear titles).
– Mark C. Wallace
Nov 26 at 18:13












2 Answers
2






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For a critical discussion on how modern versions of Herodotus' Histories have been compiled from the surviving manuscript sources, you could do a lot worse worse than the 1983 essay On Editing Herodotus by R. A. McNeal.



This includes a useful overview of the merits of the various surviving copies and partial copies of the text.





Essentially, the problem is that no totally complete manuscript of Herodotus' Histories survives. Furthermore, none of the early manuscripts that do survive completely agree on the text (mainly due to scribal copying errors and selective editing in medieval scriptoria). The earliest surviving copy, "called 'Codex A", is owned by the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence and forms the basis for all modern translations.





The principal surviving manuscripts for Herodotus' Histories are assigned letters. The earliest examples (dating to the 10th - 14th centuries) are:




  • A Florence, Laurentian 70, 3. - 10th Century CE

  • B 'Codex Angelicanus', (named for the library in Rome where it is
    currently held, but previously known as the Passioneus manuscript). -
    11th Century CE

  • D Vatican graecus 2369. 11th / 12th Century CE

  • R Vatican graecus 123. A composite manuscriptdating to the 14th
    Century CE

  • S The "Sancroftianus" (named for its former owner, Archbishop
    Sancroft). 14th Century CE

  • U Rome, Vatican Urbinas 88. 14th Century CE

  • C Florence, Laurentian conventi soppressi 207. 11th Century CE

  • E Paris, BNF suppl. 134. (Also contains extracts of Plutarch and
    Diogenes Laertius). 13th Century CE

  • P Paris, BNF gr. 1633. 14th Century CE




In addition to the manuscripts, we have a number of much earlier fragments of the texts written on Papyrus. None of the papyrus fragments contain the full text. Most contain just fragments of single pages. Most are part of the collection of fragments known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, for which a searchable database is now available online.



I haven't been able to find images for most of these online, but the main examples that I'm aware of are:




  • P.Oxy 1619 - late 1st Century CE

  • P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE - Image source - Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum)




  • P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE - Image source - Wikimedia)




  • P.Oxy 1092 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 1244 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2095 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE - image source - Oxyrhynchus Online)




  • P.Oxy 2096 - Late 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2098 - Late 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 19 - 2-3rd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 18 - 3rd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 695 - 3rd Century CE


Other important papyri include:




  • Munich papyrus A (See Archiv für Papyrusforschung vol. 1, p471) - 1st-2nd Century CE


  • British Library Papyrus 1109 1st-2nd Century CE


  • A Rylands Papyrus (Catalogue of the Greek papyri in the John Rylands library, vol. 1, p180) - 2nd Century CE


  • Amherst papyri II, p3 - 3rd Century CE


  • British Library (Milne No. 103) - 4th Century CE




The images above illustrate just how little of the material is actually found on many of these fragments!





EDIT



Thanks to @kimchilover for finding the image of P.Oxy 2099.






share|improve this answer



















  • 1




    P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 20:57












  • @kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
    – sempaiscuba
    Nov 26 at 21:21


















up vote
9
down vote













There are early 1500's editions of Herodotus: see the wikipedia article about their publisher Aldus Manutius. That article refers to




Works published from the Greeks. Manutius printed thirty editiones principes of Greek texts, allowing these texts to escape the fragility of the manuscript tradition.




and the wikipedia page about Herodotus has an illustration of the kind of fragility in question. (But not of a bit of writing Aldus used.)



Going further back in time: my local uni's library has a copy of a 1475 Latin translation, printed by Arnold Pannartz. The 1911 Britannica article on H says




The history of Herodotus has been translated
by many persons and into many languages. About 1450, at the time of the revival of learning, a Latin version was made and published by Laurentius Valla. This was revised in 1537 by Heusbach, and accompanies the Greek text of Herodotus in many editions. The first complete translation into a modern language was the English one of Littlebury, published in 1737...




But of course as many commentators here have pointed out, these printed editions appeared about 2,000 years after Herodotus lived. Nothing like a "primary source" (whatever you mean by that) survives.






share|improve this answer























  • +1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
    – Aaron Brick
    Nov 26 at 18:27






  • 4




    @AaronBrick "Primary source" for Herodotus would usually mean his primary sources: the documents, interviews, etc, he relied on in writing his book 2,500 years ago. Those are long gone. Who knows what the OP means by the term.
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 18:35












  • Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
    – Aaron Brick
    Nov 26 at 18:52






  • 1




    I don't have time to check, but I seem to remember that H often gives sources for his statements. Not up to MLA Style Sheet standards, but he says such-and-such is told by knowledgeable Persians, and that the inscription on the temple says so-and-so.
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 19:14











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2 Answers
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up vote
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For a critical discussion on how modern versions of Herodotus' Histories have been compiled from the surviving manuscript sources, you could do a lot worse worse than the 1983 essay On Editing Herodotus by R. A. McNeal.



This includes a useful overview of the merits of the various surviving copies and partial copies of the text.





Essentially, the problem is that no totally complete manuscript of Herodotus' Histories survives. Furthermore, none of the early manuscripts that do survive completely agree on the text (mainly due to scribal copying errors and selective editing in medieval scriptoria). The earliest surviving copy, "called 'Codex A", is owned by the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence and forms the basis for all modern translations.





The principal surviving manuscripts for Herodotus' Histories are assigned letters. The earliest examples (dating to the 10th - 14th centuries) are:




  • A Florence, Laurentian 70, 3. - 10th Century CE

  • B 'Codex Angelicanus', (named for the library in Rome where it is
    currently held, but previously known as the Passioneus manuscript). -
    11th Century CE

  • D Vatican graecus 2369. 11th / 12th Century CE

  • R Vatican graecus 123. A composite manuscriptdating to the 14th
    Century CE

  • S The "Sancroftianus" (named for its former owner, Archbishop
    Sancroft). 14th Century CE

  • U Rome, Vatican Urbinas 88. 14th Century CE

  • C Florence, Laurentian conventi soppressi 207. 11th Century CE

  • E Paris, BNF suppl. 134. (Also contains extracts of Plutarch and
    Diogenes Laertius). 13th Century CE

  • P Paris, BNF gr. 1633. 14th Century CE




In addition to the manuscripts, we have a number of much earlier fragments of the texts written on Papyrus. None of the papyrus fragments contain the full text. Most contain just fragments of single pages. Most are part of the collection of fragments known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, for which a searchable database is now available online.



I haven't been able to find images for most of these online, but the main examples that I'm aware of are:




  • P.Oxy 1619 - late 1st Century CE

  • P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE - Image source - Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum)




  • P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE - Image source - Wikimedia)




  • P.Oxy 1092 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 1244 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2095 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE - image source - Oxyrhynchus Online)




  • P.Oxy 2096 - Late 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2098 - Late 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 19 - 2-3rd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 18 - 3rd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 695 - 3rd Century CE


Other important papyri include:




  • Munich papyrus A (See Archiv für Papyrusforschung vol. 1, p471) - 1st-2nd Century CE


  • British Library Papyrus 1109 1st-2nd Century CE


  • A Rylands Papyrus (Catalogue of the Greek papyri in the John Rylands library, vol. 1, p180) - 2nd Century CE


  • Amherst papyri II, p3 - 3rd Century CE


  • British Library (Milne No. 103) - 4th Century CE




The images above illustrate just how little of the material is actually found on many of these fragments!





EDIT



Thanks to @kimchilover for finding the image of P.Oxy 2099.






share|improve this answer



















  • 1




    P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 20:57












  • @kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
    – sempaiscuba
    Nov 26 at 21:21















up vote
20
down vote













For a critical discussion on how modern versions of Herodotus' Histories have been compiled from the surviving manuscript sources, you could do a lot worse worse than the 1983 essay On Editing Herodotus by R. A. McNeal.



This includes a useful overview of the merits of the various surviving copies and partial copies of the text.





Essentially, the problem is that no totally complete manuscript of Herodotus' Histories survives. Furthermore, none of the early manuscripts that do survive completely agree on the text (mainly due to scribal copying errors and selective editing in medieval scriptoria). The earliest surviving copy, "called 'Codex A", is owned by the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence and forms the basis for all modern translations.





The principal surviving manuscripts for Herodotus' Histories are assigned letters. The earliest examples (dating to the 10th - 14th centuries) are:




  • A Florence, Laurentian 70, 3. - 10th Century CE

  • B 'Codex Angelicanus', (named for the library in Rome where it is
    currently held, but previously known as the Passioneus manuscript). -
    11th Century CE

  • D Vatican graecus 2369. 11th / 12th Century CE

  • R Vatican graecus 123. A composite manuscriptdating to the 14th
    Century CE

  • S The "Sancroftianus" (named for its former owner, Archbishop
    Sancroft). 14th Century CE

  • U Rome, Vatican Urbinas 88. 14th Century CE

  • C Florence, Laurentian conventi soppressi 207. 11th Century CE

  • E Paris, BNF suppl. 134. (Also contains extracts of Plutarch and
    Diogenes Laertius). 13th Century CE

  • P Paris, BNF gr. 1633. 14th Century CE




In addition to the manuscripts, we have a number of much earlier fragments of the texts written on Papyrus. None of the papyrus fragments contain the full text. Most contain just fragments of single pages. Most are part of the collection of fragments known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, for which a searchable database is now available online.



I haven't been able to find images for most of these online, but the main examples that I'm aware of are:




  • P.Oxy 1619 - late 1st Century CE

  • P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE - Image source - Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum)




  • P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE - Image source - Wikimedia)




  • P.Oxy 1092 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 1244 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2095 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE - image source - Oxyrhynchus Online)




  • P.Oxy 2096 - Late 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2098 - Late 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 19 - 2-3rd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 18 - 3rd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 695 - 3rd Century CE


Other important papyri include:




  • Munich papyrus A (See Archiv für Papyrusforschung vol. 1, p471) - 1st-2nd Century CE


  • British Library Papyrus 1109 1st-2nd Century CE


  • A Rylands Papyrus (Catalogue of the Greek papyri in the John Rylands library, vol. 1, p180) - 2nd Century CE


  • Amherst papyri II, p3 - 3rd Century CE


  • British Library (Milne No. 103) - 4th Century CE




The images above illustrate just how little of the material is actually found on many of these fragments!





EDIT



Thanks to @kimchilover for finding the image of P.Oxy 2099.






share|improve this answer



















  • 1




    P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 20:57












  • @kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
    – sempaiscuba
    Nov 26 at 21:21













up vote
20
down vote










up vote
20
down vote









For a critical discussion on how modern versions of Herodotus' Histories have been compiled from the surviving manuscript sources, you could do a lot worse worse than the 1983 essay On Editing Herodotus by R. A. McNeal.



This includes a useful overview of the merits of the various surviving copies and partial copies of the text.





Essentially, the problem is that no totally complete manuscript of Herodotus' Histories survives. Furthermore, none of the early manuscripts that do survive completely agree on the text (mainly due to scribal copying errors and selective editing in medieval scriptoria). The earliest surviving copy, "called 'Codex A", is owned by the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence and forms the basis for all modern translations.





The principal surviving manuscripts for Herodotus' Histories are assigned letters. The earliest examples (dating to the 10th - 14th centuries) are:




  • A Florence, Laurentian 70, 3. - 10th Century CE

  • B 'Codex Angelicanus', (named for the library in Rome where it is
    currently held, but previously known as the Passioneus manuscript). -
    11th Century CE

  • D Vatican graecus 2369. 11th / 12th Century CE

  • R Vatican graecus 123. A composite manuscriptdating to the 14th
    Century CE

  • S The "Sancroftianus" (named for its former owner, Archbishop
    Sancroft). 14th Century CE

  • U Rome, Vatican Urbinas 88. 14th Century CE

  • C Florence, Laurentian conventi soppressi 207. 11th Century CE

  • E Paris, BNF suppl. 134. (Also contains extracts of Plutarch and
    Diogenes Laertius). 13th Century CE

  • P Paris, BNF gr. 1633. 14th Century CE




In addition to the manuscripts, we have a number of much earlier fragments of the texts written on Papyrus. None of the papyrus fragments contain the full text. Most contain just fragments of single pages. Most are part of the collection of fragments known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, for which a searchable database is now available online.



I haven't been able to find images for most of these online, but the main examples that I'm aware of are:




  • P.Oxy 1619 - late 1st Century CE

  • P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE - Image source - Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum)




  • P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE - Image source - Wikimedia)




  • P.Oxy 1092 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 1244 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2095 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE - image source - Oxyrhynchus Online)




  • P.Oxy 2096 - Late 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2098 - Late 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 19 - 2-3rd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 18 - 3rd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 695 - 3rd Century CE


Other important papyri include:




  • Munich papyrus A (See Archiv für Papyrusforschung vol. 1, p471) - 1st-2nd Century CE


  • British Library Papyrus 1109 1st-2nd Century CE


  • A Rylands Papyrus (Catalogue of the Greek papyri in the John Rylands library, vol. 1, p180) - 2nd Century CE


  • Amherst papyri II, p3 - 3rd Century CE


  • British Library (Milne No. 103) - 4th Century CE




The images above illustrate just how little of the material is actually found on many of these fragments!





EDIT



Thanks to @kimchilover for finding the image of P.Oxy 2099.






share|improve this answer














For a critical discussion on how modern versions of Herodotus' Histories have been compiled from the surviving manuscript sources, you could do a lot worse worse than the 1983 essay On Editing Herodotus by R. A. McNeal.



This includes a useful overview of the merits of the various surviving copies and partial copies of the text.





Essentially, the problem is that no totally complete manuscript of Herodotus' Histories survives. Furthermore, none of the early manuscripts that do survive completely agree on the text (mainly due to scribal copying errors and selective editing in medieval scriptoria). The earliest surviving copy, "called 'Codex A", is owned by the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence and forms the basis for all modern translations.





The principal surviving manuscripts for Herodotus' Histories are assigned letters. The earliest examples (dating to the 10th - 14th centuries) are:




  • A Florence, Laurentian 70, 3. - 10th Century CE

  • B 'Codex Angelicanus', (named for the library in Rome where it is
    currently held, but previously known as the Passioneus manuscript). -
    11th Century CE

  • D Vatican graecus 2369. 11th / 12th Century CE

  • R Vatican graecus 123. A composite manuscriptdating to the 14th
    Century CE

  • S The "Sancroftianus" (named for its former owner, Archbishop
    Sancroft). 14th Century CE

  • U Rome, Vatican Urbinas 88. 14th Century CE

  • C Florence, Laurentian conventi soppressi 207. 11th Century CE

  • E Paris, BNF suppl. 134. (Also contains extracts of Plutarch and
    Diogenes Laertius). 13th Century CE

  • P Paris, BNF gr. 1633. 14th Century CE




In addition to the manuscripts, we have a number of much earlier fragments of the texts written on Papyrus. None of the papyrus fragments contain the full text. Most contain just fragments of single pages. Most are part of the collection of fragments known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, for which a searchable database is now available online.



I haven't been able to find images for most of these online, but the main examples that I'm aware of are:




  • P.Oxy 1619 - late 1st Century CE

  • P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 1375 - 1st-2nd Century CE - Image source - Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum)




  • P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE - Image source - Wikimedia)




  • P.Oxy 1092 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 1244 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2095 - 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE


P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE



(P.Oxy 2097 - 2nd Century CE - image source - Oxyrhynchus Online)




  • P.Oxy 2096 - Late 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 2098 - Late 2nd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 19 - 2-3rd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 18 - 3rd Century CE

  • P.Oxy 695 - 3rd Century CE


Other important papyri include:




  • Munich papyrus A (See Archiv für Papyrusforschung vol. 1, p471) - 1st-2nd Century CE


  • British Library Papyrus 1109 1st-2nd Century CE


  • A Rylands Papyrus (Catalogue of the Greek papyri in the John Rylands library, vol. 1, p180) - 2nd Century CE


  • Amherst papyri II, p3 - 3rd Century CE


  • British Library (Milne No. 103) - 4th Century CE




The images above illustrate just how little of the material is actually found on many of these fragments!





EDIT



Thanks to @kimchilover for finding the image of P.Oxy 2099.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Nov 27 at 2:09

























answered Nov 26 at 19:27









sempaiscuba

45.8k5159204




45.8k5159204








  • 1




    P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 20:57












  • @kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
    – sempaiscuba
    Nov 26 at 21:21














  • 1




    P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 20:57












  • @kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
    – sempaiscuba
    Nov 26 at 21:21








1




1




P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
– kimchi lover
Nov 26 at 20:57






P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
– kimchi lover
Nov 26 at 20:57














@kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
– sempaiscuba
Nov 26 at 21:21




@kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
– sempaiscuba
Nov 26 at 21:21










up vote
9
down vote













There are early 1500's editions of Herodotus: see the wikipedia article about their publisher Aldus Manutius. That article refers to




Works published from the Greeks. Manutius printed thirty editiones principes of Greek texts, allowing these texts to escape the fragility of the manuscript tradition.




and the wikipedia page about Herodotus has an illustration of the kind of fragility in question. (But not of a bit of writing Aldus used.)



Going further back in time: my local uni's library has a copy of a 1475 Latin translation, printed by Arnold Pannartz. The 1911 Britannica article on H says




The history of Herodotus has been translated
by many persons and into many languages. About 1450, at the time of the revival of learning, a Latin version was made and published by Laurentius Valla. This was revised in 1537 by Heusbach, and accompanies the Greek text of Herodotus in many editions. The first complete translation into a modern language was the English one of Littlebury, published in 1737...




But of course as many commentators here have pointed out, these printed editions appeared about 2,000 years after Herodotus lived. Nothing like a "primary source" (whatever you mean by that) survives.






share|improve this answer























  • +1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
    – Aaron Brick
    Nov 26 at 18:27






  • 4




    @AaronBrick "Primary source" for Herodotus would usually mean his primary sources: the documents, interviews, etc, he relied on in writing his book 2,500 years ago. Those are long gone. Who knows what the OP means by the term.
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 18:35












  • Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
    – Aaron Brick
    Nov 26 at 18:52






  • 1




    I don't have time to check, but I seem to remember that H often gives sources for his statements. Not up to MLA Style Sheet standards, but he says such-and-such is told by knowledgeable Persians, and that the inscription on the temple says so-and-so.
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 19:14















up vote
9
down vote













There are early 1500's editions of Herodotus: see the wikipedia article about their publisher Aldus Manutius. That article refers to




Works published from the Greeks. Manutius printed thirty editiones principes of Greek texts, allowing these texts to escape the fragility of the manuscript tradition.




and the wikipedia page about Herodotus has an illustration of the kind of fragility in question. (But not of a bit of writing Aldus used.)



Going further back in time: my local uni's library has a copy of a 1475 Latin translation, printed by Arnold Pannartz. The 1911 Britannica article on H says




The history of Herodotus has been translated
by many persons and into many languages. About 1450, at the time of the revival of learning, a Latin version was made and published by Laurentius Valla. This was revised in 1537 by Heusbach, and accompanies the Greek text of Herodotus in many editions. The first complete translation into a modern language was the English one of Littlebury, published in 1737...




But of course as many commentators here have pointed out, these printed editions appeared about 2,000 years after Herodotus lived. Nothing like a "primary source" (whatever you mean by that) survives.






share|improve this answer























  • +1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
    – Aaron Brick
    Nov 26 at 18:27






  • 4




    @AaronBrick "Primary source" for Herodotus would usually mean his primary sources: the documents, interviews, etc, he relied on in writing his book 2,500 years ago. Those are long gone. Who knows what the OP means by the term.
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 18:35












  • Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
    – Aaron Brick
    Nov 26 at 18:52






  • 1




    I don't have time to check, but I seem to remember that H often gives sources for his statements. Not up to MLA Style Sheet standards, but he says such-and-such is told by knowledgeable Persians, and that the inscription on the temple says so-and-so.
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 19:14













up vote
9
down vote










up vote
9
down vote









There are early 1500's editions of Herodotus: see the wikipedia article about their publisher Aldus Manutius. That article refers to




Works published from the Greeks. Manutius printed thirty editiones principes of Greek texts, allowing these texts to escape the fragility of the manuscript tradition.




and the wikipedia page about Herodotus has an illustration of the kind of fragility in question. (But not of a bit of writing Aldus used.)



Going further back in time: my local uni's library has a copy of a 1475 Latin translation, printed by Arnold Pannartz. The 1911 Britannica article on H says




The history of Herodotus has been translated
by many persons and into many languages. About 1450, at the time of the revival of learning, a Latin version was made and published by Laurentius Valla. This was revised in 1537 by Heusbach, and accompanies the Greek text of Herodotus in many editions. The first complete translation into a modern language was the English one of Littlebury, published in 1737...




But of course as many commentators here have pointed out, these printed editions appeared about 2,000 years after Herodotus lived. Nothing like a "primary source" (whatever you mean by that) survives.






share|improve this answer














There are early 1500's editions of Herodotus: see the wikipedia article about their publisher Aldus Manutius. That article refers to




Works published from the Greeks. Manutius printed thirty editiones principes of Greek texts, allowing these texts to escape the fragility of the manuscript tradition.




and the wikipedia page about Herodotus has an illustration of the kind of fragility in question. (But not of a bit of writing Aldus used.)



Going further back in time: my local uni's library has a copy of a 1475 Latin translation, printed by Arnold Pannartz. The 1911 Britannica article on H says




The history of Herodotus has been translated
by many persons and into many languages. About 1450, at the time of the revival of learning, a Latin version was made and published by Laurentius Valla. This was revised in 1537 by Heusbach, and accompanies the Greek text of Herodotus in many editions. The first complete translation into a modern language was the English one of Littlebury, published in 1737...




But of course as many commentators here have pointed out, these printed editions appeared about 2,000 years after Herodotus lived. Nothing like a "primary source" (whatever you mean by that) survives.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Nov 26 at 18:03

























answered Nov 26 at 16:54









kimchi lover

1,3521514




1,3521514












  • +1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
    – Aaron Brick
    Nov 26 at 18:27






  • 4




    @AaronBrick "Primary source" for Herodotus would usually mean his primary sources: the documents, interviews, etc, he relied on in writing his book 2,500 years ago. Those are long gone. Who knows what the OP means by the term.
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 18:35












  • Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
    – Aaron Brick
    Nov 26 at 18:52






  • 1




    I don't have time to check, but I seem to remember that H often gives sources for his statements. Not up to MLA Style Sheet standards, but he says such-and-such is told by knowledgeable Persians, and that the inscription on the temple says so-and-so.
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 19:14


















  • +1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
    – Aaron Brick
    Nov 26 at 18:27






  • 4




    @AaronBrick "Primary source" for Herodotus would usually mean his primary sources: the documents, interviews, etc, he relied on in writing his book 2,500 years ago. Those are long gone. Who knows what the OP means by the term.
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 18:35












  • Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
    – Aaron Brick
    Nov 26 at 18:52






  • 1




    I don't have time to check, but I seem to remember that H often gives sources for his statements. Not up to MLA Style Sheet standards, but he says such-and-such is told by knowledgeable Persians, and that the inscription on the temple says so-and-so.
    – kimchi lover
    Nov 26 at 19:14
















+1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
– Aaron Brick
Nov 26 at 18:27




+1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
– Aaron Brick
Nov 26 at 18:27




4




4




@AaronBrick "Primary source" for Herodotus would usually mean his primary sources: the documents, interviews, etc, he relied on in writing his book 2,500 years ago. Those are long gone. Who knows what the OP means by the term.
– kimchi lover
Nov 26 at 18:35






@AaronBrick "Primary source" for Herodotus would usually mean his primary sources: the documents, interviews, etc, he relied on in writing his book 2,500 years ago. Those are long gone. Who knows what the OP means by the term.
– kimchi lover
Nov 26 at 18:35














Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
– Aaron Brick
Nov 26 at 18:52




Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
– Aaron Brick
Nov 26 at 18:52




1




1




I don't have time to check, but I seem to remember that H often gives sources for his statements. Not up to MLA Style Sheet standards, but he says such-and-such is told by knowledgeable Persians, and that the inscription on the temple says so-and-so.
– kimchi lover
Nov 26 at 19:14




I don't have time to check, but I seem to remember that H often gives sources for his statements. Not up to MLA Style Sheet standards, but he says such-and-such is told by knowledgeable Persians, and that the inscription on the temple says so-and-so.
– kimchi lover
Nov 26 at 19:14










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