In which we consider the Nile This brings us around to the topic of the mysterious Nile. Herodotus has several agenda items here. First, why does the Nile flood every year at midsummer? Regular as clockwork, supposedly, the Nile rises … Continue reading →
In which Herodotus explains farming Maybe the Egyptians will be able to figure out some way to combat climate change, though: they’re really sharp guys. In particular Herodotus wants to call out the humble Egyptian subsistence farmer as a secret … Continue reading →
In which Herodotus has a serious axe to grind regarding Egyptian geography Egypt is long but narrow, with mountains on the east side and mountainous desert on the west. It would take a long time to walk across. Herodotus goes … Continue reading →
In which babies are abandoned, for science! So a quick recap of CLIO would go like this. First there was a guy named Croesus the Lydian, who spent a fabulous fortune, invaded Persia, and was captured by the lord of Persia, … Continue reading →
So, wow! Clio sure was something, huh guy? It starts off with Herodotus’s extremely digressive story of Croesus, King of the Lydians, and how he invented “invading Hellenic territory” as a practice. Then it moves into Herodotus’s extremely digressive account … Continue reading →
In the morning Operation SITTING DUCK sprang into action! In what I consider a totally blown opportunity for a stunning ironic reversal, Croesus’s plan worked perfectly! Remember, Croesus told Cyrus to basically let his army get outflanked in unknown territory … Continue reading →
Short one today. So Cyrus hands over Croesus, his prisoner-vizier, to his son. His son is Cambyses, about whom we’ll have a fair bit to say, but not for a while. “Go rule the Persian Empire until I get back, … Continue reading →
Having conquered the crazy rich, awesome city-state of Babylon, Cyrus’s next move was to march his army up towards the Black Sea and fight the Massagetai. The Massagetai were some people, who were in a place. They liked milk. It’s … Continue reading →
As I hinted before, Cyrus invaded Babylon through careful application of a clever trick. Back in Nitocris’s time, when she was doing all of her earthworking and wallmaking, she diverted the Euphrates river (which ran right through/under Babylon, in a … Continue reading →
On the way to Babylon Cyrus and his army crossed a river, the Gyndes. One of Cyrus’s favorite horses drowned in an accident, and supposedly Cyrus was so angry at that mean ol’ river that he paused his march on … Continue reading →
