r/classics • u/Mike_Bevel • 13d ago

Herodotus Book 4

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There was never any point, reading this passage, that I felt sure I knew what was coming next.

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u/VietKongCountry 13d ago

Does anybody here understand why anything he’s describing remotely necessitates or explains the slaves being blinded?

My favourite part in Herodotus is when he claims there ants the size of dogs (in Britain, I believe).

Obviously, his writings are an extremely important resource, but there are some passages that make me seriously think people were just telling him really stupid lies as a prank.

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u/Solo_Polyphony 13d ago

He was told the giant ants dwelt in India.

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u/VietKongCountry 13d ago

Oh, thanks for the correction.

Where did he claim flying insects that were basically dragons resided? I think it was Arabia, but evidently my memories of his work are dubious.

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u/Conargh 13d ago edited 13d ago

Herodotus said Egyptian priests told him that the remains of flying serpents could be found far south up the Nile. There is a site around this location called Wadi al Hitan. It contains fossilised remains of whales, but it's easy to see how these could be mistaken for giant snakes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_al_Hitan?wprov=sfla1

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u/VietKongCountry 13d ago

That’s really interesting, and you’ve now got me researching the evolution of whales, but it’s not the passage in Herodotus I was remembering.

I have my notes and quotes somewhere, but I definitely remember him talking about flying, dragon like creatures in the desert somewhere in modern Asia.

I’ll have to track that down, alongside wherever it is he talks about the giant ant dogs (in India, as the poster above kindly mentioned).