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?
ancient-history
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up vote
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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?
ancient-history
New contributor
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♦
14 hours ago
1
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♦
14 hours ago
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.♦
14 hours ago
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
13 hours ago
1
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♦
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
up vote
6
down vote
favorite
up vote
6
down vote
favorite
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
New contributor
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
ancient-history
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New contributor
edited 3 hours ago
sempaiscuba♦
45.6k5159204
45.6k5159204
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asked 14 hours ago
mikeoly123
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311
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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♦
14 hours ago
1
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♦
14 hours ago
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.♦
14 hours ago
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
13 hours ago
1
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♦
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
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♦
14 hours ago
1
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♦
14 hours ago
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.♦
14 hours ago
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
13 hours ago
1
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♦
11 hours ago
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♦
14 hours ago
Welcome to History:SE Are you looking for the earliest surviving manuscripts / fragments of Herodotus' Histories, or the primary sources used by Herodotus?
– sempaiscuba♦
14 hours ago
1
1
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♦
14 hours ago
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♦
14 hours ago
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.♦
14 hours ago
@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.♦
14 hours ago
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
13 hours ago
@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
13 hours ago
1
1
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♦
11 hours ago
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♦
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
2 Answers
2
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up vote
13
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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 - Image source - Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum)
- 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 - 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.
1
P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
– kimchi lover
9 hours ago
@kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
– sempaiscuba♦
8 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
6
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.
+1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
2
@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
11 hours ago
Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
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
10 hours ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
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active
oldest
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active
oldest
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up vote
13
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 - Image source - Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum)
- 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 - 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.
1
P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
– kimchi lover
9 hours ago
@kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
– sempaiscuba♦
8 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
13
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 - Image source - Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum)
- 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 - 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.
1
P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
– kimchi lover
9 hours ago
@kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
– sempaiscuba♦
8 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
13
down vote
up vote
13
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 - Image source - Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum)
- 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 - 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.
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 - Image source - Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum)
- 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 - 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.
edited 3 hours ago
answered 10 hours ago
sempaiscuba♦
45.6k5159204
45.6k5159204
1
P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
– kimchi lover
9 hours ago
@kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
– sempaiscuba♦
8 hours ago
add a comment |
1
P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
– kimchi lover
9 hours ago
@kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
– sempaiscuba♦
8 hours ago
1
1
P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
– kimchi lover
9 hours ago
P.Oxy 2099 - Early 2nd Century CE is shown at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus#/media/…
– kimchi lover
9 hours ago
@kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
– sempaiscuba♦
8 hours ago
@kimchilover Thank you for that. I've edited it into the answer.
– sempaiscuba♦
8 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
6
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.
+1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
2
@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
11 hours ago
Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
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
10 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
6
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.
+1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
2
@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
11 hours ago
Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
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
10 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
6
down vote
up vote
6
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.
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.
edited 11 hours ago
answered 13 hours ago
kimchi lover
1,3221414
1,3221414
+1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
2
@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
11 hours ago
Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
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
10 hours ago
add a comment |
+1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
2
@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
11 hours ago
Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
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
10 hours ago
+1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
+1, however, I believe primary sources in translation are still primary unless the source language composition itself is the subject of study.
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
2
2
@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
11 hours ago
@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
11 hours ago
Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
Thank you, I stand corrected. Perhaps the OP wanted Herodotus's own bibliography?
– Aaron Brick
11 hours ago
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
10 hours ago
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
10 hours ago
add a comment |
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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♦
14 hours ago
1
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♦
14 hours ago
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.♦
14 hours ago
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
13 hours ago
1
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♦
11 hours ago