Book IX of Herodotus' Histories provides the conclusion and climax to his work, as the victories at Plataea and Mycale complete the improbable Greek victory over Persia. The major themes of the work are all here echoed, modified, and revisited, and Book IX is thus essential for exploring its meaning (or range of possible meanings). This commentary, the first in English devoted solely to Book IX in over a century, treats Herodotus' work as both an historical narrative and a work of literature, incorporating the results of recent scholarly work in the fields of Greek history and historiography. It contains a Greek text together with detailed philological, literary, and historical notes designed to assist the intermediate and advanced Greek student. It will also be of use to graduate students and scholars.

'… invaluable …' The Times Literary Supplement
'This work represents a turning point in Herodotean studies: one can only wish that the other books of Herodotus' Histories will become the subject of editions and commentaries of the same standard.' Journal of Hellenic Studies

Michael A. Flower is Professor of Classics at Franklin and Marshall College, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Theopompus of Chios: History and Rhetoric in the Fourth Century BC (HB 1994: ISBN 0198140797; PB 1997: ISBN 0198152434). John Marincola is Associate Professor of Classics at New York University. He is the author of Authority and Tradition in Ancient Historiography (1997; ISBN 0521 480191).