Week 6 of my humanities crash course included four books from Herodotus’s Histories and Plato’s Symposium. I also listened to gorgeous music from exotic (to me) ports of call, learned about Persian art and architecture, and watched a new documentary about René Girard.

Readings

For this week’s readings, Gioia contrasted writings about love and war.

First up, Plato’s Symposium. Socrates and his buddies gather for a rowdy banquet. They drink lots of wine and take turns giving speeches about love. (Eros.) The most interesting is Aristophanes’s mythological yarn about the origins of the genders. The speeches cover romantic or sexual love, not the kind of brotherly love (agape) found in the Christian scriptures. That’s a later development in our history.

Herodotus’s Histories strikes a completely different tone. It details the origins and events of the Greco-Persian Wars of the 5th Century BCE. I’d read this book over two decades ago, and loved it. Per Gioia’s recommendation, I only re-read four books (chapters) this time.

Book 1 offers background on the conflict, starting with inter-tribal raids and leading to the rise of the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great.

Book 6 details the early stages of the war. The Persians push into Greece, leading to the battle of Marathon, where Athenians defeat the Persians.

In book 7, a huge Persian army under Xerxes’s command builds a bridge over the Hellespont and marches into Europe. Despite superior numbers, they’re held back at Thermopylae, where a small Greek force makes a valiant (if ultimately futile) stand.

Book 8 focuses on naval battles. The Persians take Athens, but Greek forces defeat them at the pivotal battle of Salamis. Xerxes decides to return home, deputizing someone else to finish the war for him.

The Histories is famous as the first literary work recognizable as history. It isn’t easy reading (there are many unfamiliar names) but Herodotus provides lots of color and what we might call “human” interest – although in this work, it’s often ghoulish. (More on this below.)

Audiovisual

Gioia recommended several compilations from the Nonesuch Explorer Series. I own one of these on CD, but hadn’t realized they were available in Apple Music. The Bali and Iranian collections are standouts. Discovering these albums in streaming format has already made this Humanities Crash Course worthwhile. They’re that good.

Gioia also recommended looking at Persian art and architecture – appropriate given the role of that civilization in the Histories. This video was insightful and entertaining:

Cinema: Although it’s not a classic film, I planned to watch Zack Snyder’s 300, which based on the events in the Histories. My son has been nudging me to watch it with him. (He’s already seen it.) Alas, we couldn’t make it happen – so I’m going to wait until we can watch together.

Rather than seek out another classic film, I watched the new documentary about René Girard. It’s on YouTube:

I haven’t read Girard, but I’ve read about Girard. Since watching the documentary, I bought Things Hidden Since the Beginning of the World, which I plan to read this year.

Reflections

Girard’s central claim is that much human behavior – particularly conflict – can be explained by our drive to imitate others. Conflict results from two people wanting the same thing. Societies avoid mass destruction by focusing the conflict on a sacrificial scapegoat.

These patterns are evident in both the Symposium and the Histories. Alcibiades’s desire for Socrates is explicitly driven by imitation. Conversely, Socrates’s conception of love points away from individual desire toward abstraction.

I don’t know enough yet about Girard’s work to offer a deeper analysis. That said, the Histories also seemed filled with Girardian mechanisms. Not only does it explicitly deal with conflict, but actors often resort to murderous scapegoating. Some of these sacrifices are shockingly brutal. I won’t get into details here, but suffice it to say human societies have progressed since Herodotus’s time.

And that was my biggest lesson I took from re-visiting this work. One reason for reading the classics is that you can clearly see the arc of the moral universe bending towards justice. People today don’t resolve conflicts by slaughtering others’ innocent family members. For Herodotus, the most horrific murders seem like business as usual.

I read this as people were melting down in social media over the latest political outrage. Yes, much of what is happening today feels unprecedented, but that may be because we have such short memories. I couldn’t help but think, “these people don’t know how good they have it.”

Reading books like the Histories brings perspective. And of course, despite all those advances, people today still demonstrate hubris, overconfidence, imperialistic and totalitarian drives, etc. Plus ça change.

Notes on Note-taking

I expanded my Obsidian note for the Dialogues to include the Symposium. I used the Text Generator plugin to create summaries of the work, which refreshed my memory as I reflected on what I’d read. (I usually take these literature notes a few days after finishing the text, to give it time to simmer in my mind.)

I didn’t yet have a note in my vault for the Histories; my previous reading happened before I started taking disciplined notes. I started a new note now, but only focused on the parts I read this time. I may revisit the work in the future and fill out the rest.

Taking a page from last week’s experience, I used ChatGPT to help me understand the books of the Histories. Before starting each book, I asked for a succinct summary. I also asked the AI to tell me what to look for and how the work might be relevant to someone reading today.

Here’s an example of one such response (with emphasis in the original):

Here is a summary of Book 7 of Herodotus’s Histories, often titled “Polymnia.” This book primarily focuses on Xerxes I’s invasion of Greece and the events leading to the famous battles of Thermopylae and Artemisium.

I. Xerxes Prepares for Invasion (7.1-55)

  • Darius I dies, and his son Xerxes I ascends the throne.
  • After some hesitation, Xerxes decides to avenge the Persian defeat at Marathon by launching a full-scale invasion of Greece.
  • Xerxes gathers a massive army and navy, with contingents from across the Persian Empire, reflecting the vastness of his domain.
  • A grand engineering project is undertaken to build a canal at Mount Athos and bridges over the Hellespont to facilitate the Persian advance.

II. Debate and Motivation for War (7.8-19)

  • Xerxes is influenced by his advisors, particularly Mardonius, who advocates for expansion into Greece.
  • Demaratus, the exiled Spartan king now serving Xerxes, warns him of the Greeks’ determination and fighting spirit, especially that of the Spartans.

III. The Persian March to Greece (7.56-137)

  • Herodotus provides detailed descriptions of the Persian army and its preparations, emphasizing its vast size and the logistical challenges it faces.
  • The Persians cross the Hellespont using a pontoon bridge and begin their march through Thrace and Macedonia, forcing local tribes to submit.

IV. Greek Preparations and Disunity (7.138-174)

  • The Greek city-states are divided over how to respond to the Persian threat.
  • Athens and Sparta take the lead in organizing a coalition to resist Xerxes.
  • A plan is developed to block the Persian advance at Thermopylae, a narrow mountain pass, and Artemisium, a strategic naval chokepoint.

V. The Battle of Thermopylae (7.175-239)

  • King Leonidas of Sparta leads a small force of 300 Spartans and a few thousand allied Greeks to defend Thermopylae.
  • Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Greeks hold off the Persian army for several days, using the narrow terrain to their advantage.
  • Ultimately, the Persians discover a mountain path that allows them to outflank the Greek defenders, thanks to the betrayal of Ephialtes.
  • Leonidas and his men make a heroic last stand, becoming legendary symbols of courage and sacrifice.

VI. The Persian Advance After Thermopylae (7.240-end)

  • With Thermopylae secured, the Persian army pushes further into Greece.
  • The book sets the stage for further confrontations, including the pivotal Battle of Salamis, which will be described in Book 8.

Key Themes in Book 7

1. Hubris and Fate:

  • Xerxes’s vast ambition and his dismissal of warnings about Greek resilience highlight the theme of hubris (excessive pride) and its eventual consequences.
  • Herodotus hints at the role of fate, suggesting that the Persian invasion is destined to fail despite its overwhelming force.

2. Heroism and Self-Sacrifice:

  • The story of Leonidas and the Spartans at Thermopylae embodies Greek ideals of heroism, honor, and sacrifice for the greater good.
  • This stand becomes a key moment in Greek collective memory and identity.

3. East vs. West:

  • Herodotus emphasizes the contrast between Persian autocracy and Greek freedom, a recurring theme in the Histories.
  • The Persian army’s size and complexity symbolize imperial power, while the Greeks’ smaller, more united force represents their commitment to liberty.

4. Cultural Observations:

  • Herodotus continues his ethnographic approach, providing detailed descriptions of Persian customs, military practices, and engineering feats.

What to Look For

The Role of Leadership:

  • Compare the leadership styles of Xerxes and Leonidas. How do their choices reflect broader cultural values?

The Importance of Geography:

  • Pay attention to how geography shapes the conflict. Thermopylae and Artemisium are strategically chosen to offset Persian numerical superiority.

Foreshadowing of Persian Defeat:

  • Notice how Herodotus subtly foreshadows the ultimate failure of the Persian invasion through omens, warnings, and the theme of overreach.

This overview should help guide your reading of Book 7. Let me know if you’d like more details on any particular section or theme!

Although this was a risky approach (I hadn’t yet read the text so I couldn’t tell whether the AI was hallucinating,) I found the summary insightful. Seeing the outline of the work helped me sift out the signal (main narrative) from the noise (all those confusing names and genealogies.) I’m going to do this with other readings in this course.

I also asked ChatGPT about the presence of Girardian concepts in both the Symposium and the Histories. Doing so helped me understand all three better. Again, I’m just getting started with Girard, so I don’t know whether ChatGPT is misleading me. That said, I still found it helpful for thinking about these ideas.

Up Next

I’m reading the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Dhammapada for next week. Neither was available in Standard Ebooks, so I’ve purchased the Penguin Kindle editions. (I’ve had good success with Penguin ebooks so far in this course.)

Check out Gioia’s post for the full syllabus. As a reminder, I’ve started a Substack to share what I’m learning in this course. Head over there if you want to subscribe and comment.