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    Herodotus, The Histories (ed. A. D. Godley)

    Editions and translations: Greek | English (ed. A. D. Godley)
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    book=1:chapter=11:section=4 book=1:chapter=26 book=1:chapter=37:section=1 book=1:chapter=51:section=2 book=1:chapter=62:section=4 book=1:chapter=70:section=1 book=1:chapter=80:section=3 book=1:chapter=90 book=1:chapter=100:section=1 book=1:chapter=113:section=3 book=1:chapter=124 book=1:chapter=136:section=1 book=1:chapter=151:section=3 book=1:chapter=165:section=1 book=1:chapter=177:section=1 book=1:chapter=189:section=1 book=1:chapter=201 book=1:chapter=214:section=3 book=2:chapter=11:section=4 book=2:chapter=25:section=3 book=2:chapter=36:section=2 book=2:chapter=46 book=2:chapter=59:section=2 book=2:chapter=73:section=2 book=2:chapter=87:section=3 book=2:chapter=100 book=2:chapter=112:section=2 book=2:chapter=121A book=2:chapter=127:section=2 book=2:chapter=139 book=2:chapter=149:section=5 book=2:chapter=161:section=1 book=2:chapter=174 book=3:chapter=5:section=2 book=3:chapter=16:section=1 book=3:chapter=27:section=3 book=3:chapter=38:section=3 book=3:chapter=51:section=3 book=3:chapter=61:section=3 book=3:chapter=71:section=3 book=3:chapter=82:section=2 book=3:chapter=96:section=2 book=3:chapter=111:section=2 book=3:chapter=124:section=2 book=3:chapter=137 book=3:chapter=150:section=2 book=4:chapter=5:section=1 book=4:chapter=18:section=1 book=4:chapter=34:section=1 book=4:chapter=47:section=2 book=4:chapter=63:section=1 book=4:chapter=77 book=4:chapter=88:section=2 book=4:chapter=101:section=2 book=4:chapter=118:section=2 book=4:chapter=131:section=2 book=4:chapter=145:section=3 book=4:chapter=156:section=2 book=4:chapter=167:section=1 book=4:chapter=183:section=4 book=4:chapter=198:section=2 book=5:chapter=10:section=1 book=5:chapter=24 book=5:chapter=37:section=2 book=5:chapter=52:section=1 book=5:chapter=65:section=3 book=5:chapter=79 book=5:chapter=92B:section=1 book=5:chapter=98:section=3 book=5:chapter=113:section=2 book=6:chapter=7 book=6:chapter=22:section=1 book=6:chapter=38 book=6:chapter=52:section=5 book=6:chapter=67:section=2 book=6:chapter=81:section=1 book=6:chapter=92:section=3 book=6:chapter=108 book=6:chapter=122:section=2 book=6:chapter=137 book=7:chapter=8B:section=2 book=7:chapter=12:section=2 book=7:chapter=25:section=1 book=7:chapter=40:section=3 book=7:chapter=55:section=3 book=7:chapter=73:section=1 book=7:chapter=95:section=2 book=7:chapter=110:section=1 book=7:chapter=129 book=7:chapter=140:section=3 book=7:chapter=148:section=4 book=7:chapter=163 book=7:chapter=178:section=2 book=7:chapter=194:section=2 book=7:chapter=211:section=3 book=7:chapter=226:section=1 book=8:chapter=1 book=8:chapter=18 book=8:chapter=34:section=1 book=8:chapter=52:section=2 book=8:chapter=68A:section=1 book=8:chapter=81 book=8:chapter=96:section=2 book=8:chapter=110:section=2 book=8:chapter=126 book=8:chapter=140A:section=1 book=9:chapter=7B:section=1 book=9:chapter=21:section=3 book=9:chapter=33:section=3 book=9:chapter=47 book=9:chapter=61:section=3 book=9:chapter=77:section=1 book=9:chapter=92:section=2 book=9:chapter=107:section=2

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    CXXXI. As to the customs of the Persians, I know them to be these. It is not their custom to make and set up statues and temples and altars, but those who do such things they think foolish, because, I suppose, they have never believed the gods to be like men, as the Greeks do; [2] but they call the whole circuit of heaven Zeus, and to him they sacrifice on the highest peaks of the mountains; they sacrifice also to the sun and moon and earth and fire and water and winds. [3] From the beginning, these are the only gods to whom they have ever sacrificed; they learned later to sacrifice to the “heavenly”1 Aphrodite from the Assyrians and Arabians. She is called by the Assyrians Mylitta, by the Arabians Alilat, by the Persians Mitra.

    1 See note on Hdt. 1.105.

    There are a total of 13 comments on and cross references to this page.

    Further comments from W. W. How, J. Wells, A Commentary on Herodotus:
    book 1 (general note)
    book 1 (general note)
    book 1, chapter 131 (general note)
    book 1, chapter 131 (general note)
    book 1, chapter 131, section 1: agalmata ktl
    book 1, chapter 131, section 1: anthrôpophueas
    book 1, chapter 131, section 2: Dii
    book 1, chapter 131, section 3: têi Ouraniêi

    Cross references from Perseus Encyclopedia:
    herodotus-3 [Herodotus and Homer (3)]

    Cross references from Sir Richard Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Philoctetes:
    * [730-826]

    Cross references from Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898):
    mitra2 [Mitra]
    * [Specimen of Persian Sculpture from Persepolis.]
    zoroaster [Zoroaster]

    Preferred URL for linking to this page: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Hdt.+1.131.1

    The Annenberg CPB/Project provided support for entering this text.

    This text is based on the following book(s):
    Herodotus, with an English translation by A. D. Godley. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1920.
    OCLC: 1610641
    ISBN: 0674991303, 0674991311, 0674991338, 0674991346

    Buy a copy of this text (not necessarily the same edition) from Amazon.com: vol. 1; vol. 2; vol. 3; vol. 4

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