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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Arial" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;">Hi Herodotus readers,</font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Arial" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;">Our final discussion will take place on Mon Apr 4 @8pm EST. Now that we are veterans of Herodotus' style and artistry up through seven of his Books, these concluding Books (8 & 9), should flow. You may have noticed quite a change in narrative style since the first books. The closer that Herodotus takes his audience to events more contemporary to his own time, the more an historical narrative begins to emerge that we can recognize similar to our own. Herodotus still manages to insert his famous digressions, but the politics and the social issues tend to come out more in these last chapters. Persia is never completely out of the picture either. Persia's defeat does not remove it from Greek foreign (or domestic!) policy. Let me know what you think. I have included our discussion questions
once again below. Also, make note of Robert Strassler's upcoming lecture on Tue May 10, "Herodotus and the Invention of History" @1pm EST. If you can attend this event, you might get to ask a question of the genius behind the Landmark series himself!</font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Arial" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;">Sincerely,</font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Arial" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt;color:#000000;">Andre</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"><u>Herodotus Discussion Questions for Books 8 & 9</u></font></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">1. In Book 8.40-65, Herodotus narrates the momentous conference of Greek leaders as they debate whether to fight the Persians at sea near Salamis, or to defend the Peloponnese by at the Isthmus of Corinth, a natural defense. Has Herodotus embellished the decision to fight at Salamis in view of the victory? Was it the best decision even if the Greeks had lost? Was it really the only option for the Greeks at this point?</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">2. Given Xerxes’ stubbornness and dedication to invading Greece, what are some of the factors that lead to his personal withdrawal from the war after the battle of Salamis (book 8)? What other options should he have considered?</font></div>
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<div align="left" style="text-align:left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+0" color="#000000" style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;">3. In one of the most astounding reversals in military history, the Battle of Plataea (book 9) resulted in a resounding Greek victory. What is the interplay between Athens and Sparta in the events leading up to this battle? How had the battle affected relations afterwards between Athens and Sparta? What can Herodotus tell us about the Greek city-states in general at this time before his <u>Histories</u> abruptly end?</font></div>
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