Herodotus and the Birth of Freedom

Name: Herodotus and the Birth of Freedom
Brand: Edinburgh University Press
Price: 348.75 AUD
Availability: PreOrder

Liberty in Ancient Greece and Persia

By: Matthew K. Reising

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Hardcover | 31 July 2026

At a Glance

Format
Hardcover

Dimensions(cm)
23.4 x 15.6

Hardcover

$348.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $87.19 with

Available: 31st July 2026

Preorder. Will ship when available.

Herodotus and the Birth of Freedom examines Herodotus' presentation of Persia in the History, arguing that Herodotus considered the Persians to be free rather than slaves and the Persian monarchs to be legitimate kings rather than oppressive tyrants. Matthew K. Reising offers a new interpretation of the History, supported by a variety of textual and archaeological case studies, drawing on research and secondary literature from across a range of disciplines, including comparative political theory, ancient Near Eastern studies, intellectual history and reception studies.

After making the case that Herodotus considered the Persians to be politically free, this book offers a comparative analysis of the diverging conceptions of freedom found in Greece, Persian, Babylonian and Egyptian sources, and argues that the comparison helps us to clarify the relationship of freedom to constitutional self-government, institutional accountability, political participation and civic equality.

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