History of the Wars vs Ἱστορίαι: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Ancient History, Early works to 1800, Essays, History
History of the Wars
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History of the Wars by the Byzantine historian Procopius (late fifth century to after 558 CE) consists largely of sixth century CE military history, with much information about peoples, places, and special events.…
Ἱστορίαι
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One of the earliest histories of the western world still extant, this gives a contemporary account of the Greco-Persian wars of the fifth century BCE with the rise of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- History of the Wars is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 16 for Ἱστορίαι.
- Ἱστορίαι has the widest readership — 16 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| History of the Wars | Ἱστορίαι | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.6 (8) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (8) | — |
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Reception
| History of the Wars | Ἱστορίαι | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 8 | 16 |
| Editions | 48 | 284 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 11 | — |
| Reading it now | 4 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 7313 | 62 |
| Pages | 146 | 880 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: History of the Wars or Ἱστορίαι?
History of the Wars has the higher combined reader rating across sources (History of the Wars 3.9/5, Ἱστορίαι 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: History of the Wars or Ἱστορίαι?
History of the Wars is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: History of the Wars (146 pages, ≈ 2 h 42 m); Ἱστορίαι (880 pages, ≈ 16 h 18 m).
Which is harder to read: History of the Wars or Ἱστορίαι?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — History of the Wars: Demanding; Ἱστορίαι: Demanding.