Travel - Ancient and Modern readings of travel Herodotus - The Histories . After capturing Babylon, Darius wanted to attack the Scythians as revenge for unprovoked aggression - he had financial backing from Asian trade · Describes the treatment of Scythian slaves and the rituals behind it - milk and the practice of blinding slaves p. 235 · Scythian women had turned to slaves for sexual satisfaction as their husbands had been away at war for so long - new generation of children then resisted Scythian return by isolating their country p. 235 - 236 · Scythian tactic changed from weapons to whips to remind the slaves that they were subservient and Herodotus claims the slaves fled p. 236 · Scythians claim they are the "most recent race on earth" and Herodotus does not believe this - gives the detailed story p. 236 - 237 · Greeks claim it was Heracles who first came to their country and explain the myth p. 237 - 238 · Herodotus prefers the third version, which is that the land belonged to the Cimmerians before the Scythian invasion and explains this story - claims it was told by Greeks and non-Greeks p. 239 . Herodotus criticises others such as Aristeas, on the basis that they are biased and not as well researched - 239 - 241 · Demonstrates knowledge of his own limitations - "I cannot get information from anyone who claims to have first hand knowledge" - shows a historiographical way of thinking p. 241 · Geographical and cultural talk including directions and old-fashioned ways of measuring time and distance p. 241 - 245 · Herodotus comments on where his information comes from, such as stories about the Hyperboreans coming from Delos and tries to explain this through the travel of sacred objects, which demonstrates transport routes, relationships and trade - and explains other examples he has found too to back this point up p. 245 - 246 · Condescending regarding maps of the world that have been drawn by the Hypernotians and Hypernoreans as they have muddled rivers and oceans and claims to have advanced knowledge which he "demonstrates" p. 247 - 248 · Claims most of Asia was discovered by Darius due to his desire to explore and find out where the Indus River met the sea p. 249 · Claims the origin of the name Europe is Asian and comes from Europa of Tyre but says he will refer to the standard names of continents - language is discursive p. 250 · Argues that the Euxine Sea houses the "most ignorant people in the world" excluding the Scythians - very judgement - claims no tribe by the sea is intelligent apart from the Scythians too - he then claims that he doesn't find Scythians impressive in other areas p. 250 · Claims Scythians invented a way to ensure that anyone who attacks them cannot escape p. 250 · Attempts to be scientific with geography p. 251 - 253 · Talks