Herodotus: A Fountain of Unsung Health Advice
“The happy man is the one who has a healthy body,
a wealthy soul, and a well-educated nature.”
--Thales
Herodotus presents his work, an account of history, by stating “Herodotus of Halicarnassus here presents his research so that human events do not fade with time. May the great and wonderful deeds- some brought forth by the Hellenes, others by barbarians – not go unsung” (Herodotus, Proem). Here, too, are observations from another time so that the way of life of the ancients does not go unsung. Herodotus from a historical and observational point of view shows that the civilized world of Greece, but also future readers, have something to learn from those he viewed as uncivilized. In fact, he blurs the line between what is civilized and what is uncivilized. Humans today, if willing and if they have eyes to see, can learn from those that came before us. No number of scholarly articles can change the fact that the barbarians Herodotus described knew something about health, culture, and lifestyle that modern peoples do not or more likely have forgotten. The people lived in harmony with the earth. They embraced the sun, instead of hiding from it. They bathed in springs so fresh that their flesh was soft and smelled of violets, not in water filled with chemicals. They ate from the earth; what the earth gave them and appreciated the life they took with feasts and festivals--instead of being gluttonous. As modern humans we think that progress is a straight line into the future. However, after reading Herodotus one realizes that the arrogance of our modern civilization can blind us from benefiting from the ways of other cultures and those that came before us. Herodotus examines and analyzes the deeds of barbarians and Greeks, so they were not forgotten, but he also gives a window into the past and clues about how the ancients lived so modern readers can better understand a way to a healthy life.
Modern science tells us that vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, gives us strong bones and healthy hair. It tells us that the body creates the hormones for vitamin D from exposure to the sun. Modern science also tells us that we should wear sunscreen and hats and avoid the sun. Herodotus, however, shows us that the sun can be beneficial to the human body. When he examines the bodies of Persian and Egyptian soldiers in a battlefield, he notices that the Persians skulls are very brittle while the Egyptian skulls are hard. He states that the reason for this is that “Egyptians begin having their heads shaved from early childhood, and that the bone thickens with exposure to the sun... Persians conversely have soft skulls because they shade themselves from early childhood, wearing tiaras, felt caps” (3.12). By observation, Herodotus observed what the modern reader knows about hair loss. It is a sign of vitamin D deficiency, which also causes loss of bone density. Thus, it is no surprise when Herodotus states that Egyptians who get plenty of vitamin D “Do not go bald. There are fewer bald men in Egypt than there are anywhere else which is a fact that anyone can observe for himself” (3.12). Instead of being swayed by the ever-changing decrees of modern science, influenced too often by profits, people may be better served by observing the past and using their own intuition to attain better health.
When discussing Darius’ invasion of Scythia, Herodotus records the many people of these regions. He observes the way they live, the landscape of the region, and the different healing powers that the people of these regions had with their connection to nature. Specifically, he discusses the Tearos River and its many healing abilities “The people who live near the Tearos River say that it is the best river for healing various ailments but is especially effective as a cure for scabies for both men and horses” (4.90). The people who lived near this river and were described as barbarians knew this to be a cure from simple observation. Today, we know that scabies is usually caused by malnutrition, especially of vitamin A. Natural running waters can be very healing as they are full of vitamins and minerals as well has increased oxygen due to the moving water. Many people today purchase spring waters and machines for vortexing water and believe that it is helpful in preventing and even reversing diseases. The so-called Barbarians lived close to nature and found ways to heal and improve their health through what was provided to them by nature.
In Ethiopia, Herodotus also describes a healing spring “just as though it consisted of olive oil, and it smelled as though it consisted of violets” (3.23). The flesh felt smooth as if rubbed with oil and scented with violet after bathing in the spring. Once again, the Ethiopians, also described as barbarians, were among the healthiest and most beautiful people on earth. These waters like the long sought-after Fountain of Youth, lead Herodotus to think the waters were the reason for the Ethiopians long life span. Though no one can bathe in this spring discussed by Herodotus, there is a lot of truth to the benefits of bathing in healing mineral water. Additionally, he provides further evidence for why they might live so long; their diet also plays a role. Thus, he provides valuable insights to a modern-day reader about how the ancient Ethiopians, an extremely healthy people, lived such long lives.
In Herodotus’ observations of the ways of life of barbarians or peoples from other cultures he notices and takes the time to comment on people’s diet. Specifically, he is fascinated by the diet of the Ethiopians who he describes a number of times as the “long lived”. If a group of people were called the “long lived” many would want to better understand how they achieved this title. When Cambyses wants to invade Ethiopia, he sends spies there to understand the culture and the people. When they arrive, they greet the king and begin comparing their cultures. When the Ethiopian king asks about the Persians' diet, they reply “They said he ate bread, related how wheat was grown, and set eighty years as the longest life span for a man” (3.22). The Persians then asked the Ethiopian king about the life span and diet in his country “and he told them that most of his people lived to the age of 120 years, and some even surpassed this age. Their food, he said, was boiled meat, and their drink was milk” (3.23). Modern readers could benefit from learning about other cultures and the people who came before us. Herodotus, intentional or not, offers us a view into the diet of the “long lived.” One would be well within reason to learn from how they lived and not dismiss them as an ancient people who knew nothing about diet because they did not have access to modern science. Hubris, as Herodotus makes clear throughout his work, is a character trait that leads leaders to ignore warnings and lessons from the past, Croesus, and Xerxes for example. As a society today, we should not repeat these leaders' mistakes and believe we have nothing to learn from those who came before.
If Herodotus took the approach of dismissing different cultures and ideas as not worthy of comment or analysis, we would know little about the history of much of the ancient world. Knowledge is often lost, and humans continuously find themselves needing to re-learn what the ancients already knew. Today, many of us have lost our connection to nature and how to use it to benefit our own health. Herodotus did not just record facts and figures from ancient times. He provided a window for the contemporary reader to look through to see how these “barbarians” used to live. Whether intentional or not, humans today who feel disconnected from nature can use the information provided to us by Herodotus to improve our well-being. One should not dismiss the lifestyles of these people as untrue, inaccurate, or overexaggerated. But rather, use what we know today to see if there is a rationale to how these people lived. The ancients knew more about health and nature than those today give them credit. When modern civilization ignores and blinds itself to the past, we lose information that could benefit us. If reader's glance over the diet and lifestyles Herodotus describes as being irrelevant to their own life, there is nothing to learn from someone who lived thousands of years ago, because they believe progress is linear in time, they lose out on insights and perspectives into how to live a life harmonious with the earth and waste this precious window Herodotus offers contemporary readers into the past.
Works Cited:
Herodotus, and Robert B. Strassler. The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories. Anchor Books, 2009.
