1.24 Where else in the Mediterranean are we finding stories of a man being forced to leave the vessel and being saved by a water creature? The story of Jonah can be related to this story, which means how should we take this tale that Herodotus is telling. It is noted that there is a statue of Arion and his dolphin. But what is the overall importance of the story? How were stories at this time influencing the beliefs of people and how were they being assimilated into other societies? Why is Herodotus feel the need to write this story and not other ones?

2.104 Here Herodotus talks about the practice of circumcision. From here, one cannot help but think about the story of Jacob and his twelve sons with the Hittites. What made people think of circumcision in the first place? We see here Herodotus talking about an ancient custom that we should look for in ancient documents like the Egyptians to see if they actually coincide with what Herodotus was saying.