Page 73 - Introduction to Tourism

and dangers. Traveling by sea, they worried

about storms and pirates; by

land, about bad roads, dismal inns, and

highwaymen. Only the wealthy described by

Homer could escape the worst pitfalls.

Those who traveled for business, healing, or
entertainment at festivals represented the

majority. A small minority traveled for the sheer
love of it — like Herodotus, the

world ’ s first great travel writer.
The museum, born in the ancient Near East,

came of age with the Greeks. Sanctuaries such

as Apollo ’ s at Delphi and that of Zeus at

Olympia gradually accumulated valuable objects

donated either as thank - you offerings for

services rendered or as bribes for acts the

supplicant hoped would be rendered. Herodotus

describes six gold mixing bowls dedicated by

Gyges of Lydia and weighing some 1730 pounds

and a gold lion from Croesus weighing 375

pounds. While Herodotus singled these out

because of their cost, others were notable for

their aesthetic qualities. The Greeks had few

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