Perdere il senno e darsi la morte. Due casi singolari di punizione divina nelle Storie di Erodoto (V 85; VI, 75)

The aim of this paper is the analysis of the themes of madness and suicide in the narrative structure of Herodotus. Two episodes are examined: a) the account of the madness that hit the Athenians, who had tried in vain to steal the Aeginetans sacred statues of Damias and Auxesias; b) the account of disagreements between the two Spartan kings Cleomenes and Demaratus and their tragic outcome. These two episodes are deeply interconnected: through internal cross-references, suggested by the languistic choices of the historian, we will think about Herodotus causal model.