484?-425? B.C., Greek historian, called the Father of History, b.
Halicarnassus, Asia Minor. Only scant knowledge of his life can be gleaned from his
writings and from references to him by later writings, notably the Suda. He traveled
along the coast of Asia Minor to the northern islands and to the shore of the
Black Sea; he also at some time visited Mesopotamia, Babylon, and Egypt. By 447
B.C. he was in Athens, and in 443 he seems to have helped to found the Athenian
colony of Thurii in S Italy, where he probably spent the rest of his life
completing his history. That classic work, the first comprehensive attempt at
secular narrative history, is the starting point of Western historical writing. It is
divided into nine books named for the Muses (a division made by a later
editor). Herodotus was the first writer to evaluate historical, geographical, and
archaeological material critically. The focus of the history is the story of the
Persian Wars, but the extensive and richly detailed background information put
Greece in its proper historical perspective. He discusses the growth of Persia
into a great kingdom and traces the history and migration of the Greek people.
Among his grand digressions are fascinating histories of Babylon, Egypt, and
Thrace, as well as detailed studies of the pyramids and specific historical
events. The value of the work lies not only in its accuracy, but in its scope and the
rich diversity of information as well as the charm and simplicity of his
writing.
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