![]() ![]() He was born, we are told, in Halicarnassus, a coastal city in southwestern Asia Minor (modern Turkey), probably around 485 BCE and, to judge from the fact that he doesn’t appear to know about events in Greek history after the early 420’s, his death probably occurred no later than 425 BCE. Unfortunately, very little is known today about his life. ![]() ![]() Our understanding of the cultural and political forces which gave rise to the Classical Age of Greece (479-431 BCE), a watershed in Western Civilization, rests largely on the work of one remarkable individual, an ancient Greek merchant named Herodotus. Introduction: Herodotus and the Birth of History A. Professor of Ancient Drama, Ancient History, Latin and Greek Languages Since he invented history, no century has passed without a historian to record it. A master storyteller, Herodotus won an audience for history not only in his day but for all time. It encompasses geography, gossip, gods and even a bit of arithmetic. Explicitly, The Histories deal with the Persian Wars, the Greeks’ double defeat of the formidable forces led against them by the Persian kings Darius and Xerxes, but Herodotus’ work includes much more than just the narration of that conflict. Herodotus is the “Father of History” and-according to some-also the “Father of Lies.” As a discipline, history begins with Herodotus’ Histories, the first known systematic investigation of the past. ![]()
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