The Persians conquer Egypt. Darius on the throne. Organization of his state. Polycrates, tyrant of Samos.
Herodotus, born into a wealthy family from Halicarnassus, was likely born around 484 B.C. Confirmed details about his life include that he lived for some time during his youth in Samos, that he traveled to Greece, Scythia, Pontus, and the East, and that he participated in the colonization of Thouria, the city where he died around 430 B.C.
Herodotus' writing, a work for which he was called the "father of History," was divided by Alexandrian scholars into nine books (each titled with the name of a Muse) based on their content.
The historian begins his narrative with the peak of the Persian Empire, continues with the history and anthropology of Egypt, the conquest of this country by the Persians, their relations with the Western world, and culminates his work with the Persian Wars.
Drawing information from oral tradition, written sources, and archaeology, and also utilizing mythological data, Herodotus composes his History in the Ionic dialect, which is characterized by sincerity, objectivity, and an unbiased approach to persons, peoples, and events.
