Battle of Plataea. Naval Battle of Mycale. Capture of Sestos by the Athenians.

Herodotus, a scion of a wealthy family from Halicarnassus, was probably born around 484 BC. Established facts about his life include that he lived for some time in his youth in Samos, that he traveled to Greece, Scythia, Pontus, and the East, and that he participated in the colonization of Thurii, the city where he died around 430 BC.

The writings of Herodotus, a work for which he was called 'the father of History', were 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 rise of the Persian Empire, continues with the history and anthropology of Egypt, the conquest of that country by the Persians, the relations of the latter with the Western world, and culminates his work with the Persian Wars.

Drawing information from oral tradition, written sources, and archaeology, while also utilizing mythological data, Herodotus composes his History in the Ionic dialect, characterized by honesty, objectivity, and an unprejudiced approach to individuals, peoples, and events.

[Excerpt from a text on the publisher's website]