The “Father of History,” Herodotus, the great Greek historian, was born around 484 BC in Halicarnassus, in Caria of Asia Minor, when it was under Persian rule. He traveled extensively throughout almost all of Asia Minor, Egypt (up to Aswan), North Africa, Syria, the land north of the Black Sea, as well as many areas of the Aegean and continental Greece. It appears that he lived for some time in Athens and in 443 BC went with other colonists to the new city of Thurii (in Southern Italy), where he died around 430 BC.

He was “the storyteller of the bard’s epic, narrator of the deeds of real men and describer of foreign lands” (Murray). Herodotus’ famous account of the war between Greeks and Persians has an epic grandeur that enhances its enjoyable style. It includes the rise of Persian power and a reference to the Persian Empire, as well as a description and history of Egypt and a lengthy digression on the geography and customs of Scythia. Even in the later books about the Persian assaults on Greece, there are digressions. All of it is highly entertaining and creates a great unity.

After personal research and study of hearsay and other evidence, Herodotus gives us a not uncritical assessment of the best he could find. The edition of Herodotus by the Classical Literature Library is in four volumes.