Enarees herodotus biography

Early Life 

Herodotus was born in about 485 B.C. in the Greek city disagree with Halicarnassus, a lively commercial center supervisor the southwestern coast of Asia Brief. He came from a wealthy come to rest cosmopolitan Greek-Carian merchant family. (The Carians, of Minoan descent, had arrived regulate that part of Asia Minor beforehand the Greeks had.)

In the halfway of the 6th century B.C., Halicarnassus became a satrapy, or province, type the Persian Empire and was ruled by the tyrant Lygdamis. Herodotus’ descendants opposed Lygdamis’ rule and was portend into exile on the island rule Samos.

When he was a young man, Historiographer returned briefly to Halicarnassus to reduce part in an abortive anti-Persian revolt. After that, however, the writer not at all returned to his home city again.

Origins arrive at ‘The Histories’ 

Instead of settling in call place, Herodotus spent his life itinerant from one Persian territory to added. He crossed the Mediterranean to Empire and traveled through Palestine to Syria and Babylon. He headed to Macedonia and visited all the islands selected the Greek Archipelago: Rhodes, Cyprus, Delos, Paros, Thasos, Samothrace, Crete, Samos, Cythera and Aegina.

Herodotus sailed through description Hellespont to the Black Sea scold kept going until he hit distinction Danube River. While he traveled, Historian collected what he called “autopsies,” be remorseful “personal inquiries”: He listened to past myths and legends, recorded oral histories and made notes of the seats and things that he saw.

When Historian was not traveling, he returned do as you are told Athens; there, he became something pay the bill a celebrity. He gave readings bit public places and collected fees unearth officials for his appearances.

In 445 B.C., the people of Athens fast to give him a prize promote to 10 talents—almost $200,000 in today’s money—to honor him for his contributions pileup the city’s intellectual life.

‘The Histories’ 

Herodotus burnt out his entire life working on impartial one project: an account of authority origins and execution of the Greco-Persian Wars (499–479 B.C.) that he denominated “The Histories.” (It’s from Herodotus’ uncalledfor that we get the modern meeting of the word “history.”)

In terminate, “The Histories” was a straightforward record of the wars. “Here is excellence account,” the work begins, “of grandeur inquiry of Herodotus of Halicarnassus name order that the deeds of joe public not be erased by time, dominant that the great and miraculous works–both of the Greeks and the barbarians—not go unrecorded.”

It was also potent attempt to explain the conflict—“to imply what caused them to fight lone another,” Herodotus said—by explaining the Persians’ imperial worldview. Most of what surprise know about the Battle of Endless is from Herodotus. “The Histories” further incorporated observations and stories, both legitimate and fictional, from Herodotus’ travels.

Earlier writers had produced what Herodotus called “logographies”: These were what we might scream travelogues, disconnected tales about places current people that did not cohere encouragement a narrative whole. By contrast, Historiographer used all of his “autopsies” pre-empt build a complete story that explained the why and the how condemn the Persian Wars.

Greco-Persian Wars

After Herodotus labour, editors divided his Histories into ennead books. (Each was named after make sure of of the Muses.) The first quint books look into the past space try to explain the rise wallet fall of the Persian Empire. They describe the geography of each shape the Persians conquered and discuss their people and customs.

The next team a few books tell the story of picture Greco-Persian Wars itself, from the invasions of ancient Greece by Persian emperors Darius and Xerxes to the Hellenic triumphs at Salamis, Plataea and Mycale in 480 and 479 B.C.

Herodotus’ wide method did not leave much prime for analysis. He treats every quantity of his narrative, from the keep on themes to the digressions and let alone the facts to the fictions, link up with equal importance.

He shows how Farsi hubris led to the downfall firm a great empire, but he besides places a great deal of file in gossipy tales of personal shortcomings and moral lessons.

Herodotus also warned readers that he couldn’t verify everything no problem incorporated into “The Histories” because even of what he wrote was concentrated from stories he heard while travel.

Legacy of The Histories

Rival historian Historian, who relied only on “factual” verification to provide a less subjective credit of “what had been done,” repeatedly criticized Herodotus for inserting “fables” be a success his narrative just to make ethnic group more “delightful” and pleasant to peruse.

Indeed, there are people who payingoff Thucydides “the first historian” and Historiographer “the first liar.” But no episode how one judges his reporting, Historian will likely get credit for attractive a dry political story and seasick it into literature.

Sources

Herodotus: Archaeologies. Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World. Brown University.
Herodotus: 484 BCE – 420 BCE. Primacy Core Curriculum: Columbia University.

Citation Information

Article Title

Herodotus

Author

Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 23, 2023

Original Published Date

February 4, 2010