Who was Herodotus and why is he called the ‘Father of History’?

Around 484 BCE, Herodotus was born in the bustling city of Halicarnassus, a Greek colony located on the western coast of modern-day Turkey.

Halicarnassus was part of the Persian Empire at the time and was kind of a cultural crossroads between the Greek world and the East.

This mix of influences from both sides of the Aegean shaped much of Herodotus' early life.

No doubt, surrounded by merchants, sailors, and scholars, he would have grown up hearing stories of distant lands and mighty empires, which kindled his desire to explore the broader world. 

Herodotus' family likely belonged to the upper class, which afforded him access to an education that focused on literature, poetry, and the rich tradition of oral storytelling.

He would have been exposed to the great epics of Homer, which were passed down by professional storytellers, as well as local myths about Greek gods and heroes.

However, growing up in a city under Persian rule with Persian governors, would have introduced him to a different political structure than that of the independent Greek city-states.

This blend of influences may have sparked his early interest in understanding the larger forces at play between Greece and Persia. 

As a young man, Herodotus' family became involved in opposition to the tyrant Lygdamis, who ruled Halicarnassus.

This opposition led to Herodotus being exiled, probably in the mid-460s BCE. This forced Herodotus to leave his home and travel.

During this period, he began to explore the broader Mediterranean world, immersing himself in the cultures he would later write about. 

When Herodotus embarked on his travels, he journeyed to Egypt, where he marveled at the grandeur of the ancient civilization.

While there, he learned from Egyptian priests, who shared their centuries-old knowledge of gods, kings, and customs.

In Memphis and Thebes, he studied their religious practices, recording what he learned, which meant that his accounts of Egypt were filled with descriptions of the rituals and the workings of this remarkable society.

Herodotus was particularly fascinated by the Egyptians’ burial customs and the mummification process. 

Herodotus also ventured into the centre of the vast Persian Empire, which at the time was the most powerful force in the known world.

He most likely visited Babylon and Susa, and he wrote about the Persian system of government, with their complex networks of satrapies.

In his descriptions of the Persians, Herodotus admired their military organization and discipline but also noted the vast cultural differences between them and the Greeks. 

Returning to Greece, Herodotus moved through the vibrant cities of Athens and Sparta, where he observed the contrasting political systems and ways of life.

In Athens, he experienced the bustling energy of a democracy, which was flourishing in the wake of its victories over Persia.

He interacted with the most influential intellectuals and political leaders.

Herodotus admired the Spartan dedication to their warrior ethos but was also struck by the rigid structure of their society. 

Some historians also believe that he even explored regions as far as Scythia in the north.

His descriptions of these places, though sometimes criticized for exaggeration, provided rare insights into the lives and customs of peoples unknown to most Greeks.

His ability to connect with different cultures, which were often vastly distinct from his own, was one of his greatest strengths as a historian. 

When Herodotus began writing The Histories, his ambition was clear: to explain the causes of the great conflict between Greece and Persia.

His work would become a wide-ranging inquiry into the customs, geography, and political structures of the peoples involved.

Herodotus divided his text into nine books, each one named after one of the Muses, which was a nod to the ancient tradition of invoking divine inspiration for creative works.

In order to write such a detailed account, Herodotus relied heavily on firsthand information, which was collected through extensive travel and interviews.

His method involved speaking directly to those who had witnessed significant events, as well as individuals who could offer insights into local customs.

In Egypt, for example, Herodotus sought out temple priests, who were the keepers of their civilization's vast historical knowledge.

He documented their explanations of pharaohs, religious rituals, and the country’s ancient monuments. 

His approach was distinctive because it involved cross-examining various sources to verify their credibility, which was an unusual practice at the time.

In fact, Herodotus often included multiple versions of the same event in The Histories, stating the accounts that he heard and sometimes expressing his own opinions on their reliability.

He acknowledged the limits of his knowledge, particularly when it came to events in distant lands, yet he still documented them for his readers. 

Most significantly, he wanted future generations to understand the motivations of kings and generals, as well as the choices that led to both triumph and disaster.

His writing was as much about understanding human nature as it was about recording the facts.

By weaving these elements together, Herodotus transformed historical writing into an exploration of the forces that drove empires and the people within them. 

When the later Roman orator Cicero referred to Herodotus as the 'Father of History,' it was a recognition of his groundbreaking approach to recording the past.

Herodotus did something no one before him had attempted: he compiled a detailed account of the major events and cultures of his time, which meant that history could be understood not as a collection of myths, but as a series of causes and effects.

This title, which Cicero coined centuries later, acknowledged Herodotus’ methodical approach to ‘inquiry’, which is known as historia in Greek. 

Importantly, Herodotus also recorded myths and legends, though he often expressed skepticism about their authenticity.

When recounting stories such as the famous tale of the winged serpents in Arabia, Herodotus sometimes distanced himself from the claims, noting that he had not witnessed these things firsthand.

However, he still included them because they reflected the beliefs of the people he studied.

So, he did not reject myths outright but placed them in context, leaving it to his readers to draw their own conclusions. 

As a result, in his work, Herodotus blended factual history with storytelling, which gave his writing both depth and accessibility.

He presented his findings in a narrative style, weaving together tales of heroes, kings, and entire nations with meticulous details of military campaigns and political intrigue.

His method of recounting historical events often involved exploring the motivations of individuals and nations.

He explained how ambition, fear, and revenge drove decisions, which were key to understanding the causes of wars.

This narrative approach allowed him to connect with readers on a human level. 

The most famous sections of Herodotus' account of the Greco-Persian Wars involve his descriptions of the key battles that won the Greeks their victory.

It was so influential that it became essential to how future generations understood these critical moments in history.

His vivid portrayal of the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE highlighted the courage of the Athenians, who, against overwhelming odds, defeated the Persian forces of King Darius.

Herodotus emphasized the valor of the hoplites and their discipline on the battlefield.

His narrative of this battle helped shape the perception of Marathon as a symbol of democratic triumph over despotism.

Herodotus also described the fateful clash at Thermopylae in 480 BCE, where King Leonidas of Sparta and his 300 warriors made their heroic stand against the advancing Persian army under Xerxes I.

He recorded the details of the narrow mountain pass where the Spartans, supported by several thousand allies, held their ground against Xerxes’ enormous forces.

He depicted Leonidas’ leadership and the self-sacrifice of the Greek soldiers, who knew they would not survive the battle.

Thanks to this, Herodotus’ account immortalized Thermopylae as a moment of profound bravery, which was crucial in delaying the Persian advance. 

Meanwhile, for the Battle of Salamis, Herodotus described how the Greek naval forces, led by the Athenians under Themistocles, lured the Persian fleet into the narrow straits.

The Greek triremes, which were more maneuverable in tight waters, inflicted devastating losses on the much larger Persian fleet.

In addition, Herodotus detailed how Xerxes, watching from a distance, witnessed his fleet’s destruction, which forced him to retreat from Greece.

His account of this decisive battle reinforced the idea that Greek ingenuity and unity could overcome the vast resources of the Persian Empire. 

Despite all of these laudable achievements, Herodotus has long been a subject of criticism among both ancient and modern historians who questioned the accuracy of his work.

In particular, Thucydides, who was a near-contemporary historian, famously critiqued Herodotus for relying too much on hearsay and not adhering strictly to factual accounts.

Thucydides, who wrote a more analytical and structured history of the later Peloponnesian War, argued that Herodotus’ inclusion of myths and legends compromised his credibility as a historian.

Herodotus often reported what he had been told without fully verifying the information, which led to inconsistencies in his narratives.

This reliance on oral tradition, which was common in his time, created skepticism about how much of his work could be considered fact. 

In modern times, scholars have acknowledged that he had no access to the kinds of records or resources later historians would use, which meant that he often had to rely on local accounts and the memory of individuals.

This led to a narrative that blended historical events with cultural myths, which was sometimes difficult to separate.

For example, in his account of the Persian Wars, Herodotus sometimes provided conflicting figures for the size of the Persian army, which created uncertainty about how much of his work could be trusted.

Some historians have argued that his inclusion of exaggerated numbers was intended to highlight the dramatic scale of the events rather than to offer a precise military analysis. 

As such, many historians today view his work as a pioneering attempt to record history in an organized and thoughtful way, even if some of his methods were less exact than those used by later historians.

Scholars acknowledge that Herodotus faced limitations in terms of verifying the accuracy of his sources, but they recognize the value of his efforts to preserve the knowledge and stories of his time.

As a result, Herodotus is still regarded as an essential figure in the development of historical writing.