Herodotus

Herodotus is the first known historian in Greece. ("Herodotus" Pg. 213) He is commonly referred as the "father of history" because of his books //The Histories.//(Nardo Pg. 76-78) The Histories is separated into nine books. His studies that are written down in the book have valuable information on Mediterranean lands and people of his time. (Nardo Pg. 76-78) He was very inspired by Homer and his work that he wanted write about the Persian Wars as Homer did on Troy. The Persian Wars information includes the information on the Persian Empire, Persian Invasions of Greece in 490 and 480 B.C.,the heroic fights between the Greeks and the Persians, and the final victory. ("Herodotus" Pg. 213) He believed that there were such cycles, happiness to misery, to punish human pride. He is the basis of learning about the ancient Mediterranean life and culture. ("Herodotus" Pg. 213) Herodotus was born into a wealthy and prosperous family that lived in Halicarnassus in Asia Minor. (McConnell and Baker Pg. 104-110) As a young boy, he was inspired by Homer's writings of the Trojan War. Supposedly, when he was 32, he took part in a revolt in Halicarnassus. For taking a part in the revolt, he exiled to the isle of Samos off the coast of Asia Minor in 452 B.C. (McConnell and Baker Pg. 104-110) From Samos he went to Athens during the age of Pericles. In 443, when he was forty- one, he went to Thurii in southwest Italy. Thurii is a colony that was founded by Pericles. Over the course of the two decades he wrote his book that made him famous is The Histories. (McConnell and Baker Pg. 104- 110) The Histories was the biggest thing in his life that he has done. He is called the "father of history" because of this. The Histories was originally 28 logos. (McConnell and Baker Pg. 104- 110) A logo is a Greek term that is important to philosophy, psychology, and religion. (Nardo Pg. 76- 78) One logo takes about 3 hours to recite. (Nardo Pg. 76-78) Later on, people separated it into 9 books to make it easier to read. His research had taken him all the way to Phoenician and into Egypt, and as far south as Elephantine. Elephantine is right off the coast of the Nile. (McConnell and Baker Pg. 104- 110) Herodotus had wrote about the pyramids extensively. Some of the ideas that he had about the ways that they were built were very bizarre. He did have very detailed first hand looks at great structures more than 2,000 years old at that time. (McConnell and Baker Pg. 104-110) Herodotus had moved to Cyrene which is now Libya. After a year or two, Herodotus had went out east to inspect the ruins of the city Babylon. There he had written extensively about what he had seen and marveled at what had been. (McConnell and Baker Pg. 104- 110) Herodotus had traveled to Persia, which is home of the Greeks recent foes, then around the Black Sea in what is now Russia and former Soviet Republics. (McConnell and Baker Pg. 104- 110) As he traveled, he interviewed people, made notes, and collected material for his book, The Histories. (McConnell and Baker Pg. 104- 110) Herodotus, to recap is the first known Historian is the world. He is commonly referred to be the "father of history" because of being a historian and because of the book that he wrote which is the Histories which is separated into 9 books. ("Herodotus- Greek Literature") His studies contain valuable information on the ancient Mediterranean lands and people of his time. (Nardo Pg. 76- 78) Herodotus' death is almost controversial because no one really knows how and where he had died. ("Herodotus- Greek Literature") Herodotus is a great contribution to society even today because of his passion for history.
 * Herodotus**



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Carr, Karen. "Herodotus- Greek Literature." //hstoryforkids.org//. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar 2012. .

"Herodotus." 2010. World Book, 2010. Print.

McConnell, Stacy, and Lawrence Baker. //Ancient Civilizations: Biographies//. Woodbridge: U.X.L, 2000. Print.

Nardo, Don. //The Age of Pericles//. New York city: Lucent Books, 1996. Print.