Herodotus

• Herodotus of Halicarnassus (c.484-c.420 BCE) was an Ancient Greek historian who wrote The Histories recording the Greco-Persian Wars.

Biography

• Cicero was the first to call him ‘The Father of History’.
• There were seven known Greek historians before him, according to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, but these tended to concentrate on their own cities or regions.

Works

• The Histories recount the Persian Kings in 9 books each named after the nine Muses.
  • Cyrus
    • Book 1: ‘Clio’
  • Cambyses
    • Book 2: ‘Euterpe’
    • Book 3.1: ‘Thalia’
  • Darius
    • Book 3.2: ‘Thalia’
    • Book 4: ‘Melpomene’
    • Book 5: ‘Terpsichore’
    • Book 6: ‘Erato’
  • Xerxes
    • Book 7: ‘Polymnia’
    • Book 8: ‘Urania’
    • Book 9: ‘Calliope’