page_title: Herodotus
hierarchical_section_title: Herodotus
caption_attribution_description: English: Portrait of Herodotus, identified after other known inscribed portraits of the historian. Greek marble, Roman copy of a Greek original of the early 4th century BC. From the area of Porta Metronia, Rome. Français&#160;: Portrait d'Hérodote, identifié par comparaison avec d'autres bustes inscrits de l'historien. Marbre grec, copie romaine d'un original grec du début du IVe siècle av. J.-C. Provenance&#160;: environs de la Porta Metronia, Rome.
context_page_description: Herodotus was an Ancient Greek historian. He was born at Halicarnassus, a town in south-west Asia Minor, probably in 484 BC. He died in 425 BC.
  Herodotus was called the "Father of History" by Cicero. He wrote about the ancient empires of Babylon, Egypt, and Persia, and about the Ancient Greeks.
  During his life, Herodotus probably told his stories in front of large numbers of people in Greek cities. Some men at the time did this for pay. He is now most famous for his writings about the wars between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states. He told the story from the Greek side, although the war was mostly finished when he was still a child.
  In his books, Herodotus tells us that he travelled a lot. He says that he went to what is now Italy, Ukraine, Egypt, and Sicily. He may also have travelled to Babylon. He often used stories from people he met to write about other places and happenings.
  Some people think that Herodotus wrote about things that were not true. That is possible, because he would have relied on information from various sources. His work is important because there is very little writing on these subjects before his works.
context_section_description: Herodotus  was an Ancient Greek historian. He was born at Halicarnassus, a town in south-west Asia Minor (now Bodrum, Turkey), probably in 484 BC. He died in 425 BC.
  Herodotus was called the "Father of History" by Cicero. He wrote  about the ancient empires of Babylon, Egypt, and Persia, and about the Ancient Greeks.
  During his life, Herodotus probably told his stories in front of large numbers of people in Greek cities. Some men at the time did this for pay. He is now most famous for his writings about the wars between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states. He told the story from the Greek side, although the war was mostly finished when he was still a child.
  In his books, Herodotus tells us that he travelled a lot. He says that he went to what is now Italy, Ukraine, Egypt, and Sicily. He may also have travelled to Babylon. He often used stories from people he met to write about other places and happenings.
  Some people think that Herodotus wrote about things that were not true. That is possible, because he would have relied on information from various sources. His work is important because there is very little writing on these subjects before his works.
  The works of Herodotus are available today in translations.
caption: Herodotus of Helicarnassus
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