Herodotus was born in 484 BCE in Halicarnassus. A Greek historian from Halicarnassus, in Asia Minor, Herodotus wrote the Histories, the first major prose work to survive from the ancient Greek world. It describes the origins and course of the wars between the Greeks and the Persian Empire, from the Ionian revolt to the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea, and it includes long accounts of the geography, customs and history of Egypt, Persia, Scythia and other lands that he visited or heard about. Cicero called him the father of history, although some ancient critics accused him of credulity. He is thought to have spent time in Athens and in the colony of Thurii in Italy.
Before and after
- 496 BCEOrigins of Temple of Castor and Pollux
- 496 BCEBirth of Sophocles
- 494 BCEBirth of Pericles
- 12 August 490 BCEBattle of Marathon
- 484 BCEBirth of Herodotus
- 11 August 480 BCEBattle of Thermopylae
- 479 BCEDeath of Confucius
- from 478 BCE to 403 BCEFounding of Delian League
- from 476 BCE to 221 BCEWarring States period
More in Art, literature & culture
- 26th century BCEThe Great Sphinx
- c. 1,752 BCECode of Hammurabi
- c. 430s BCEHerodotus writes the Histories
- c. 20 BCEVirgil's Aeneid is published
- c. 4 BCENativity of Jesus
- 325 CEFirst Council of Nicaea
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 5th century BCE.