Herodotus died in 425 BCE in Thurii, aged about 59. 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
- from c. 430s BCE to 470sStatue of Zeus at Olympia
- c. 430s BCEHerodotus writes the Histories
- c. 430 BCEBirth of Xenophon
- c. 420s BCEConstruction of Temple of Athena Nike
- 425 BCEDeath of Herodotus
- c. 421 BCEConstruction of the Erechtheion
- from 415 BCE to 413 BCESicilian Expedition
- 406 BCEDeath of Sophocles
- from 5th century BCE to 10th centuryKingdom of Aksum
More in Art, literature & culture
- from c. 776 BCE to 500 CEAncient Olympic Games
- c. 520 BCECarving of the Behistun inscription
- 2nd century BCEVenus de Milo
- 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.