Herodotus

Introduction & Top Questions
Structure and scope of the History
Method of narration
Outlook on life
Qualities as a historian
Conclusion

Quotes References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Herodotus, detail of a Roman herm probably copied from a Greek original of the first half of the 4th century bce; in the National Archaeological Museum, Naples.

The Osiris Shaft: Uncovering Egypt's history

At a Glance

Herodotus summary

Quizzes

Temple ruins of columns and statures at Karnak, Egypt (Egyptian architecture; Egyptian archaelogy; Egyptian history)

History Buff Quiz

Related Questions

Did Herodotus believe every story that he included in History?
How did Hecataeus of Miletus influence Herodotus?
How did Herodotus criticize Greek stories about Heracles?
How did Herodotus describe Cambyses’ conquest of Egypt?
How did Herodotus describe Xerxes’ march from Sardis to the Hellespont?
How did Herodotus describe the Egyptian priests’ historical records?
How did Herodotus describe the conquest of Lydia by Persia?
How did Herodotus gather information for History?
How did Herodotus’s storytelling style resemble Homer’s?
How did the Persian invasion of Scythia affect Greek cities such as Byzantium?
How far south in Egypt did Herodotus travel?
How was Herodotus different from Thucydides as a historian?
How was Herodotus different from earlier Greek logographers?
When did Herodotus die?
When was Herodotus born?
Where did Herodotus live after leaving Halicarnassus?
Where was Herodotus born?
Which Greek city-states fought against Xerxes’ invasion of Greece?
Which Greek playwright is Herodotus believed to have met in Athens?
Which events are covered in the final four books of Herodotus’s History?
Which events are covered in the first five books of Herodotus’s History?
Which places did Herodotus visit during his travels?
Why did Herodotus include stories that he considered doubtful?
Why did Herodotus include the history of the Persian Empire in his account of the Greco-Persian Wars?
Why did Herodotus question priests at Memphis, Heliopolis, and Thebes?
Why did Herodotus travel to Egypt, Libya, and Babylonia?
Why did Herodotus write History?
Why has Herodotus developed a reputation for being credulous?
Why is Herodotus called the father of history?
Why were the Persian forces dependent on their fleet during Xerxes’ invasion?
Why is Herodotus important?
What did Herodotus write?
What did Herodotus do?
Is Herodotus’s History accurate?
What did Imhotep accomplish as an architect?
When did Imhotep become a deity?
Why is Hatshepsut so famous?
How did Hatshepsut come to power?
What was Hatshepsut’s reign like?
What was Hatshepsut’s family like?

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External Websites

Age of the Sage - Transmitting the Wisdoms of the Ages - Biography of Herodotus
Iran Chamber Society - Histories of Herodotus
Livius - Biography of Herodotus
History Today - Herodotus
Encyclopaedia Iranica - Herodotus
Great Thinkers - Herodotus
Humanities LibreTexts - Herodotus: Racist or Ethnographer?
Ancient History Encyclopedia - Biography of Herodotus

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Herodotus - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Herodotus

Greek historian

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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

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Last updated

Oct. 22, 2026 •History

Herodotus (born 484 bce?, Halicarnassus, Asia Minor [now Bodrum, Turkey]?—died c. 430–420) was the Greek author of the first great narrative history produced in the ancient world, the History of the Greco-Persian Wars. Scholars believe that Herodotus was born at Halicarnassus, a Greek city in southwest Asia Minor that was then under Persian rule. The precise dates of his birth and death are alike uncertain. He is thought to have resided in Athens and to...

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