Herodotus (lived 5th century BC)

Greek historian, described as the ‘Father of History’. He wrote a nine-book account of the Greek-Persian struggle that culminated in the defeat of the Persian invasion attempts in 490 and 480 BC. The work contains lengthy digressions on peoples, places, and earlier history. Herodotus was the first historian to apply critical evaluation to his material while also recording divergent opinions.

He was born in Halicarnassus in Asia Minor and appears to have spent most of his life travelling, eventually settling in Thouria, in southern Italy.

His credibility has long been questioned, but the evidence tends to support him, and judging by what he says he took some care to find out the truth. It should be remembered that he was the first to write what is now regarded as ‘history’ and that he relied almost exclusively on oral sources.