Herodotus-

Sham S. Misri 

Herodotus was a Greek historian, a philosopher and a scholar. He was born in the year 484 before Christ. He was a man of wealth and occupied a good position in society. He was energetic and led a very romantic and adventurous career in his travels. It was the custom in Greece, at that time, to give young men a good intellectual education. In other nations, more emphasis was given to the use of arms, to horsemanship, to athletic feats, and other accomplishments as would enable them to excel in public games, and fight against their enemies in the battle fields. The Greeks taught their young men to read and to write and, explained to them the philosophy of language. They trained them to study of the poets, the orators, and the historians which their country had produced. Thus, in addition to the wrestling, the races, the games, and the military spectacles, there were certain literary entertainments which constituted an essential part of the public pleasures. Tragedies were acted, poems recited, odes and lyrics sung.
 When Herodotus first went to Egypt, he spent some time in that country, and made himself minutely acquainted with its history. He studied its antiquities, and its political and social condition, at the time of his visit. He took many notes of all that he saw. From Egypt he went westward into Libya, and thence he traveled slowly along the whole southern shore of the Mediterranean Sea as far as to the Straits of Gibraltar. He noted many things with great care.
 The Straits of Gibraltar were the ends of the earth toward the westward in those ancient days. He visited Tyre, and the cities of Phœnicia, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. He then went to Assyria and Babylon. It was here that he obtained the materials for what he has written in respect to the Medes and Persians, and to the history of Cyrus. After spending some time in these countries, he went on by land still further to the eastward, into the heart of Asia. The country of Scythia was considered as at "the end of the earth" in this direction. Herodotus penetrated for some distance into the almost trackless wilds of this remote land, until he reached the shores of the Ægean Sea. He then came back into Greece. To make such a journey in those days was almost to explore the whole known world.
Some confer upon him the title of the father of history; while others call him the father of lies. After his return, Herodotus became involved in some political disturbances and difficulties in his native state. He was exiled to the island of Samos. Here he lived for some time in seclusion and started writing out his history.

The nine-volume work was written between 450BC to 420BC and records ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that were known around the Mediterranean and Western Asia at that time.  In the first volume there is the story of King Candaules* (read my next blog), who according to the tale bragged of his wife’s incredible beauty to his favourite bodyguard Gyges. After many years later, Evangelist John, wrote the Book of Revelation near the same place of the island of Samos.

When a few of the first books of his history were completed, Herodotus went with the manuscript to Olympia. That time the great celebration of the 81st Olympiad was to be performed. The Olympiads were periods recurring at intervals of about four years. By means of them the Greeks reckoned their time. The Olympiads were celebrated as they occurred, with games, shows, spectacles, and parades. They were conducted on so magnificent a scale that vast crowds assembled from every part of Greece to witness and join in them. They were held at Olympia, a city on the western side of Greece. Nothing now remains to mark the spot except some ruins.

The personal fame of Herodotus and of his travels had preceded him. When he reached Olympia he found the great curiosity among the people to listen to his narratives. He read many extracts from his accounts. He was received with applause by the generals, the philosophers, and the scholars of Greece. Herodotus was greatly gratified at the interest which his countrymen took in his narratives, and he determined thenceforth to devote his time to the continuation and completion of his work.
It was twelve years, however, before his plan was finally accomplished. He then went to Athens. That time a grand festive celebration was being held in that city, and there he appeared in public again, and read extended portions of the additional books that he had written. The admiration and applause which his work now elicited was even greater than before. Herodotus selected and read such an exciting history that aroused the interest of his Grecian hearers. Many of them were glowing accounts of Grecian exploits in former wars which had been waged in the countries which he had visited.
The Athenians were greatly pleased with the narratives which Herodotus thus read to them of their own and of their ancestors' exploits. They considered him a national benefactor for having made such a record of their deeds. They honored him much and bestowed upon him a public grant of a large sum of money. During the remainder of his life Herodotus continued to enjoy the high degree of literary renown which his writings had acquired for him.