Herodotus short biography of the writer. ​Herodotus - ancient Greek scientist, thinker, traveler and “father of history”

HERODOTUS(lat. Herodotus, Greek Herodotos) (about 484 BC, Halicarnassus, Asia Minor - about 426 BC, Thurias, Magna Graecia), ancient Greek historian, called by Cicero the “father of history” (“On the Laws”, I, 1,5 ). Author of works devoted to the description of the Greco-Persian wars outlining the history of the Achaemenid state, Egypt; gave the first systematic description of the life and everyday life of the Scythians. The monumental work of Herodotus, dedicated to the history of the Greco-Persian Wars and the description of the countries and peoples who fought with the Persians, is the first historical work of antiquity that has completely reached us and at the same time the first in history ancient literature monument of artistic prose. Initially it was called “History” (ancient Greek “research, research”); in the 3rd century BC Alexandrian scholars divided it into nine books, giving each of them the name of one of the nine muses - the first book was named after the muse of history, Clio.

According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Herodotus was born shortly before Xerxes’ campaign in Greece (480 BC) and lived until the Peloponnesian War (431 BC). His parents were noble and wealthy citizens. For participating in the fight against the tyrant Halicarnassus Lygdamis, Herodotus was forced to leave his homeland and settled on the island of Samos. Tradition attributes Herodotus to long journeys through the countries of the East: in 455-444 he visited Phenicia, Syria, Egypt, Babylon, Macedonia, the Greek colony of Olbia in the Northern Black Sea region, and visited Delphi. He describes as an eyewitness the peculiarities of the climate of Scythia, which is more severe than in Greece, he knows the layout of Babylon and the way in which its walls were erected; Herodotus provides data on the distances between Egyptian cities in the Nile Valley and talks in detail about the customs of the Egyptians that amazed him.

From the mid-440s, the fate of Herodotus was closely connected with Athens and the circle of Pericles. It is known that in Athens Herodotus gave public readings of individual books of the History and was awarded for this by the Athenians (Eusebius, 4th century). A hidden polemic with Herodotus can be found in his younger contemporary Thucydides, who emphasizes that his own work is alien to fables, is not so pleasant to the ear and was not created to sound in a fleeting competition (Thucydides, History, I, 22).

In 444-443, Herodotus, together with the philosopher Protagoras of Abdera and the architect Hippodamus of Miletus, took part in the founding of the pan-Greek colony of Thurii in southern Italy (hence his nickname Thurii). The “history” ends with a description of the siege of Sestus (478) and gives the impression of being unfinished; Based on her textual analysis, it is generally accepted that Herodotus died in Thurii between 430 and 424.

Herodotus wrote his work “History” or “Exposition of Events” in the Ionian dialect. main idea which he traces in this work lies in the opposition between Asian despotism and ancient Greek democracy. The central theme of the History was the Greco-Persian wars, but during the presentation of events the historian introduced detailed geographical and ethnographic sketches, the so-called logos.

Herodotus begins the story with a story about the fate of the Lydian kingdom and moves on to the history of Media before the accession of Cyrus; in connection with Cyrus’s campaigns, he describes Babylon and the customs of its inhabitants, as well as the Masaget tribe who lived across the Arax River (book 1). The history of the conquest of Egypt by Cambyses gives him a reason to talk about this country: this is how the famous Egyptian logos is formed (book 2, Euterpe); the story of Darius's unsuccessful campaign against the Scythians develops into a description of the lifestyle and traditions of the tribes inhabiting the Black Sea steppes (book 6, Melpomene).

Such descriptions of individual localities and peoples bring the History closer to the works of Ionian logographers and, in particular, to the writings of Hecataeus of Miletus, to whom Herodotus repeatedly refers. However, unlike logographers, in the outline of the historical narrative Herodotus includes episodes-novels that are close to those that existed among eastern peoples oral traditions and telling about dramatic turns in the events of history and the destinies of people: stories about Gyges and King Candaules (book 1, 8-13), about Solon and Croesus (book 1, 29-56), about Cyrus and Astyages (book 1, 108-129), about the ring of Polycrates (book 3, 40-43). Belief in the omnipotence of fate, the breadth of historical and spatial perspective, and the leisurely narrative give the “History” an epic character: in the treatise “On the Sublime” (Pseudolonginus, 1st century), Herodotus was called “the great imitator of Homer.”

The work of Herodotus is permeated by the theme of the inconstancy of fate and the envy of the deity at the happiness of people. Like Aeschylus in the tragedy “The Persians,” Herodotus condemns the Persian kings for their excessive insolence and desire to disrupt the world order, which ordered the Persians to live in Asia and the Hellenes in Europe. Ionian revolt 500 BC e., which involved the states of Greece in a long and bloody war, Herodotus considers a manifestation of imprudence and pride. When describing the Greco-Persian Wars, Herodotus uses the memories of eyewitnesses, materials from inscriptions, and records of oracles; he visits battle sites to better reconstruct the course of battles. He repeatedly notes the merits of the Alcmaeonid family, to which he belonged.

The scientist’s goal was not only to glorify the exploits of the Greeks in the struggle for freedom, but also to reveal the causes and consequences of their victories. Herodotus believed in the active intervention of the gods in the course of historical events, but at the same time recognized that the successes of political figures depend on their personal qualities. When writing his work, Herodotus used both personal observations and stories of others, as well as written sources. His descriptions are reliable and in many cases confirmed by modern archaeological research.

The success of Herodotus’s work in ancient times was facilitated by his skill as a storyteller and the closeness of his “History to Epic.” The numerous surviving Greek manuscripts from the 10th to 15th centuries reflect a continuous manuscript tradition dating back to ancient editions of the text. During the Renaissance, Lorenzo Valla translated the History into Latin language(Venice, 1479). Russian translations of Herodotus were published with comments by F. G. Mishchenko in 1888 and G. A. Stratanovsky in 1972. For modern scientists, "History" is an invaluable source of encyclopedic information about the history of ancient countries.

Herodotus is an ancient Greek historian, nicknamed the “father of history.” One of the first geographers and travel scientists. Based on what he saw and the information he asked, he gave the first general description the then known world. To write his famous “History”, it is assumed that he traveled to almost all the famous countries of his time: Greece, Southern Italy, Asia Minor, Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, and visited most of the islands Mediterranean Sea, visited the Black Sea, Crimea (all the way to Chersonesos) and the country of the Scythians. Author of works devoted to the description of the Greco-Persian wars outlining the history of the Achaemenid state, Egypt, etc.; gave the first description of the life and everyday life of the Scythians.

Herodotus was born around 484 BC in the Asia Minor city of Halicarnassus. He came from a rich and noble family with extensive trading connections.

In 464, Herodotus set out on a journey whose initial purpose was to collect accurate information about the Greco-Persian wars. The result was also an extensive study of peoples about whom the Greeks at that time still knew little, which preceded the history of the Greco-Persian wars.

It was possible to restore the travel routes of Herodotus. He climbed up the Nile to Elephantine (Aswan), the extreme border of Ancient Egypt, passing close to the first cataract. In the east, he reached Babylon, two thousand kilometers from the Aegean Sea, it is even possible that he reached Susa, but this is only an assumption. In the north, Herodotus may have visited Greek colonies based on Black Sea coast, on the territory of modern Ukraine. In the west, he visited southern Italy, where he took part in the founding of the Greek colony. Also visited present-day Cyrenaica and present-day Tripolitania.

Since the purpose of his trip was events related to the Greco-Persian wars, he sought to visit the areas where fighting to get all the details he needs on the spot.

Herodotus begins this part of his history with a description of the morals and customs of the Persians. They, unlike other peoples, did not give their gods a human form, did not erect either temples or altars in their honor, performing religious rites on the tops of the mountains. They have an aversion to meat, a love of fruit, and a passion for wine; love pleasure. Persians show interest in foreign customs, value military valor, take raising children seriously, and respect the right to life of everyone, even a slave. They hate lies and debts, and despise lepers. The disease of leprosy serves as proof for the Persians that “the unfortunate person has sinned against the Sun.”

Herodotus is the first to come down to us description of Scythia and the peoples inhabiting it, mainly based on inquiries from knowledgeable persons among the Greek colonists (there is no evidence that Herodotus visited the Crimean and Azov cities). Herodotus begins his characterization of the Scythian rivers with the Istra (Danube), which “flows through all of Europe, starting in the land of the Celts.” He considers the Ister to be the greatest river known, and always full of water, summer and winter. After the Istra, the largest river is the Borysthenes (Dnieper). Herodotus correctly points out that it flows from the north, but says nothing about the Dnieper rapids, therefore, does not know about them.” Near the sea, Borysthenes is already a powerful river. Here it is joined by the Hypanis [Southern Bug], which flows into the same [Dnieper] estuary.”

In his descriptions, Herodotus retells many myths about the origin of the Scythian people; in which Hercules plays a large role. He ends his description of Scythia with a story about the marriages of the Scythians with warlike women from the Amazon tribe, which can, in his opinion, explain the Scythian custom that a girl cannot get married until she kills an enemy.

Herodotus had information about the western shores of the Black Sea from the mouth of the Dniester to the Bosporus and most of the coast of the Balkan Peninsula.

Herodotus' travels also covered North-East Africa: he visited Cyrene. His description of this part of the continent - a mixture of survey information and personal impressions - is the first characteristic of the relief and hydrography of Ancient Egypt and the territories to the west of it.

What interests him in exotic fauna is partly the strangeness appearance and animal behavior, but even more so the nature of the connections that have arisen between humans and animals. This relationship is much closer in Egypt than in Greece, and imposes unusual obligations on the person. Herodotus ponders the “contract” concluded by the Egyptian with the cat, ibis and crocodile, and his research allows him to make astonishing discoveries not about the animal, but about man.

The traveler enjoys collecting information about strange rituals. His picture of Egypt, however marvelous or incomplete, is still largely confirmed by modern historians, or at any rate considered plausible by them.

Returning as a young man to his homeland, Halicarnassus, the traveler took part in the popular movement against the tyrant Lygdamis and contributed to his overthrow. In 444 BC, Herodotus attended the Panathenaic festivals and read excerpts from the description of his travels there, causing general delight. At the end of his life, he retired to Italy, to Turium, where he lived the rest of his days, leaving behind the fame of a famous traveler and an even more famous historian.

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Herodotus
Old Greek Ἡρόδοτος Ἁλικαρνᾱσσεύς
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Herodotus of Halicarnassus(ancient Greek Ἡρόδοτος Ἁλικαρνᾱσσεύς , around 484 BC. e. - around 425 BC BC) - ancient Greek historian, author of the first surviving full-scale historical treatise “History”, describing the Greco-Persian wars and the customs of many contemporary peoples. Just as ancient Greek poetry begins for us with Homer, so practically historiography begins with Herodotus; his predecessors are called logographers. The works of Herodotus were of great importance for ancient culture. Cicero called him "the father of history."

Herodotus - extremely important source on the history of Great Scythia, including dozens of ancient peoples on the territory of modern Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan.

Biography

The biography of Herodotus that has survived to this day is based on two sources: Herodotus’s own texts and the later Byzantine encyclopedia “Judgment”. Some data in the sources contradict each other, but in general the life of Herodotus boils down to the following.

The first half contains stories about the rise of the Persian kingdom, Babylonia, Assyria, Egypt, Scythia, Libya and other countries. The unity of presentation is achieved to a certain extent by the fact that from the first words to the end the historian intends to trace the struggle between the barbarians and the Hellenes. But the thought that never leaves the historian is main task does not prevent him from introducing into the broad framework of the narrative everything that seemed interesting or instructive to him. Herodotus is characterized to a large extent by historical criticism, in many cases purely subjective, often naively rationalistic, but nevertheless decisively introducing a new principle into historiography.

Memory

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Literature

Texts and translations

• In the series “Loeb classical library” published in 4 volumes (No. 117-120).
• In the Collection Budé series, Herodotus's History in 11 volumes (including volumes with introduction and index).

Russian translations:

• Narratives Herodotus of Alikarnassus. / Per. A. Nartova. In 3 volumes. St. Petersburg, 1763-1764.
• Story Irodotova. Parts 1-5. / Per. I. I. Martynova. St. Petersburg, 1826-1828. (in Greek and Russian; includes part 5 of “The Life of Homer” by Pseudo-Herodotus)
  • Books I, IV. / Per. I. Martynov, revised by M. Gasparov. // Historians of Greece. M., 1976. P. 27-166.
• Herodotus. History in 9 books. / Transl., preface. and index by F. G. Mishchenko. In 2 vols. M., 1885-1886.
  • 2nd ed., rev. .
  • reprint: M.: Eksmo. 2008.
• Herodotus. Story. / Per. and approx. G. A. Stratanovsky. Article by V. G. Borukhovich. (Series “Monuments of Historical Thought.”) L.: Science, . 600 pp. 50,000 copies.
  • reprint repeatedly, for example: (Series “Classics of Historical Thought”). M.: Ladomir - AST. 1999. 752 pp.

In addition, before the revolution, many “school editions” of individual History books were published in Russia.

Research

• Dyachan F. N. Herodotus and his muses. Part 1. - Warsaw, 1877. - 237 p.
• Klinger V.P. Fairytale motifs in the history of Herodotus. - Kyiv, 1903. - 222 p.
• Lurie S. Ya. Herodotus. - M.-L., 1947.
  • reprint: M.: URSS, 2009.
• Dovatur A.I. Narrative and scientific style Herodotus. - L.: Leningrad State University Publishing House, 1957. - 201 p. - 2300 copies.
• Ditmar A. B. From Scythia to Elephantine. Life and travels of Herodotus. - M.: Geographgiz, 1961. - 87 p. - 20,000 copies. (Series: Remarkable geographers and travelers).
• Borukhovich V. G. . // Ancient world and archaeology. Vol. 1. - Saratov, 1972.
• Kuznetsova T. I., Miller T. A. Ancient epic historiography: Herodotus. Titus Livy. - M.: Nauka, 1984. - 213 p. 5300 copies
• Surikov I. E. Herodotus. (Series: Lives of Remarkable People. Issue 1374). - M.: Young Guard, 2009. - 408 p. - ISBN 978-5-235-03226-2.
• Veshninsky Yu. G. In defense of Herodotus. - M., 2011, The text is devoted to the substantiation of the priority of Herodotus, and not D.N. Zamyatin, in the foundation of the so-called “humanitarian geography”. It has been included more than once in other author’s texts by Yu. G. Veshninsky, but still exists as a manuscript.

Scythian story of Herodotus:

• Nadezhdin N. I. Herodotus' Scythia, explained through comparison with localities. - Odessa, 1842. - 114 p.
• Rybakov B. A. Herodotus Scythia: Historical and geographical analysis. - M.: Science. 1979. - 248 p. - 50,000 copies.
  • reprint: M.: Eksmo; Algorithm, 2010. - 272 p. - 4000 copies. ( Ancient Rus') - ISBN 978-5-699-42815-1.
• Dovatur A. I., Kallistov D. P., Shishova I. A. The peoples of our country in the “History” of Herodotus. Texts, translation, commentary. - M.: Science. 1982. - 5000 copies. (). (the publication contains a detailed bibliography)
• Neihardt A. A. Herodotus's Scythian story national historiography. - L.: Science. 1982. - 240 p.

Notes

Links

30px	Herodotus in Wikiquote
	Herodotus in Wikisource
30px	[((localurl:Commons:Category: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. ))?uselang=ru Herodotus] on Wikimedia Commons

• program on radio “Echo of Moscow” from the series “That’s So.”
• - Russian translation by G. A. Stratanovsky on the “History” website Ancient Rome».
• - Herodotus. RU.

Passage characterizing Herodotus

I had only one real school friend, a girl with whom we sat at the same desk for all twelve school years. But for some reason, relations with the other children did not improve. And not because I didn’t want it or because I didn’t try - on the contrary. I just always had a very strange feeling, as if we all lived at different poles... I almost never did my homework, or rather, I did, but it only took me a few minutes. My parents, of course, always checked everything, but since usually no mistakes were found, I had a lot of free time. I went to music school(studied piano and singing), painted, embroidered and read a lot. But still, I always had plenty of free time.
It was winter. All the neighborhood boys were skiing, because they were all older than me (and they were exactly mine at that time). best friends). And all I got was sledding, which, in my opinion, was only suitable for children. And, of course, I also really wanted to go skiing!..
Finally, I somehow managed to “get” my soft-hearted mother and she bought me the smallest miniature skis she could get. I was in seventh heaven!!! I immediately rushed to notify the neighboring boys and on the same day I was ready to check my new clothes. They usually went for a ride on a large mountain near the river, where there once was a princely castle. The slides there were very, very high, and in order to go down them, at least some skills were required, which, unfortunately, I did not yet have at that moment...
But, naturally, I was not going to give in to anyone. When I finally, puffing and sweating (despite the 25 degree frost!), climbed up behind the others, I, frankly speaking, became very scared. Romas, one of the boys, asked if I would like to see how they would go down first, but I, naturally, said no... and chose the highest hill. This is where, as they say, “God punished me”..... I don’t remember exactly how I had the courage to push off and go down. But what I remember very well is the real horror of the wildly whistling wind in my ears and the picture of the trees below approaching too quickly... Luckily for me, I didn’t crash into a tree, but crashed with all my might onto a huge stump... My poor brand new skis flew into pieces splinters, and I escaped with a small bruise, which I didn’t even feel out of indignation. This is how my short, but very colorful, skiing “epic” ended tragically... True, much later, I really fell in love with skiing and rode for hours with my dad in the winter forest, but I never loved the slides.

After such an offensive fiasco with my “sports adventures,” I naturally had no desire to continue engaging in any winter sports. Therefore, in order to somehow fill my still remaining free hours, I tried to read as much as possible. And then again something unexpected and new happened... I was reading the assigned lesson, which I didn’t really like and, naturally, I really wanted to finish it quickly. Suddenly I noticed that I was reading very quickly. It turned out that I read not as usual - horizontally, but vertically - from top to bottom... At first I was very surprised myself. It was unusual and a little strange. But since I was no stranger to strange things, I tried again. And it really turned out to be much faster. From that day on, I almost always read from top to bottom, but for some reason this made my eyes much more tired. But on the other hand, it was faster and in the future the “quick reading” method, as I called it, saved me many times.
Other miracles also happened constantly, but I had already become much more careful and was in no hurry to share them even with the people closest to me. At first it made me a little sad and bitter, but then I got used to it and it seemed that life should be exactly like this, at least mine. Loneliness is not created for a child, just as he was not created for him... But, unfortunately, at times life is merciless with us and does not pay attention to whether we like this or that or not. And it is also possible that all this happens for some reasons, for the time being hidden from us, the meaning of which, when revealed later, will greatly surprise some of us, and leave others wondering for a long time and sadly: “ and what would happen to us if”...

My “sixth” winter was already reluctantly retreating, leaving behind ragged furrows on what was once such a pristine clean face land. The snowdrifts mercilessly “settled”, losing their proud whiteness and turning into dirty lumps of ice, bashfully melting, giving birth to many cheerful streams, which, playfully whispering, ran merrily along the slopes and paths that were already beginning to turn green here and there. The days were clear, transparent and windless. The “green” smells of spring were confidently fragrant in the air and almost real warmth was spreading, from which the still sleepy ones woke up more and more. hibernation Earth. Once again a new life was born...
I, like all children, adored spring. It seemed that we, too, like sleepy bear cubs, were crawling out of our “dens” after a long hibernation and joyfully exposing our smiling faces to the first affectionate kiss. sun rays. And the kind sun gladly “decorated” our children’s cheeks and noses with scatterings of freckles, evoking the warm smiles of our mothers... The days gradually became longer and on our street more and more old women came out with their benches to sit on the porch and enjoy the warm rays of the sun.
I really loved our kind, quiet street. It was not very wide and not too long, as I always called it - homemade. At one end it ran into the forest, and at the other, into a huge chamomile field (on the site of which much later, to my great regret, a local railway station was built). On our street, which was then still surrounded by greenery, there were only about twenty private houses. It was a “blessed” time when there were no televisions (we got our first one when I was nine years old) and people just communicated.
We all knew each other well and lived as if it were one big happy family. Some were loved, some not so much... But everyone knew that if he had trouble, someone would always come to his aid, and it never happened that anyone was left out. Even the most “harmful” ones tried to help, although later, of course, one way or another, they did not forget to remember this. I am by no means trying to show the romantic idyll of the place and time in which I lived and, moreover, to reduce the significance of any “progress” that appeared. But I can never forget how warmer and cleaner people were when their souls and minds were not burdened by the alien “fog of well-being” and “mental dirt” of this same “progress”.
In total, twelve boys and four girls lived on our entire street in my time; we were all of different ages and had different interests. But despite this, there was one thing we all loved summer time- evening, when everyone got together and did something in which everyone, both older children and little ones, could participate. And it was always very difficult for our poor parents when they had to drive their “children” home, tearing them away from some (of course, always amazing!) unfinished story or game...
And even here, in the most seemingly harmless corner of my life, I again received another bitter lesson that it would be better if I always kept my strange “abilities” to myself. It turned out that no matter what game we played, I always knew its result in advance, be it hide and seek or riddles, or just some stories. And at first I was sincerely sure that this was how it should be. I was happy when I won (and this, in principle, almost always happened) and did not understand at all why this caused the “dumb rage” of my friends, although they usually treated me very well. And then one day, apparently, one of them “broke through” and after my next success, he angrily said:
– We don’t want to play with you anymore if you don’t stop showing your nasty “things”...

Herodotus of Halicarnassus (ancient Greek: Ἡρόδοτος Ἁλικαρνᾱσσεύς). Born around 484 BC. e. - died around 425 BC. e. Ancient Greek historian, author of the first full-scale historical treatise - “History” - describing the Greco-Persian wars and the customs of many contemporary peoples.

Just as ancient Greek poetry begins for us with Homer, so practically historiography begins with Herodotus; his predecessors are called logographers. The works of Herodotus were of great importance for ancient culture. Cicero called him "the father of history."

Herodotus is an extremely important source on the history of Great Scythia, including dozens of ancient peoples in the territory of modern Ukraine and Russia.

The biography of Herodotus that has survived to this day is based on two sources: Herodotus’s own texts and the later Byzantine encyclopedia Suda. Some data in the sources contradict each other, but in general the life of Herodotus boils down to the following.

The birthplace of Herodotus, Halicarnassus in Asia Minor, was founded by the Dorians, next to the town of representatives local tribe Carians. Herodotus was born here around 484 BC. in the influential Lix family. In his youth, Herodotus belonged to the party that fought against the tyrant Lygdamidas, was expelled, lived on Samos, and then went on long journeys. He traveled to Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Asia Minor, the Hellespont, the Northern Black Sea region, and the Balkan Peninsula from the Peloponnese to Macedonia and Thrace. Around 446 BC e. he settled in Athens, where he became close to the circle of Pericles; By this time, a significant part of the History had already been written, since it is known that Herodotus read excerpts from it to the Athenians. In 444 BC. e. Herodotus took part in the founding of the pan-Hellenic colony of Thurii in Magna Graecia on the site of Sybaris destroyed by the Crotonians. Died in 425 BC. e.

The work of Herodotus is not a historical study in modern sense words, this is a masterful narrative of a richly gifted man, unusually inquisitive, sociable, who has read a lot, seen and heard even more; These properties were complemented by the modesty of a Hellenic believer in the gods, although touched by skepticism, he was not sufficiently discerning in the information received. On the other hand, Herodotus is not only a historian; some parts of his work are a real encyclopedia of that time: there is geographical, ethnographic, natural-historical, and literary information. Nevertheless, Herodotus is rightly called the father of history. Of the nine books into which his work is currently divided, the entire second half is a sequential historical account of the Greco-Persian wars, ending with the news of the Hellenic occupation of Sestus in 479 BC. e.

The first half contains stories about the rise of the Persian kingdom, about Babylonia, Assyria, Egypt, Scythia, Libya and other countries. The unity of presentation is achieved to a certain extent by the fact that from the first words to the end the historian intends to trace the struggle between the barbarians and the Hellenes. But the thought that never leaves the historian about the main task does not prevent him from introducing into the broad framework of the narrative everything that seemed interesting or instructive to him. Herodotus is characterized to a large extent by historical criticism, in many cases purely subjective, often naively rationalistic, but nevertheless decisively introducing a new principle into historiography.

The works of Herodotus played an important role in the development of ancient culture. In them, Herodotus described in detail the customs of the peoples who existed in the 5th century BC, as well as the course of the Greco-Persian wars.

Herodotus, called the "father of history", is one of the first scientific travelers. To write his famous “History”, he traveled to all the famous countries of his time: Greece, Southern Italy, Asia Minor, Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, visited most of the islands of the Mediterranean Sea, visited the Black Sea, the Crimea (up to Chersonesos) and the country of the Scythians . He is the author of works devoted to the description of the Greco-Persian wars, outlining the history of the Achaemenid state, Egypt, etc., and gave the first description of the life and everyday life of the Scythians.

Herodotus is called the father of history. It would be no less fair to call him the father of geography. In the famous "History" he presented to his readers the entire Old World - known, unknown, and sometimes fictional - all three old countries of the world that were known to him. He writes: “However, I don’t understand why one land was given three different names" The three names are Europe, Asia and Libya, meaning Africa.

Traveling around the world, the scientist refuted the Greek idea that the earth is disk-shaped, rises at the edges, and deepens towards the middle. Having read the works on geography and history written by the Greek Herodotus, one cannot overestimate his great contribution to science!

Herodotus, a scientist and traveler, is called one of the main pioneers of his time. He collected the available knowledge about the world in one work, and gave his contemporaries and followers descriptions of many tribes, their way of life, and customs.

From the biography of Herodotus:

We have two key sources of information about life path Herodotus: the encyclopedia "Judgment", created in the second half of the tenth century in Byzantium, and the texts of the historian himself. But some data in these sources is contradictory.

Herodotus was born around 484 BC in the Asia Minor city of Halicarnassus (however, this information is unverified, and the exact date no one knows his birth). We only know for sure that he was born between the Persian wars. He came from a rich and noble family with extensive trading connections.

The future ancient Greek historian was born into the influential and wealthy Lix family. In his youth, Herodotus participated in political life people. He joined the party that set the goal of overthrowing the tyrannical ruler Lygdamidas, was expelled, and lived for some time on the island of Samos.

From childhood, a boy born in Halicarnassus watched ships from distant countries come and go to the port. Most likely, this gave rise to his passion for unknown lands, travel and discoveries.

In his younger years, he had to leave his small homeland because of the fight against tyranny, which was nevertheless established here. After living a little in Samos, in 464 the traveler Herodotus set off on his long journey, geographical discoveries who will make a huge contribution to science.

In 464 he went on long and numerous journeys. Herodotus dreams of learning about other, much more powerful peoples, some of which had a civilization much more ancient than the Greeks. In addition, he is fascinated by the diversity and outlandishness of the customs of a foreign world. This is what prompted him to study the history of the Persian wars, to conduct extensive research about all the peoples who attacked Greece, about which the Greeks still knew little at that time.

He visited Egypt, Babylon, Asia Minor, Assyria, the Northern Black Sea region, the Hellespont, and also traveled the Balkan Peninsula from Macedonia to the Peloponnese. During his travels, the historian made sketches for his subsequent creation.

At the age of forty, Herodotus settled in Athens. At that time, he was already reading excerpts from his “History” to representatives of the upper strata of urban society, which gave researchers the opportunity to conclude that the sketches were written during his travels. In Athens, the historian met and became close to supporters of Pericles, a commander and orator who is considered one of the founders of democracy in Athens. In 444 BC, when the Greek colony of Thurii was founded on the site of the destroyed city of Sybaris, he took part in restoring the settlement from ruins.

Returning as a young man to his homeland, Halicarnassus, the famous traveler took part in the popular movement against the tyrant Lygdamis and contributed to his overthrow. In 444 BC, Herodotus attended the Panathenaic festivals and read excerpts from the description of his travels there, causing general delight.

The biography of Herodotus has survived to this day only in the form of fragmentary information, in which it is impossible to find information about the scientist’s own family, whether he had a wife and children. It is only known that the historian was an inquisitive and sociable person, easily got along with people and was able to show amazing persistence in searching for historically reliable facts.

At the end of his life, he retired to Italy, to Turium, where he supposedly died in 425 BC, leaving behind him the fame of a famous traveler and an even more famous historian. Herodotus left behind a lot of information about the Egyptians, Phoenicians and other peoples. The place of his burial is unknown.

Herodotus' contributions to science:

Thanks to Herodotus, science was enriched by the fundamental work “History”. This book cannot be named historical research. It is an interesting account of an inquisitive, outgoing, gifted man who had visited many places and had a wealth of knowledge about his contemporaries.

Herodotus’s “History” combines several components:

1) Ethnographic data:

The historian has collected an impressive amount of information about the traditions, customs, and peculiarities of life of various tribes and peoples.

2) Geographic information:

Thanks to the History, it became possible to restore the outlines of ancient states as of the fifth century BC.

3) Natural historical materials:

Herodotus included in the book data about historical events that he was able to witness.

Book "History" by Herodotus

In total, Herodotus's work includes nine books.

In this case, the essay is usually divided into two parts:

1) In the first part, the author talks about Scythia, Assyria, Libya, Egypt, Babylonia and a number of other states of that time, as well as the rise of the Persian kingdom. Since in the second half of the work the author intended to tell a story about numerous Greco-Persian wars, in the first part he sought to trace the milestones of the historical struggle between the Hellenes and the barbarians. Due to the desire for such unity and interconnectedness of presentation, Herodotus did not include in the work all the materials that he remembered from his travels, but made do with a limited number of them. In his work, he often expresses a subjective point of view on certain historical realities.

2) The second part of Herodotus’s work is a chronological story about the military confrontation between the Persians and Greeks. The narrative ends in 479 BC, when Athenian troops besieged and captured the Persian city of Sesta. +When writing his book, Herodotus paid attention to the whims of fate and the envy of divine powers in relation to the happiness of people. The author believed that the gods constantly intervene in the natural course of historical events. He also recognized the fact that the personal qualities of political figures are also the key to their success.

Herodotus condemned the rulers of Persia for their insolence, for their desire to disrupt the existing order of the world, according to which the Persians should live in Asia, and the Hellenes in Europe. In 500 BC, the Ionian uprising took place, because of which Ancient Greece was involved in a bloody war. The author characterizes this event as a manifestation of pride and extreme imprudence.

The structure of Herodotus’s “History”:

Book one – “Clio”

It tells about the beginning of the discord between the barbarians and the Hellenes, and provides a history ancient country Lydia, the story of the Athenian politician and sage Solon, the tyrant Pisistratus, the history of Media and Sparta. In this book, Herodotus also mentions the Scythians in the context of the confrontation with the Cimmerians, and also talks about the war between the Massagetae and the Persians.

Book two – “Euterpe”

In this part of the work, the historian decided to talk about the history of Libya and Egypt, about the pygmies and nasamons, about the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Here Herodotus related the legend of how Psammetichus I determined that ancient people in the world are the Phrygians.

Book Three – “Thalia”

It provides information about Arabia and India, about the Greek tyrant Polycrates, and also tells about the conquest of Egypt Persian king Cambyses, about the revolt of the magicians, the conspiracy of the seven and the anti-Persian uprising that occurred in Babylon.

Book Four – “Melpomene”

Book five – “Terpsichore”

In this book, the emphasis is placed on the events of the Greco-Persian wars. If in previous volumes the author devoted many pages to describing the ethnographic characteristics of the peoples, here he talks about the Persians in Macedonia, the Ionian Uprising, the coming of the Persian governor Aristagoras to Athens and the Athenian wars.

Book Six – “Erato”

Key events described - naval battle“Battle of Lada”, the capture of the Carian ancient Greek city of Miletus, the campaign of the Persian commander Mardonius, the campaign of the Persian military leaders Artaphrenes and Datis.

Book seven – “Polyhymnia”.

In it we're talking about about the death of Darius and the rise of Xerxes (Darius and Xerxes were Persian kings), about Xerxes’ attempts to conquer Asia and Europe, as well as about the landmark battle of the Persians and Greeks in the Thermopylae gorge.

Book Eight – “Urania”

This material describes the naval battle of Artemisium, the naval battle of Salamis, the flight of Xerxes and the arrival of Alexander in Athens.

Book Nine – “Calliope”

In the final part of the monumental work, the author decided to talk about the preparation and course of the Battle of Plataea (one of the largest battles of the Greco-Persian wars that took place on land), the Battle of Merkala, which resulted in a crushing defeat for the Persian army, and the siege of Sestos.

The “history” of this ancient Greek thinker is also called “Muses”, since Alexandrian scientists decided to name each of its nine parts after one of the muses. Nine muses gave the titles to the volumes of Herodotus's History

In the process of work, Herodotus used not only his memories and own attitude to events, but was also guided by the memories of eyewitnesses, records of oracles, and materials from inscriptions. To reconstruct each battle as accurately as possible, he specially visited the battle sites. Being a supporter of Pericles, he often praises the merits of his family.

Despite the belief in divine intervention, the subjective approach and the limited means of obtaining information in antiquity, the author did not reduce his entire work to glorifying the Greek battle for their freedom. He also tried to determine the causes and consequences of their victories or defeats. Herodotus's "History" became an important milestone in the development of world historiography. The success of the historian’s work is due not only to the fact that in one work he collected many facts about the peoples and events of his time. He also demonstrated the high skill of the storyteller, bringing his “History” closer to the epic and making it a fascinating read for both his contemporaries and people of the New Time. Most of the facts he presented in the book were subsequently proven during archaeological excavations.

Interesting facts from the life of Herodotus:

1. He is the first to discover the women's mythical Amazon epic.

2. The historian explored in some detail (travelling) many regions of Western Asia, Asia Minor, the islands of the Aegean Sea, the island of Crete and the coast of Syria, Phenicia, Macedonia, Egypt, Thrace, most of Greece, Southern Italy, the Peloponnese, Sicily, and the shores of the Black Sea.

3. The great thinker and writer of Ancient Rome, Cicero, once called Herodotus “the father of history.” Since then they call it that.

4. But it is worth noting that Herodotus can quite deservedly be called the “father” of a whole list of other sciences. Among them are ethnography and geography, especially historical geography.

5. Herodotus took part in the founding of the pan-Greek colony in southern Italy - Thurii.

6.He communicated closely with the sculptor Phidias, Pericles, playwright Sophocles, and philosopher Anaxagoras.

7. In his youth he was kicked out of the city where he lived.

8. The historian firmly believed in the existence of Rock and the gods.

9. He wrote his work “History” in the Ionian dialect. The main idea is the confrontation between ancient Greek democracy and Asian despotism.

10. Herodotus laid the foundation for travel.

11. He took part in the popular movement against the tyrant Lygdamis and was in favor of his overthrow.

12. Herodotus identified 3 climatic zones: the northern (in Scythia), the second, located in the Mediterranean, and the third - part North Africa and Arabia.

13. He is considered the first person to circumnavigate the entire Earth.

14. After Herodotus, the American Nellie Bye made an attempt to walk around the earth only in 1889. And she did it in 72 days.

15. A large number of facts from Herodotus’ “History” were confirmed during archaeological excavations.

Quotes, sayings, aphorisms of Herodotus:

*Since ancient times, people have had wise and beautiful sayings; We should learn from them.

*If opposing opinions are not expressed, then there is nothing to choose the best from.

*In peacetime, sons bury their fathers, and in war, fathers bury their sons.

* If all people one day brought all their sins and vices to the market, then everyone, having seen the vices of their neighbor, would happily take theirs home.

*People who decide to act usually have the opposite luck; they rarely succeed for people who do nothing but weigh and procrastinate.

*A truly courageous person must show timidity when he decides to do something, must weigh all the contingencies, but when executing it, he must be courageous.

*Do not correct trouble with trouble.

*No one can be so crazy as to want war instead of peace, for when there is peace, the children bury their fathers, and when there is war, the fathers bury their children.

*Slander is terrible because the victim of its injustice is one, but two people create this injustice: the one who spreads the slander and the one who believes it.

*Circumstances rule people, not people rule circumstances.

*If all peoples in the world were allowed to choose the best customs and morals of all, then each people, having carefully examined them, would choose their own.

*Women, along with their clothes, remove shame from themselves.

*Death is a delightful refuge for weary people.

*It is better to be the subject of envy than compassion.

*Usually people see in their dreams what they think about during the day. *People's ears are more incredulous than their eyes.

*I am obliged to convey everything that they tell me, but I am not obliged to believe everything.

*Do not call anyone happy until he is dead.