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Herodotus
"I am bound to tell what I am told, but not in every cases to believe it."
Key Insights
Born in 484 BCE, Herodotus wrote the "Histories," an account of the Greco-Persian wars. Using reason (gnome), Herodotus sought to combine eyewitness accounts (akoe), hearsay (opsis), and tradition (prolegomena) of both belligerents. Thus, Herodotus' quest to identify the causes behind events departed from conventional explanations, attributing events to acts of God. This method of inquiry makes Herodotus the "Father of History."
Cite this brief
Mathis, P. (2023). Herodotus. EPIS Insight · Peacekeeping & Conflict Prevention.
