Herodotus

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An ancient Greek writer who wrote about the Persian Wars and Greek life

proper noun
/həˈrɒdətəs/

: Heródoto

From the time of Herodotus, democracy has meant, first and foremost, the rule of the people.
Herodotus, the historian
Herodotus, the Greek historian
Herodotus' Histories

They cite the writings of Herodotus and Tacitus and inscriptions on Egyptian monuments.

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Examples

To be educated meant to have learned and reflected upon Homer, Herodotus, Virgil, and Horace, and of course the Bible.

Academic text (1991)
"Haste is the mother of failure," Herodotus warned the Persian King Xerxes as he was contemplating war against the Greeks.

Academic text (2011)
Herodotus is the father of history.

The English Patient (1996)
War is studied, said Herodotus, so that the great deeds of men may not be forgotten.

Academic text (1992)
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus called these people Scythians.
These natural antiseptics were described by the Greek historian Herodotus in his book.

Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs (2007)
According to Herodotus, he defeated King Oxyartes... ...whose daughter Roxanne he subsequently took to wife."

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
To be sure, this can sometimes be tiresome reading, and, unlike Herodotus, Strabo was not comfortable with uncertainty.

Academic text (2004)
The authors included Herodotus, Livy, Gibbons, Tacitus, Hume, Franklin, Locke, Burke, and Middleton (Lee 1967, 149-50).

Academic text (2004)
Herodotus is often called the 'father of history' due to his detailed accounts of ancient events.

Surface Forms

Herodotus main

Etymology

The word Herodotus comes from ancient Greek name parts: hero (like the English 'hero') and -dotos meaning 'given'. A helpful way to remember him is 'gift of a hero' because he 'gave' stories about ancient people and wars, which is why he is called the 'father of history'.