Herodotus
Father of history
Ancient Greek historian from Halicarnassus (c. 484-425 BCE).
Wrote The Histories — the first work to systematically investigate the past, the literal first 'history' (his word, meaning 'inquiry'). His chronicle of the Greco-Persian Wars is packed with tall tales: gold-digging ants the size of foxes, flying snakes in Arabia. Cicero called him Father of History; others, Father of Lies. Both are true.
Famous for
- The Histories (9 books)
- Account of the Greco-Persian Wars
- Ethnographies of Egypt, Persia, Scythia
- Invented narrative history
In Rubicon
Herodotus is one of the historical characters you can play as in Rubicon, a trivia game where you answer in your own words and an AI judge reads what you meant. Herodotus is filed under History & Civilization, and is strongest at History & Civilization and Geography & Places.
Others in History & Civilization
- Julius Caesar — Roman dictator + general
- Abraham Lincoln — 16th US president
- Napoleon Bonaparte — French emperor + general
- Tutankhamun — Boy pharaoh of Egypt
- Hammurabi — First written law code
- Marcus Tullius Cicero — Roman orator + statesman