Herodotus, the Father of History
Herodotus’ Historical Method Changes the Way History is Done
By applying skeptical inquiry with a shift from poem to prose, an ancient Greek writer becomes Herodotus, the first historian.
Prior to the 5th century BCE, written history as we know it today did not exist. It was the Greek writer Herodotus who first made the transition from collecting and recounting traditional stories to skeptically searching for historical truth. In undertaking this task, Herodotus earned the name “The Father of History.”
Herodotus was born in Halicarnassus ca. 484 BCE. An exiled wanderer, he began his writing career as a traveling logographer and geographer. Somewhere along these travels, in about 440 BCE, Herodotus decides to begin a series of “investigations” which would become to be known as ‘The Histories.” He opens the first book with the following lines.
“This is a publication of the researches of Herodotus of Halicarnassus, in order that the actions of men may not be effaced by time, nor the great and wondrous deeds displayed by both the Greeks and the barbarians deprived of renown – and among the rest, for what cause they waged war on each other.”
It was with this investigative journey that Herodotus would change both the way history was done and how history was written.
Homeric Tradition
Prior to Herodotus, writings of the past were efforts to either glorify the king, justify the gods or a combination of both. Hagiography and logograph can readily be seen in the writings of the ancient Sumerians, the early Egyptians and the peoples of the Levant. Even in Herodotus’ own Greece, little effort was made to achieve a factually accurate account of the past. In fact, the person that could be considered the closest precursor to Herodotus was the great poet Homer. And although Homer’s epics were based around and no doubt contained historical truths, their primary function was not to capture the historical record. Instead, like that those who went before him, Homer wrote emotionally stirring poetic verse constructed to inspire fear of the gods and awe of the heroes.
Herodotus’ Historical Method
Not satisfied with merely archiving the writings and oral traditions of others, Herodotus applied skeptical inquiry techniques into his interrogations of the past. His method consisted of examining written records of past events as well as supporting documents. Also, where possible, he interviewed witnesses or descendants of witnesses to events. But, he accepted none of these accounts at face value. He skeptically questioned the evidence he obtained. He examined the actual geography of an area to determine if it matched up to descriptions. He compared multiple sources of evidence, looking for variations or contradictions. He questioned if the people writing initial records had a reason to embellish their accounts. Then, based on his examinations, he would decide whether or not to accept or reject the evidence. He also took the unprecedented step of frequently assigning a relative confidence factor to his reports. He used phrases such as “it is not at all probable,” “in my opinion relating what is incredible” and “but these things I know…as I discovered by computation.” Additionally, Herodotus begins to diminish the roles of the gods in his writings. Although divine intervention still makes frequent appearances in his Histories, he makes a conscious effort to attribute events to human motivations and natural occurrences at level not seen before.
Herodotus’ Prose
Herodotus’ other big break from the Homeric tradition came in the form of style. He shifted the nature of historical writing from poem to prose. Herodotus wished to challenge Homer as an interpreter of the past and he knew that was a monumental challenge. He had to develop a style that would provide an intriguing narrative while maintaining historical accuracy (a task which historians today still find challenging). Herodotus pulls this off by connecting events by theme rather than by chronology and he does it masterfully. And while he has been criticized by other historians, both ancient and modern, for drifting in his narratives, thematic prose is still the method of some the most successful historical writers of modern times.
The historical method has certainly improved greatly since Herodotus. And although he was not always successful at achieving the accuracy we demand of historians today, the consensus of the historical community is that Herodotus was quite successful at changing the way history is done and written. Or as historian Francois Hartog so aptly writes, “Herodotus wished to rival Homer; what he ultimately became was Herodotus.” The father of history.
Sources:
Boorstin, Daniel J. The Seekers: The Story of Man’s Continuing Quest to Understand His World. NY: Vintage Books. 1998.
Herodotus. The Histories of Herodotus. Henry Cary trans. Basil L. Gildersleeve intro. NY: D. Appleton and Co. 1904.
Hartog, Francois. “The Invention of History: The Pre-History of a Concept from Homer to Herodotus. History and Theory, 39 (October 2000), 384-395.
