Was Herodutus the "Father of History" or the "Father of Lies".?

Question

Remember that jealously is a possible motive for other people being critics of him.....

Answer 1

Heroddotus is an interesting figure. He was unquestionably a key figure in the early devlopment of chronicling--and trying to explain--human history.

But we have to put him in the context of his times and culture to understand his 'history." Much of it is not accurate--and is mixed with myth and legend. Bu, first, he had no concept of the idea of verification and corroboration of data that historians have today (nor is it likely he would have been able to do this, given the limited records, etc.). Also, in the Greek culture, those myths and legends were viewed as equally valid--they either believed them to be real events, or--more likely---Herodotus didn't draw the strict lines of real/mythic we do today.

So--does that make him a "liar."Definately not--he told the stories that explained his culture's past--and the fact that in his culture his mixture of "fancy and fact" was considered logical and acceptable exonerates him from any charges of dishonesty (though, obviously, not of inacccuracy).

Answer 2

While there are piles of questionable things in Herodutus, some are very, very firm and recently substantiated. There are piles of people that would believe Herodutus before they would believe the Bible.

Still, to borrow a line from the Bible, 'by the word of two or three witnesses', we don't stick with just one story, we look through the words of critics (and he had them even in antiquity) and competitors and try to sort out the picture as best we can. Furthermore, Herodutus often tells us, his source was a story here or there. Repeating rumors is a lie only when you know that it isn't the truth, how do you convict Herodutus of perjury? Even today, we could prove just about anything if we spent enough time in the libraries. I have a textbook that my father taught from, a science book. Many parts are simply so very wrong today--but the book wasn't filled with errors and lies when it was the best they had then. Sure, we don't have 48 chromosomes, but that was the report of the day, it wasn't a lie then, just an error.

Answer 3

Father of history. Pioneer of ethnography and anthropology.