Herodotus and Thucydides were two of the earliest Greek historians. Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BC, is considered the "Father of History" as he was one of the first historians to investigate events and write accounts of the past. He traveled widely and wrote about the Greco-Persian wars. Thucydides, a contemporary of Herodotus, is renowned for his history of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta from 431-404 BC. He is considered the father of scientific history for applying rigorous standards of evidence gathering and analysis. Both historians made major contributions to the development of history as an academic discipline.

1. Greek
Historians

2. Herodotus Thucydides

4. Herodotos (Ηροδοτος ):
means "given to the hero", derived
from ‘ηρως (heros) "hero, warrior"
and δοτος(dotos) "given to, granted".

5. Herodotus
(485– 430 BC)
- A Greek historian who was born
in Halicarnassus, Caria (modern-day Bodrum, Turkey) and lived
in the fifth century BC.
- The precise dates of his birth and death are alike
uncertain.
- He is thought to have resided in Athens and to have met
Sophocles and then to have left for Thurii, a new colony in
southern Italy sponsored by Athens.
- the writer who invented the field of study known today as
`history’ (the word for history at the time, was "inquiries" ).

6. - Herodotus was one of the first to disregard
that supernatural in his writing.
- He was the first writer who tried to write
what happened in the past.
- He was a wide traveler. His longer wandering covered a large
part of the Persian Empire: he went to Egypt, at least as far
south as Elephantine (Aswān), and he also visited Libya, Syria,
Babylonia, Susa in Elam, Lydia, and Phrygia.
- He was called “The Father of History” by the Roman writer and
orator Cicero for his famous work The Histories which are now
divided into 9 books. And also because his history of the Persian
War was the first narrative in the form that later came out be
considered written history.
- He was called “The Father of Lies” by critics who claim these
`histories’ are little more than tall tales.

7. - For sure, he does get some things wrong,
and he does tell a lot of fabulous stories, but
he often makes it clear that he is reporting on
what people say about various problems.
In fact, he is often trying to correct the misunderstandings
of the common perceptions.
- He seems to be constantly teasing out the relationship
between fate and human action.
- He seems to argue against notions of hubris.
- He gives lots of examples that point to the instability of human
fortune, and the necessity of cycles of rise and fall, and the
looming presence of death.
- He seems to have some notion of an almost karma-like
mechanism that brings consequences to the evil-doer.

8. Travels
- The colonies were freed from the Persian
yoke, he left his home and traveled to Asia Minor,
Greece, Macedonia, Thrace, the coasts of the
Black Sea, Persia, and Egypt.
- The colony of Thurii was founded by Athens on the Tarentine
Gulf, and Herodotus joined it in 443 B.C.
- During the travel he collected historical, geographical,
ethnological and archeological material for his History.

9. Fame
- Herodotus’ fame has endured as the
first constructive artist in the field of
historical scholarship.
- He was the first writer to imply that the
task of the historian is to reconstruct
the whole past life of man.
- The scholarship included, author of the
earliest comprehensive historical work.
(Book about Herodotus)

10. Halicarnassus in the Persian War
- Lyxes, the father of Herodotus, was
probably from Caria, in Asia Minor. So was
the female despot in Halicarnassus,
Artemisia, who joined Xerxes in his
expedition against Greece in the Persian
Wars.
- Following victories over the Persians by the
mainland Greeks, Halicarnassus rebelled
against foreign rulers.
- In consequence of his part in rebellious
actions, Herodotus was sent into exile to
the Ionian island of Samos (home of
Pythagoras), but then returned to
Halicarnassus around 454 to take part in
the overthrow of Artemisia’s son,
Lygdamis.
(A book with information about
Herodotus and the Persian War)

11. 490 BC
Greece and the Greeks defeat the Persians
–but at the cost of many lives.

12. Battle of Marathon
- Athens asked Sparta to help, but
Spartan troops would not arrive for 9
days (they were in the middle of
religious festivals).
- Other city-states decided not to help
Athens against the Persian Empire
- Athens, largely alone, faced the
Persian attack force
– Persian troops—100,000
– Athenian troops—20,000

13. • The Athenians used a well-trained
hoplite formation.
• The organized charge surprised
the large but scattered (and
poorly organized) Persian army
• A double-envelopment charge
routed the Persians and sent
them fleeing.
– Persians—6, 400 dead
– Athenians—192 dead
– Darius returned to Persia,
dying before he could
mountain another punitive
attack.

15. 300 tell the story of the battle of
Thermopylae in 480 BC. Persians under the
role of king Xerxes have already taken over
some of the Hellenic city-states, and now threaten
Sparta and Athens. King Leonidas of Sparta is left with 2
options: he will either have to sacrifice himself for the well-being of
Sparta or watch it burn to the ground. Choosing the former, Leonidas
forms an army of 300 Spartan warriors to block the narrow passage of
Thermopylae where Xerxes intends to reach Hellas. The 300 are
accompanied by about 700 Thespians who protect the flanks of the
passage, and combined, the forces manage to slay tens of thousands
of Persians and prevent their entry into Hellas for several days.
However, Ephialtas, a reject of the Spartan army gets his revenge by
showing Xerxes a passage. The story depicts the epic last stand of the
finest Spartan soldiers who are aware of their fate, by motivated by
“honor and glory,” see the battle as their duty to protect the rest of
Greece for as long as possible.

16. September 480 BC
.

17. Battle of Salamis
At the break of day, the Persian fleet
began its advance through the eastern channel.
The lines formed up into columns with the
Phoenicians leading. The Athenian squadron
found itself facing the Phoenicians on the
Persian left wing. As the Phoenicians came
through the channel, which was about 4
miles (6.4kms) wide, they faced the Greek
fleet which was in an 'L' formation. The
Greek ships suddenly began to back water,
leading the Persian fleet further into the
narrowing channel

18. The ships waiting in the bay ambushed the Persians
driving them towards the shore of the mainland.
Herodotus wrote, "The Greek fleet worked together as a
whole, while the Persians had lost formation and were no
longer fighting on any plan. None the less they (the Persians)
fought well that day - far better than in the actions off Euboea.
Every man of them did his best for fear of Xerxes, feeling that
the king's eye was on him“.

19. The Persian ships in the narrow
channel had difficulty in turning to meet the
enemy. Their speed would have been slow
and in many instances they would have been
broadside to the ramming Greek ships.
Herodotus recorded,
The greatest
destruction took
place when the
(Persian) ships which
had been first
engaged turned tail,
for those astern fell
afoul of them in their
attempt to press
forward.

20. By sunset the battle was over. "Amongst those killed was the
son of Xerxes' brother, and many other well-known men from Persia.
There were also Greek casualties, but not many; for most of the
Greeks could swim (not sure what stroke that would have been, but
they could dog paddle). Most of the enemies, who were unable to
swim, were drowned. After the battle the Greeks towed over to
Salamis all the disabled vessels which were adrift, and then prepared
for a renewal of the fight, fully expecting that Xerxes would use his
remaining ships to make another attack. Those Persian ships that did
manage to get away limped back to Phalerum, under cover of their
land army.

22. Thucydides
460 - 395 BC
• Thucydides identifies himself as an Athenian, telling us that his
father's name was Olorus and that he was from the
Athenian deme of Halimous.
• His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century
BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC.
• Thucydides has been dubbed the father of "scientific history"
because of his strict standards of evidence-gathering and
analysis in terms of cause and effect without reference to
intervention by the gods, as outlined in his introduction to his
work.

23. • He has also been called the father of the school
of political realism, which views the relations
between nations as based on might rather than
right.
• His text is still studied at advanced military colleges
worldwide, and the Melian dialogue remains a
seminal work of international relations theory.
• Thucydides showed an interest in developing an understanding
of human nature to explain behavior in such crises as plague,
massacres, as in that of the Melians, and civil war.
• He survived the Plague of Athens that killed Pericles and
many other Athenians.
• In 424 BC he was appointed one of the generals to command the
Athenian fleet off the Thracian coast but was defeated by the
Spartan general Brasidas. For this failure Thucydides was exiled
for 20 years.
• About 404 BC he was recalled from exile.

24. Thucydides believed that the Peloponnesian
War represented an event of unmatched
magnitude. His intention was to write an
account of the events of the late fifth century
which would serve as "a possession for all time". The history
breaks off near the end of the 21st year of the war and does not
elaborate on the final conflicts of the war. This facet of the work
suggests that Thucydides died whilst writing his history and more
so, that his death was unexpected.
After his death, Thucydides' history was subdivided into eight
books: its modern title is the History of the Peloponnesian
War. His great contribution to history and historiography is
contained in this one dense history of the 27-year
war between Athens and Sparta, each with their respective
allies.

25. (431–404 BC)
An ancient Greek war fought by Athens and
its empire against the Peloponnesian League led
by Sparta.

26. Conflict between
Athens and Sparta
The two cities were polar in most
cultural respects, but they cooperated in
defeating Persia in the Second Persian
War. After the war Athens got most of the
credit, intensifying the existing rivalry
between them. It was primarily a political
conflict about which city should be
Number One in Greece.

27. Sicilian Expedition
- name of the Athenian attempt to conquer Sicily.
- This was an Athenian military expedition to Sicily, which took place
during the period from 415 BC to 413 BC (the second part of the
Peloponnesian War).
- The expedition was hampered from the outset by uncertainty in its
purpose and command structure—political maneuvering in Athens
swelled a lightweight force of twenty ships into a massive armada,
and the expedition's primary proponent, Alcibiades, was recalled
from command to stand trial before the fleet even reached Sicily—
but still achieved early successes. Syracuse, the most powerful state
on Sicily, responded exceptionally slowly to the Athenian threat and,
as a result, was almost completely invested before the arrival of
a Spartan general, Gylippus, galvanized its inhabitants into action.

28. - The young men were summoned to death in the
name of gods, kings and country. Along with the
fallen soldiers are those whose lands are
destroyed, whose sons are subjected to famine,
whose wives and daughters are slain. These are
the innocents caught in between; the residents of
random places, where the strongest states battle
for power, seemingly without end.
- Ethnic alliance and wars of opportunity were not
the only reasons for the Athenians to sail to Sicily.
Another plan was afoot. They wanted to conquer
Sicily…to use as a starting point for conquest in
Italy and Carthage.

29. - Alcibiades was the Athenian in charge of the
expedition and a crucial character from here on
out in the Peloponnesian War. Unfortunately,
right before the renowned general and his army
headed off, some religious statues were
damaged.
- Alcibiades was accused. He tried to resolve the
issue before leaving for Sicily, knowing that it
could take an unfortunate turn if he was not
there to defend himself.
- Unfortunately, he was commanded back for the
trial promptly upon arriving on foreign coast.
Fearing he would be condemned unjustly, he
decided not to return to Athens. Instead
Alcibiades defected and went to the Spartan
side--taking with him the Athenian designs to
take over Sicily.
- The Athenians just lost their main player.

30. - The Athenians did not tuck in their tail and
turn.
- Nicias, their previous Athenian peacemaker,
called for reinforcements. These additional
armies arrived and vicious battles ensued.
- the Athenians realized they had to retreat. They prepared to do
so at once, but were stopped in their tracks. A bad omen, a lunar
eclipse took place, and so the Athenians delayed their
withdrawal. This moment’s hesitance cost them greatly.
- The Spartans met their fleeing fleet before they could escape. A
huge sea battle raged, and the Athenians were defeated once
more. This time all survivors were killed or enslaved.
- The war was back on.

31. The battle between
Sparta and Athens
continues to rage…
- The war, which saw a brief 6 year peace, is now back on after
Athens’ bitter defeat in Sicily.
- The Spartans had sent aid to their allies on the island, but that
did not fully satiate their desire for domination. Sparta wanted
to do more, they wanted to destroy Athens.
- The Spartans still had their secret weapon, Alcibiades, the
former Athenian General who was charged with religious crimes.
Alcibiades, knowing Athens’ weakest points, convinced Sparta to
build a fortification in Decelea, a strategic post right outside of
Athens. This would prevent all overland shipment to the Athens,
forcing the city to get their supplies by boat, which was much
more costly

32. - This additional expense was then combined with
the nearby disrupted silver mines and the 20,000
freed Athenian slaves, resulting in a serious
economic crisis for Athens. Their treasury and
emergency reserve fund of 1,000 talents was swiftly
dwindling away. Their only remaining course of action was to
raise taxes or tributes from their allies, which wasn’t a popular decision.
- At this point, both parties pumped more troops and ships into Sicily.
The Corinthians, the Spartans, and others in the Peloponnesian
League all sent reinforcements to Syracuse.
- The Athenians brought their own additional men, around 5,000
troops and another hundred ships but it didn’t do the Athenians any
good.
- The Spartan hero, Gylippus, won all the land wars in Sicily and smartly
advised the Syracusans to build a navy, in case the Athenians wanted
to escape. Sure enough the Athenians tried and were defeated.
Eventually the entire Athenian fleet was destroyed and virtually the
whole army sold into slavery.

33. - Clearly the Athenians had overestimated their
own abilities and were now about to face the
truth of their limits.
- Athens didn’t die. Even though her allies
revolted against her, the treasuries were empty, and the
Syracuences were on the offense with a ship to attack, aided by
support in Persia… Athens still had a few things working on her side.
- Alcibiades who was condemned as traitor, was still influential in
Athens. He wanted to restore democracy in a diplomatic manner. So
he managed to persuade the renegade ships to not attack Athens, but
instead turn their weapons on the Spartans in the battle of Cyzicus.
- Finally the Athenians had a turning point, they obliterated the Spartan
fleet. This helped to re-establish the financial basis of the Athenian
Empire.
- Between 410 and 406 BC, Athens managed to actually win battles,
recover territory and resurrect their fiscal stability. Almost all thanks
to Alcibiades. This happy Athenian moment did not last long.

34. - The Athenian fleet had no choice but to
engage in battle and they were crushed.
Eventually, after facing starvation and disease
from the never ending siege, Athens
surrendered in 404 BC. The defeat was immense. The
city was stripped of its walls, its fleet, and all of its overseas
possessions. In addition to this, Corinth and Thebes required
retribution, demanding that the city be destroyed and all the
people enslaved.
- Sparta, Athens’ arch-enemy, then did something very
remarkable. Instead of continuing with their warlike ways, Sparta
announced their refusal to destroy a city that had previously done
so much good. They would take Athens into their own system and
ultimately save it from the other city-states, revealing the
clemency of the Spartans once and for all.