The first signs of the emergence of history, or the beginning of historical writing, appeared in the second half of the 5th century BC. This was a time of debates and discussions between philosophers and poets in the world of the Aegean.
The first historian who can truly be called a historian is the Greek Herodotus, who has been known since ancient times as the “Father of History”. After him, we will look at Thucydides, considered the first critical historian, and what distinguished his work.
Herodotus
Herodotus was born in Halicarnassus, on the western coast of Asia Minor, around 484 BC. He died around 424 BC in the city of Thurii, a Greek colony in southern Italy.
He belonged to the first generation of what is known as the Golden Age of Athens, a generation marked by energy, creativity, and intellectual renewal. Herodotus lived during the same period as Euripides and Socrates. However, old religious beliefs and traditions still connected him to the past, and this reflects the general intellectual and cultural environment of the second half of the 5th century BC.
This is clearly visible in his historical writing.
Despite this, Herodotus introduced new ideas. He himself said:
“I want to prevent the great achievements of the Greeks and the barbarians from falling into oblivion, especially those that occurred during the wars between 490 and 479 BC.”
Through this approach, Herodotus is considered the first historian. He wrote about the period of Greek power, especially Athens, which defeated Persia and became the richest city-state during the time of Pericles (460–429 BC).
He also recorded events in the Persian Empire and in the Greek city-states, going back to the reign of King Cyrus (around 549 BC).
What distinguishes Herodotus is that he traveled a lot. He visited Mesopotamia and Egypt, and in his writings he showed interest in geography, describing rivers, peoples, and customs that were unfamiliar to his own environment.
His main sources were observation and oral accounts.
Herodotus wrote an important book called The Histories. It is divided into nine parts, corresponding to the number of the Muses (the Greek goddesses who protect the arts and sciences). Each part carries the name of a Muse, and the one associated with history is Clio.
A large part of the book, especially from Book V to IX, is dedicated to the Greco-Persian Wars. He also discussed the history of Lydia, Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt.
His sources were varied, but mainly based on oral accounts collected from people. He also relied on earlier writers and some written documents.
Because of this, the accuracy of his accounts sometimes depends on the reliability of his sources. However, many of his narratives have later been confirmed by archaeological discoveries. Still, this does not mean his work is free from myths and legendary elements.
Thucydides
Thucydides lived in the 5th century BC (around 460–400 BC) and is considered one of the greatest historians of antiquity, if not the greatest.
He wrote about the Peloponnesian War, which took place between Athens and Sparta from 431 to 404 BC.
Thucydides himself participated in this war, but after failing in a military mission, he was removed from his position and exiled from Athens. He lived in Thrace for about twenty years.
During this time, he decided to record the events of the war. He visited battle sites to observe directly how natural factors influenced outcomes. He also interviewed people who had taken part in the war.
However, he did not accept everything he heard. He questioned and verified information before including it.
It can be said that with Thucydides and his work on the Peloponnesian War, historical method and critical thinking were born.
In other words, historical criticism and scientific research began with him.
After his death, his work became widely known among Greek and Roman thinkers. Thucydides came to be known as the “Father of Historical Criticism” and the first critical historian.
He lived in a period when Greek thought was moving away from imagination and relying more on rational and logical analysis.
This period saw the beginning of a transformation in Greek thought, including questioning traditional religious ideas and beliefs, which led to important intellectual changes.
Thucydides aimed to reach historical truth by analyzing political events with neutrality and objectivity. He took a major step forward in historical analysis by explaining events through conflicts of material interests rather than myth or legend.
Source
Adapted from a lecture by Professor Abdelrahman Bahida, Introduction to the Study of History, Mohammed V University, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Rabat, Morocco.
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