The Emergence of Herodotus

Abstract

The brilliance and sophistication of Herodotus’ work have rendered the origins of historiography obscure to us: he had extinguished his predecessors. In truth, he must have been influenced by a number of minor genres, some of which seem barely respectable, while some, like Attic comedy, positively aimed to downgrade and ridicule their subjects: the Socrates of Aristophanes’ Clouds, and the Euripides of several of his plays are obvious examples. Scholars have often been misled, by Herodotus’ great talent and serious reputation, to disregard, or even to deny, his use of such sources. We may reflect that it is, indeed, a very fortunate fact for us, and for our understanding of fifth-century history, that Herodotus was less fastidious, more adventurous, and much more omnivorous, in his collection and selection of his material.