Academus Education Apr 20, 2021 4 min read

Greek Historiography from Herodotus to

Thucydides - by Peter Xiao
Herodotus and Thucydides are the two most well-known Greek historians in the world. Herodotus was
described as the ‘father of history' by Cicero whilst Thucydides is considered by many scholars to be the
father of both international relations and war studies. His famous work ‘History of the Peloponnesian War’ is
now an essential book in the reading lists of many universities’ international relations programmes. However,
both historians had different attitudes in regards to the nature of history and this could have been due to
their contrasting subject focus and research interests.

Marble bust of Herodotos 2nd century A.D.

Herodotus was mainly working on his history under the influence of Homer and many other Pre-Socratic
philosophers. Herodotus belonged to the intellectual milieu of Ionia and owed his style mostly to Homer. In
the prooemium (beginning or preface) of ‘The Histories’ by Herodotus, he declares publicly that he ‘here
displays his inquiry so that human achievements may not become forgotten in time, and great and
marvellous deeds- some by Greeks, some by barbarians- may not be without their glory.’ This opening
statement by Herodotus is extremely crucial because here he describes his writing of history as an inquiry.
The origin of the English word history came from the Greek word ‘historia’ meaning inquiry; therefore, history
in its original sense is a form of inquiry. Herodotus also raises the importance of glory and great deeds in his
opening statement. Glory (kleos) and great deeds (aristeia) are both important elements in the Homeric
Epics. A Homeric hero would normally win long-lasting kleos through his aresteia in battles. From this
statement by Herodotus, we can see that he looked up to Homer for inspiration and as a model. Herodotus
intended to replicate what Homer has accomplished in poetry in his history. The influence of Homer on
Herodotus is profound. Meanwhile, the philosophical atmosphere in Ionia in the 6th century and early 5th
century BCE also gave Herodotus wide-ranging interests in human affairs and customs. Herodotus' unique
curiosity was heavily influenced by the rise of sophists in Miletus and many other coastal cities in Ionia. As a
native of Halicarnassus, it was very likely that Herodotus was influenced by this intellectual atmosphere
when he was young. Therefore he began to develop this intellectual curiosity for all cultures in the ancient
Mediterranean world when he was composing his history.

Thucydides Mosaic from Jerash, Jordan, Roman, 3rd century CE at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin

Thucydides the Athenian was a very different figure compared to Herodotus. He was described by many
scholars as a rather pessimistic and conservative individual. Many readers do find his history less interesting
and engaging to read compared to Herodotus’ history. Thucydides’ research interest was certainly much
narrower compared to Herodotus’. He was more interested in war and politics than in human affairs and
history. He believed that the lessons of history on human nature could only be appreciated through the
study of war and politics. Thucydides himself was critical of Herodotus’ research interests and historical
methods and he believed what Herodotus had produced was fiction rather than true history. In the
introduction of the ‘History of the Peloponnesian War’, Thucydides declares that ‘my work is not a piece of
writing designed to meet the taste of an immediate public, but was done to last forever.’ Many scholars
interpret this statement by Thucydides as a form of attack on Herodotus’ research interests and historical
methods. They believe that Thucydides was actually referring to the works of Herodotus when he was
talking about ‘designed to meet the taste of an immediate public.’ Thucydides himself knew that his work
was less interesting to read for the public audience compared to Herodotus’ work because Herodotus’
‘Histories’ had a much broader interest and focus. However, Thucydides was not frustrated by this prospect
as he fervently believed in the idea that his research interests represented the true direction that the
discipline of history was moving: focusing on the paramount importance of war and politics in human
affairs. Historians in our times are still influenced by this important historical thinking; it was only until the
beginning of the last century that historians started to look more at areas such as economics, sociology,
ethnography and geography which are areas outside the traditional domain of war and politics.

However, there are still some similarities in the work by Herodotus and Thucydides. One prominent example
is the use of speeches in their history. When we talk about Greek and Roman historiography, we are talking
about history writings that incorporated a lot of speeches made by the participants of the events. For
example in the ‘Histories’ by Herodotus, there are speeches made by the Great King of Persia, famous
Athenian political leaders of the day and also the Spartan kings and generals. They were all direct
participants of the historical events that Herodotus was narrating. Meanwhile, in Thucydides, we see
speeches made by famous Athenian leaders such as Pericles, Cleon, Nicias and Alcibiades. Many scholars
have questioned the authenticity of these speeches and we must recognise that not all of them are perfect
accounts of what the participants actually said. One line from Thucydides could be a great summary of this
historical approach: ‘so my method has been, while keeping as closely as possible to the general sense of
the words that were actually used, to make the speakers say what, in my opinion, was called for by each
situation.’

Herodotus and Thucydides were two important figures in the development of the genre of history. It is
important for us as readers of history to carefully study their research interest and historical methods
before appreciating their works' complexity and wisdom.

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