The never-ending murmur of the scouring sand that spans the ancient Egyptian desert has little effect on the traveler’s mood. Equipped with nothing but a walking stick and a light backpack, the stranger defies turbulent seas, sandy deserts, and dusty roads, only to arrive at yet another half-deserted village. He calmly rests his walking stick against a palm tree, shakes the sand from his clothing, and, without hesitating, strikes up a conversation with a local. After a long chat and a shared but meager meal, he unrolls a partially finished manuscript and starts writing, beginning with the iconic words: “I was told that . . . .”
That man was Herodotus, and he was on a mission: to record the history of the world. His work Histories is now regarded as one of the first meticulously detailed investigations of cultural, geographical, and historical events, in particular, the Greco-Persian wars. Herodotus is the world’s first true fearless historian, willing to travel long and far, whatever the risks. Histories records the worldview not just from the viewpoint of his beloved Greece but also from the Persian Empire, where he was born.