Herodotus, Thucydides, and Livy.

Herodotus - A Greek historian who was born around the year, 484 BC. He lived until 424 BC. He was born in southwestern Asia Minor. By his birth, he was a subject of Persia. His uncle, Panyasis, was a wonderous poet. It is belived that Herodotus recieved his poetic talent from him. His family was prominate. Herodotus went into exile and made a temporary home on the island of Samos, an ally of Athens. He traveled through several empires and cities. By his travels, Herodotus gained first-hand knowledge of every region he visited. He wrote down the history of these places. Herodotus was attracted to the city of Athens, which was at the height of the age of Pericles. He spoke in Athens and won the admiration of the greatest minds in Greece. Thucydides was present at one of these readings, and he burst into tears from stress of an emulous emotion. Herodotus along with many other smart men, joined a colony in which Pericles founded. The colony was called Thurii. Nothing about Herodotus is known after he became a citizen of Thurii.


Thucydides - A Greek historian and author of History of the Peloponnesian War. He lived from 460 BC to 395 BC. Thucydides is known for being the father of "scientific history". This is because he had strict standards of evidence-gathering and analysis in terms of cause and effect without reference to the gods. He has also upholded the duty of being the father of the school of political realism. His text is studied at advanced military colleges and his Melian dialouge remains as a work of the international relations theory. Thucydides showed deep interest in creating an understanding of human nature to explain behaviors in such crisis' as a plague, massacres and civil wars.



Titus Livius - Otherwise known as Livy in English, he lived from 59 BC to AD. Livy was a native of Patavium which is the modern day Padua. He was a Roman historian who wrote about monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. He was well educated in Greek and oratory although he came from a plebian backround. He moved to Rome most likely to become more educated. Livy's only surviving work the is History of Rome. He wrote during the reign of Augustus in Rome. Livy had a high enthusiasm for the republic. During the Middle ages, interest in Livy wore out.


Citation: "Herodotus Biography". The New International Encyclopaedia, Vol. XI. 3 March 2010. http://www.dromo.info/herodotusbio.htm
"Thucydides". 2010. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 3 March 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thucydides
"Livy". 2010. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 3 March 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livy

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