Although The Histories were often criticized in antiquity for bias, inaccuracy and plagiarism — Lucian of Samosata attacked Herodotus as a liar in Verae Historiae and went as far as to deny him a place among the famous on the Island of the Blessed — modern historians and philosophers take a more positive view of Herodotus's methodology, especially those searching for a paradigm of objective historical writing.

It was conventional in Herodotus's day for authors to ' publish ' their works by reciting them at popular festivals.

Herodotus's recitation at Olympia was a favourite theme among ancient writers and there is another interesting variation on the story to be found in the Suda, Photius and Tzetzes, in which a young Thucydides happened to be in the assembly with his father and burst into tears during the recital, whereupon Herodotus observed prophetically to the boy's father: " Thy son's soul yearns for knowledge.

Modern scholars generally turn to Herodotus's own writing for reliable information about his life, very carefully supplemented with other ancient yet much later sources, such as the Byzantine Suda:

Pericles Georges in particular has attempted to contest Murray's claims, arguing that not only did Persian expansion cause economic prosperity for the Ionians but Herodotus's depictions of Ionian politics is consistent with other contemporary sources.

The first known of these is Herodotus's account of the Persian Wars, however he did not himself participate in the events.

According to Herodotus's Histories, the seventh century BC sage Aristeas of Proconnesus was first found dead, after which his body disappeared from a locked room.

This is Herodotus's account ( Histories 1. 31 ) of the story and it comes couched as advice from Solon the Athenian to Croesus as to who the most blessed people in history are.

Whether the story is true or not, it has no connection with the Battle of Marathon itself, and Herodotus's silence on the subject of a herald running from Marathon to Athens suggests strongly that no such event occurred.

" It seems likely that in the 500 years between Herodotus's time and Plutarch's, the story of Pheidippides had become muddled with that of the Battle of Marathon ( particularly the story of the Athenian forces making the march from Marathon to Athens in order to intercept the Persian ships headed there ), and some fanciful writer had invented the story of the run from Marathon to Athens.

Herodotus's approach was entirely novel, and at least from the point of view of Western society, he does seem to have invented ' history ' as we know it.

He adopts Herodotus's derivation of θεὀς ( theòs ) from τἰθημι ( tithemi ), since God set all things in order, comparing with it that of Plato from θεεῖν ( theein ), because the Deity is ever in motion.

In Herodotus's account, he states that the Neuri were driven from their land " one generation before the attack of Darius ( 512 BC )" by an invasion of serpents.

* The English Patient ( 1996, by Anthony Minghella ), with Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott-Thomas and Colin Firth ; Katherine reads aloud the account of Candaules and Gyges from Herodotus's Histories.

* Dorieus in Sicily from Herodotus's Histories 5. 42-5. 48.

" Moreover, Oswyn Murray argues that much of Herodotus's discussion of the Revolt is dependent on Ionian oral tradition, which is perhaps suspect because of their defeat.

Herodotus's story of Cyrus's early life belongs to a genre of legends in which abandoned children of noble birth, such as Oedipus and Romulus and Remus, return to claim their royal positions.

In Herodotus's version, Harpagus, seeking vengeance, convinced Cyrus to rally the Persian people to revolt against their feudal lords, the Medes.

Thucydides seems to echo Herodotus's account, making it probable that the story was disseminated by the Macedonian court, i. e. it accounts the belief the Macedonians themselves had about the origin of their kingdom, if not an actual memory of this beginning.

This account is fairly consistent with Herodotus's.

However, his great rival Thucydides promptly discarded Herodotus's all-embracing approach to history, offering instead a more precise, sharply focused monograph, dealing not with vast empires over the centuries but with 27 years of war between Athens and Sparta.

This account is fairly consistent with Herodotus's.

This account is fairly consistent with Herodotus's.

This account is fairly consistent with Herodotus's.

This daughter of Apries, was none other than Nitetis, who was as per Herodotus's account, " tall and beautiful.

Herodotus's approach was entirely novel, and at least in Western society, he does seem to have invented ' history ' as we know it.

Nevertheless, Thucydides chose to begin his history where Herodotus left off ( at the Siege of Sestos ), and may therefore have felt that Herodotus's history was accurate enough not to need re-writing or correcting.

Herodotus's works covered what was then the entire known world of the Greeks, or at least the part regarded as worthy of study, i. e., the peoples surrounding the Mediterranean.

Herodotus's approach was entirely novel, and at least in Western society, he does seem to have invented ' history ' as we know it.

Nevertheless, Thucydides chose to begin his history where Herodotus left off ( at the Siege of Sestos ), and therefore evidently felt that Herodotus's history was accurate enough not to need re-writing or correcting.

They included an Epitome of Herodotus's History ( Whether this work is actually his is debated ), the Hellenics, the History of Philip, and several panegyrics and hortatory addresses, the chief of which was the Letter to Alexander.

Herodotus's approach was entirely novel, and at least in Western society, he does seem to have invented ' history ' as we know it.

Nevertheless, Thucydides chose to begin his history where Herodotus left off ( at the Siege of Sestos ), and therefore evidently felt that Herodotus's history was accurate enough not to need re-writing or correcting.

Nevertheless, Thucydides chose to begin his history where Herodotus left off ( at the Siege of Sestos ), and therefore presumably felt that Herodotus's history was accurate enough not to need re-writing or correcting.

Herodotus's approach was novel and, at least in Western society, he invented ' history ' as a discipline.

Nevertheless, Thucydides chose to begin his history where Herodotus left off ( at the Siege of Sestos ) and felt Herodotus's history was accurate enough not to need re-writing or correcting.

Herodotus's approach was entirely novel, and at least in Western society, he does seem to have invented ' history ' as we know it.

Nevertheless, Thucydides chose to begin his history where Herodotus left off ( at the Siege of Sestos ), and therefore evidently felt that Herodotus's history was accurate enough not to need re-writing or correcting.

Herodotus's approach was entirely novel, and at least in Western society, he does seem to have invented ' history ' as we know it.

Nevertheless, Thucydides chose to begin his history where Herodotus left off ( at the Siege of Sestos ), and therefore evidently felt that Herodotus's history was accurate enough not to need re-writing or correcting.

The joke is compounded when Pratchett says that " Djelibeybi " means " Child of the Djel " ( its main river ; the line is a parody of Herodotus's famous claim that Egypt was the " gift of the Nile ").