HERO'DOTUS, a native of Halicarnassus, a Dorian city in Caria, and once a member of the confederation called the Hexapolis, or Six Cities, was born about B.C. If the pa4sages in his own History (i. 130; iii. 15) were written by himself, he was probably alive in n.c. 408, The facts of his life are few and doubtful, except so far as we can collect them from his own works. He was the son of Lyxus and Dry o, and of an illustrious family in his native state. Not liking the government of Lygdarnis (the grandson of the heroic Artemisia), who was tyrant of Halicarnassus, he retired for a time to Samos, where he is said to have cultivated the Ionic dialect of the Greek, which was the language of that island. Before he was thirty years of age he joined in au attempt, which proved successful, to expel Lygdamis. But the banishment of the tyrant did not give tranquillity to Hali caruassus, and lierodotus, who himself had become an object of dislike, again left his native country, and joined, as it is said, a colony which the Athenians sent to Thurium, in South Italy (n.c. 448). He is said to have died at Thurium, and was buried in the Agora. (Suidas, 'HpAoros, Haykols, eknceatanr; Strata", xiv., p. 656; Photius, 'Bib].; 60.) lierodotus presents himself to our consideration in two points of view; as a traveller and observer, and as an historian. The extent of his travels may be ascertained pretty clearly from his History, but the order in which ho visited each place and the time cannot be determined. The story of his reading his work at the Olympic games, which has found its way into most modern narratives, has been well discussed by Dahlnaann, aud we may perhaps say disproved. (Iferodot, 'Aua selnem Bucho vein Leben,' Altona). The story is founded ou a small piece by Lucian (' Ed. Reiz.; 4to, p. 831), entitled ' lierodotus or Action,' which apparently was not intended by the writer himself Is an historical truth ; and in addition to this, Herodotus was only about twenty-eight years old when he is said to have read to the assembled Greeks at Olympia a work which was the result of most :xtensivc travelliug and research, and boars in every part of it evident marks of the band of a man of mature age. The Olympic recitation is not even alluded to by Plutarch in his treatise on the 'Malignity of Herodotus' (iv., p.431, ed. Wyttenbach). The arguments derivable from this circumstance, as to the truth or falsehood of this story, are considered by Dahlmann (p. 33). Heyse endeavours to maintain the
story of the Olympic recitation, and to relieve it from some of its difficulties; but, in our opinion, not successfully. Another recitation at Athens is mentioned by Plutarch and Ensebius.
With a simplicity which characterises his whole work, Herodotus makes no display of the great extent of his travels. He frequently avoids saying in express terms that he was at a place, but he uses words which are as conclusive as any positive statement. He describes a thing as standing behind the door (ii. 1S2), or on the right hand, as you enter a temple (i. 51); or as he was told something by a person in a particular place (ii. 23); or he uses other words equally significant. In Africa he visited Egypt, from the coast of the Mediterranean to Elephantine, the southern extremity of the country 29); and he travelled westward as far es Cyrene (ii. 32, 181), and probably farther. In Asia he visited Tyre, Babylon, Ecbatana (i. 93), and probably Susa (v. 52-54 ; vi. 119). Ho also visited various parts of Asia Minor, and probably went as far as Colchis (ii. 104). In Europe he visited a large part of the country along the Black Sea, between the mouths of the Danube and the Crimea, and went some distance into the interior. He seems to have examined the line of the march of Xerxes from the Hellespont into Attica, and certainly had seen numerous places on this route. He was well acquainted with Athens (1. 93; v.77, ke.), Delphi, Dodona, Olympia (ix. 81), Tegea (i. 66), Thasos, Delos, Zacynthus (iv. 195) and numerous other places in Greece. That he had visited somo parts of South Italy is clear from his work (iv. 99; v. 44, 45). The mention of there places is sufficient to show that he must have seen many more. So wide 'and varied a field of observa tion has rarely been presented to a traveller, and still more rarely to any historian, either of ancient or modern times; and if we cannot affirm that the author undertook his travels with a view to collect materials for his great work, a supposition which is far from improb able, it is certain that without such advantages he could never havo written it, and that his travels must have suggested much inquiry, and supplied many valuable facts which afterwards found a place in his History.