15 Ancient Greek Historians Who Invented the Discipline of History
An article on TheCollector.com highlights 15 ancient Greek historians who significantly influenced the field of history writing. It opens with Homer (circa 8th century BC), whose epic poems, the Iliad and Odyssey, are regarded as the earliest historical accounts of the Trojan War. Following him, Herodotus (circa 484–425 BC), known as the "Father of History," penned The Histories, consisting of 9 volumes covering 550–479 BC. Thucydides (circa 460–400 BC) contributed The History of the Peloponnesian War, an 8-book series from 438–411 BC. Xenophon (circa 430–354 BC) authored Hellenica, comprising 7 books from 411–362 BC. Additional historians mentioned include Ctesias, Theopompus, and Diodorus Siculus, among others. The article showcases artifacts from various museums.
Key facts
- TheCollector.com published an article on 15 ancient Greek historians.
- Homer (c. 8th century BC) wrote the Iliad and Odyssey, which were considered the first historical record of the Trojan War.
- Herodotus (c. 484–425 BC) wrote The Histories, covering 550–479 BC in 9 books.
- Thucydides (c. 460–400 BC) wrote The History of the Peloponnesian War in 8 books, covering 438–411 BC.
- Xenophon (c. 430–354 BC) wrote the Hellenica, covering 411–362 BC in 7 books.
- Polybius (c. 200–118 BC) wrote Histories, originally 40 books, covering 264–146 BC.
- Diodorus Siculus (c. 90–30 BC) wrote Bibliotheca Historica, originally 40 books.
- The article features images from the British Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, J. Paul Getty Museum, Musée du Louvre, British Library, and Alpha Bank Culture.
Entities
Artists
- Homer
- Herodotus
- Thucydides
- Xenophon
- Ctesias
- Theopompus
- Cleitarchus
- Marsyas of Pella
- Duris of Samos
- Timaeus
- Phylarchus
- Polybius
- Agatharchides
- Posidonius
- Diodorus Siculus
- Socrates
- Plato
- Alexander the Great
- Artaxerxes II
- Philip II
- Ptolemy I Soter
- Antigonus I Monophthalmus
- Demetrius Poliocretes
- Alcibiades
- Isocrates
- Pyrrhus of Epirus
- Cleomenes III of Sparta
- Cicero
- Plutarch
- Aelian
- Strabo
- Quintus Curtius
- Justin
- Pliny the Elder
- Josephus
- Cyrus the Great
- Agesilaus II
- Anton Woensam
- Eucharius Hirtzhorn
- Jorg Breu I
- Jorg Breu II
- Hans Schaufelein
- John Chapman
- J. Wilkes
- Clarkson Stanfield
- Giuseppe Salviati
Institutions
- TheCollector.com
- British Museum
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- J. Paul Getty Museum
- Musée du Louvre
- British Library
- Alpha Bank Culture
- Achaemenid Persian Empire
- Ptolemaic Egypt
- Achaean League
- Sparta
- Athens
Locations
- Greece
- Halicarnassus
- Samos
- Egypt
- Tyre
- Babylon
- Athens
- Magna Graecia
- Macedonia
- Cnidus
- Anatolia
- Chios
- Pella
- Sicily
- Megalopolis
- Rome
- Carthage
- Alexandria
- Apamea
- Syria
- Hispania
- Italy
- Dalmatia
- Gaul
- Liguria
- North Africa
- Adriatic Coast
- Agyrium
- Troy
- India
- Arabia
- Scythia
- Mesopotamia
- Nubia
- Europe
- Thrace
- Sicyon
- Naucratis
- Cyrene
- Pergamum
- Red Sea
- Persia
- Sparta
- Thebes