The Classical WorldIdeas & Belief Herodotus writes the Histories c. 430 BCEMajor Often called the father of history, he investigates causes instead of simply recording events. ▲ MattersSaveShareTrace roots Longest chain: The Big Bang → First stars ignite → Supernovae seed heavy elements → The Sun forms → Earth forms → First oceans → First life → Photosynthesis evolves → Great Oxidation Event → Complex cells (eukaryotes) → Multicellular life → First animals → Cambrian Explosion → First vertebrates → Jawed fish → Fish walk onto land → The amniotic egg → The Great Dying → Dinosaurs appear → Asteroid ends the dinosaurs → Early primates → Apes split from monkeys → Human line splits from chimpanzees → Walking upright → First stone tools → Genus Homo appears → Homo erectus → Control of fire → Habitual fire and cooking → Homo sapiens appears → Complex language → Natufian villages → Oldest known bread → Agriculture begins → Irrigation → Uruk and the first cities → Cylinder seals → Writing (cuneiform) → Akkadian Empire → Neo-Assyrian Empire → Persian Empire founded → Battle of Marathon → Herodotus writes the Histories Community notesLoading notes… Learn more ranked by votesDocumentclassics.mit.eduThe History of Herodotus, trans. George Rawlinson (Internet Classics Archive) ↗Editor's pickBookRobert B. Strassler (ed.)The Landmark Herodotus ↗Editor's pickVideoSearch on YouTubeHerodotus father of history ↗Editor's pick