Father of History

Herodotus was pictured as the father of history by Cicero. However, this depiction was far from being a compliment, since Cicero was also portraying him as a story-teller and a liar. The Italian humanist Petrarch detected this inconsistency, finding it hard to believe. He also called Herodotus the father of Greek history. In the twentieth century, J.L Myres attempted to rediscover Herodotus’ claim to the title, which persists today.