2,500 years ago, the writing of history as we know it didn’t exist. The past was recorded as a list of events, with little explanation for their causes beyond accepting things as the will of the gods. Herodotus wanted a deeper understanding, so he took a new approach: looking at events from both sides to understand the reasons for them.

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/teded View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-herodotus-called-the-father-of-history-mark-robinson 2,500 years ago, the writing of history as we know it didn't exist. The past was recorded as a list of events, with little explanation for their causes beyond accepting things as the will of the gods.