Herodotus is widely known as the "father of history," his Histories being eponymous of the entire field. Written between the 450s and 420s BC, the scope of Herodotus' work reaches about a century in the past, discussing 6th century BC historical figures such as
Darius I of Persia,
Cambyses II, and
Psamtik III and alludes to some 8th century BC ones such as
Candaules.
Herodotus was succeeded by authors such as
Thucydides,
Xenophon,
Demosthenes,
Plato, and
Aristotle. Most of these authors were either
Athenians or pro-Athenians, which explains why far more is known about the history and politics of
Athens than of most other contemporary cities. Their scope is further limited by a focus on political, military and diplomatic history, generally ignoring economic and social history.[1] However, while works approaching modern ethnography arose primarily amongst the
Romans, some Greeks did include ancillary material describing the customs and rituals of different peoples,
Herodotus himself being a prime example in his descriptions of the
Egyptians,
Scythians, and others.