ABSTRACT
Herodotus was born in Halicarnassus (now Bodrum) in Caria (southwestern Asia Minor) which at the time of his birth (c. 480 BC) was under the rule of the king of Persia. His father, Lyxes, was a member of a distinguished local family, and his uncle, Panyassis, was an epic poet. When, in 461, Panyassis was assassinated by the man in charge of Halicarnassus, who was named Lygdamis, Herodotus abandoned the place, moving to the island of Samos. It is possible that, when Lygdamis later met his end (c. 454?), and Halicarnassus joined the Delian League which was under the control of the Athenians, Herodotus went back to Halicarnassus. If he did, his stay there was brief, since he travelled very widely. It appears probable that in many of the cities and towns that he visited he gave lectures and recitations.
