Herodotus at the 5th Avenue MET

3D Model

He was the man Cicero characterized as “the father of history” and a person not immune to criticism from some of his successors. Herodotus was a chronicler and loved to witness a compelling story, the most influential of his time being the Greco-Persian war documented in his Histories. His critics accuse him of exaggerating events, making things up for entertainment value, and being a propagandist for the Greeks. That said, there is little doubt that his first-hand primary-source reporting left an indelible mark on humanity. This bust, sculpted in the 2nd century CE, is characteristic of the time and shows how influential he was some 600 years later. Check out the annotations to learn a bit more about this period of portraiture and the man himself.