Herodotus, the Greek Historian

Herodotus, the Greek Historian Herodotus is known as  the father of history. We may think all the famous ancient Greeks came from Athens, but its not true. Like many important ancient Greeks, Herodotus was not only not born in Athens but wasnt even born in what we think of as Europe. He was born in the essentially Dorian (Hellenic or Greek, yes; but not Ionian) colony of Halicarnassus, on the southwest coast of Asia Minor, which at the time was part of the Persian Empire. Herodotus had not yet been born when Athens defeated Persia in the renowned Battle of Marathon (490 B.C.) and was only a young child when the Persians defeated the Spartans and allies at the Battle of Thermopylae (480 B.C.).​ Herodotus Homeland Lyxes, the father of Herodotus, was probably from Caria, in Asia Minor. So was Artemisia, the female despot of Halicarnassus who joined Xerxes in his expedition against Greece in the Persian Wars. Following victories over the Persians by the mainland Greeks, Halicarnassus rebelled against foreign rulers. In consequence of his part in rebellious actions, Herodotus was sent into exile to the Ionian island of Samos (homeland of Pythagoras), but then returned to Halicarnassus around 454 to take part in the overthrow of Artemisias son, Lygdamis. Herodotus of Thurii Herodotus calls himself Herodotus of Thurii rather than Halicarnassus because he was a citizen of the pan-Hellenic city of Thurii, which was founded in 444/3. One of his fellow colonists was the philosopher, Pythagoras of Samos, probably. Herodotus Travels the Known World Between the time of the overthrow of Artemisias son Lygdamis and Herodotus settling in Thurii, Herodotus traveled around most of the known world.  Herodotus traveled to learn about foreign countries. He traveled to have a look, the Greek word for looking is related to our English word theory. He also lived in Athens, spending time in the company of his friend, the renowned writer of great Greek tragedy Sophocles. The Athenians so appreciated Herodotus writing that in 445 B.C. he awarded him 10 talents- an enormous sum. The Father of History Despite major shortcomings in the area of accuracy, Herodotus is called the father of history even by his contemporaries. Sometimes, however, more accuracy-minded people describe him as the father of lies. In China, another man earned the father of history title, but he was centuries later: Sima Qian. Herodotus Histories Herodotus Histories, celebrating the Greek victory over the Persians, were written in the mid-fifth century B.C. Herodotus wanted to present as much information about the Persian War as he could. What sometimes reads like a travelogue, includes information on the entire Persian Empire, and simultaneously explains the origins (aitia) of the conflict, by reference to mythological prehistory. Even with the fascinating digressions and fantastic elements, Herodotus history was an advance over the previous writers of quasi-history, who are known as logographers.Sources East Is East And West Is West - Or Are They? National Stereotypes In HerodotusAncient History Sourcebook: 11th Brittanica: HerodotusCicero  De legibus 1.5: Herodotum patrem historiae

How to Convert Celsius to Kelvin

How to Convert Celsius to Kelvin Celsius and Kelvin are the two most important temperature scales for scientific measurements. Fortunately, its easy to convert between them because the two scales have the same size degree.  All that is needed to convert Celsius to Kelvin is one simple step. (Note its Celsius, not Celcius, a common mis-spelling.) Celsius To Kelvin Conversion Formula Take your Celsius temperature and add 273.15. K  °C 273.15Your answer will be in Kelvin. Remember, the Kelvin temperature scale does not use the degree ( °) symbol. The reason is because Kelvin is an absolute scale, based on absolute zero, while the zero on the Celsius scale is based on the properties of water. Also, measurements given in Kelvin will always be larger numbers than in Celsius. Celsius To Kelvin Conversion Examples For example, if you want to know what 20 °C is in Kelvin: K 20 273.15   293.15 K If you want to know what -25.7 °C is in Kelvin: K -25.7 273.15, which may be rewritten as: K 273.15 - 25.7 247.45 K More Temperature Conversion Examples Its just as easy to convert Kelvin into Celsius. Another important temperature scale is the Fahrenheit scale. If you use this scale, you should be familiar with how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and Kelvin to Fahrenheit.