The First Great Historians

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The First Great Historians Herodotus and Sima Qian The First Great Historians of Greece and China by Thomas R. Martin is a book revolving around two men known as the first two great historians of their times. Herodotus and Sima Qian both gathered various amounts of information that pertained to the history before them and the history that was unfolding before them when they were alive. They were both researchers of two different times and ages. The governments that ruled over them and the civilizations they were a part of were vast and successful in their times. Herodotus and Sima Qian were both great historians and researchers, but the fact that they were centuries apart and in two different regions makes the book even more interesting as Thomas R. Martin puts together in one source the lives and works of these two intellectual men. Herodotus, the first proclaimed great historian, was from the regions of Greece, specifically from the city of Halicarnassus. Halicarnassus is the site of modern day Turkey. It was located in a short distance of the sea which allowed it to become a city of trade through the accessibility of waterways. Considering the fact that Halicarnassus was located by the sea made it a central location for diverse population mixtures. Herodotus in his works took advantage of these diverse populations that came and went as they passed through the city of Halicarnassus on their traveling business. He began to explore and learn as much as he could from the different populations and cultures that passed through. Herodotus’s research was different from the past in multiple ways. He differed from the passed “historians” because he not only dedicated his life to his work, but also treated all parts of history including the cultures from other countries with a sense of equality in order to obtain the best amount of knowledge he could for his
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