Herodotus of Halicarnassos 484-426 B.C.  

Herodotus was born about 484 B.C. at Halicarnassos in Caria in the southwest corner of Asia Minor and died about 426 B.C. He traveled extensively, visited Athens, Egypt, Babylon, and Scythia (north of the Black Sea). He observed many of the facts reported in his books although obviously much was obtained by hearsay. Cicero called him "the father of history." He had observed in Babylonia the method used for fructification of palm trees as well as the caprification of fig trees. He confused the two methods. However, Theophrastus more satisfactorily distinguished between the two. The sexual theory of the fertilization of plants was not clearly understood until 1694. (Rudolf Jacob Camerarius). Herodotus was particularly noted for presenting information with respect to manner, customs, means of livlihood and food of peoples about which he wrote.

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