The
Histories (; ; also known as
The History) of
Herodotus is now considered the founding work of history in
Western literature. Written in the 450s BC in the
Ionic dialect of
classical Greek,
The Histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that were known in
Western Asia,
Northern Africa and
Greece at that time. Although not a fully impartial record, it remains one of the West's most important sources regarding these affairs. Moreover, it established the
genre and study of
history in the Western world (despite the existence of historical records and
chronicles beforehand).