The opening of The Histories, in
Ἡροδότου Ἁλικαρνησσέος ἱστορίης ἀπόδεξις ἥδε, ὡς μήτε τὰ γενόμενα ἐξ ἀνθρώπων τῷ χρόνῳ ἐξίτηλα γένηται, μήτε ἔργα μεγάλα τε καὶ θωμαστά, τὰ μὲν Ἕλλησι τὰ δὲ βαρβάροισι ἀποδεχθέντα, ἀκλεᾶ γένηται, τά τε ἄλλα καὶ διʼ ἣν αἰτίην ἐπολέμησαν ἀλλήλοισι.Herodotus of Halicarnassus here sets forth the fruit of his inquiry, so that human achievements may not fade with time, and the great and marvelous deeds—some wrought by Greeks, others by foreigners—may not go unrenowned, and above all the cause for which they went to war with one another.This is the record of the research of Herodotus of Halicarnassus. He sets it out so that what people have done may not fade with time, and so that the great and wonderful deeds—some done by Greeks and some by foreigners—may not go without fame, and especially so that the reason they went to war with each other may be known.Read the whole work beside the Ancient Greek