Herodotus

Known today as “The Father of History,” Herodotus was the first person credited with the study of the past. Born into a wealthy familym in modern-day Turkey, Herodotus became a Greek foot soldier and traveled extensively, which many scholars believe helped spark his love of history. His work, The Histories, records accounts of important battles and events leading up to and during the Greco-Persian Wars. Many historians suspect Herodotus overexaggerated many of the stories in The Histories, and some historians have even disproved many of his accounts. But overall, Herodotus is praised for his recordkeeping and for developing the study of history that we know and love today.

Artemisia I

Recognized as one of the fiercest females
to fight in the Greco-Persian Wars, Artemisia I was famous for her naval experience and incredible influence over the Persian king, Xerxes. When the Persians were seeking revenge for their defeat by the Greeks at the battle of Marathon, Artemisia, the acting queen of Caria, sailed into battle with her troops, which was certainly uncommon for the time. It was said that she would sometimes fly a Greek flag on her ships in order to get close enough to make an attack, then switch back to a Persian banner before she struck. Artemisia was also legendary for her influence on King Xerxes of Persia and was one of his counselors who suggested he return to Persia instead of continuing to fight against the Greeks. While many women were often left out of historical texts, Artemisia’s accomplishments were so great that Herodotus made an extreme effort to include her in his works.