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Herodotus' style was largely typical of Grecian-Roman historiography: that is, an emphasis on the sensational, the mythical, and a downplay on verifiable facts.  Histories were written largely for popular consumption, and they were not often intended as scholarly works, but as a preservation of popular myths at the time of the writing.

Herodotus' style was largely typical of Grecian-Roman historiography: that is, an emphasis on the sensational, the mythical, and a downplay on verifiable facts.  Histories were written largely for popular consumption, and they were not often intended as scholarly works, but as a preservation of popular myths at the time of the writing.

Examples of Herodotus' myth-centered history is his description of mythical beasts as inhabiting foreign lands (an example is the [[phoenix]], which he treats as a real Egyptian animal). {{User:MarkP}}

Examples of Herodotus' myth-centered history is his description of mythical beasts as inhabiting foreign lands (an example is the [[phoenix]], which he treats as a real Egyptian animal).

However, recently, one of Herodotus' more far-fetched claims has been proven by modern science, specifically, DNA testing.  Herodotus claims in his ''Histories'' that the [[Etruscans]] were an offshoot of a tribe of Turkish nomads, who left their ancestral home as an advance scouting party to look for safer, more readily cultivatable land, and, having arrived in Italy, founded the Etruscan civilization as a colony of their old tribe, which has since been lost to the ages.  This claim was largely scorned by the [[Romans]].  Finding DNA corroboration of Herodotus' account was a sensational find for classical historians, suggesting that Herodotus' ''Histories'' may be more factual than before believed (at least with regards to human history, if not biology).[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/science/03etruscan.html?ex=1178337600&en=00778c1db4e835a5&ei=5070]   

However, recently, one of Herodotus' more far-fetched claims has been proven by modern science, specifically, DNA testing.  Herodotus claims in his ''Histories'' that the [[Etruscans]] were an offshoot of a tribe of Turkish nomads, who left their ancestral home as an advance scouting party to look for safer, more readily cultivatable land, and, having arrived in Italy, founded the Etruscan civilization as a colony of their old tribe, which has since been lost to the ages.  This claim was largely scorned by the [[Romans]].  Finding DNA corroboration of Herodotus' account was a sensational find for classical historians, suggesting that Herodotus' ''Histories'' may be more factual than before believed (at least with regards to human history, if not biology).[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/science/03etruscan.html?ex=1178337600&en=00778c1db4e835a5&ei=5070]