So Herodotus muttered marble dust into his beard,
And foretold the white clay of the mule road,
And the whiskers of Greece grew long with legend.
The Histories (c. 430 BC) of Herodotus are widely regarded as the cornerstone of historical works in Western Culture. Though it primarily documented the Greco-Persian Wars, its reliability has often been questioned, giving rise to the belief by some that it is a work of fable and legend rather than chronological accuracy.
