logographoi

Logographoi is a term used in ancient Greek historiography to refer to writers who preceded Herodotus. These authors, active primarily in the 6th century BCE, focused on recording local histories, genealogies, myths, and legends of various Greek city-states and regions. Unlike later historians who sought to analyze cause and effect in human events, the logographoi were largely concerned with collecting and preserving traditional narratives.

Their works were often anecdotal and lacked a critical approach to sources. They typically wrote in prose, marking a significant development from the epic poetry of earlier periods. While their original writings are largely lost, they are known through fragments and references in later Greek literature, particularly in the works of historians like Herodotus and Thucydides, as well as in the writings of grammarians and lexicographers.

Prominent figures among the logographoi include Cadmus of Miletus, Pherecydes of Athens, and Acusilaus of Argos. Their contributions, though viewed as uncritical by later standards, laid the groundwork for the development of historical writing in Greece by establishing the practice of setting down accounts of the past in written form. They can be seen as precursors to the more systematic historical inquiry that would emerge with Herodotus and his successors.