Unbeknownst to the Greeks and Romans, the Chinese simultaneously developed their own literary historical traditions, best exemplified in the work of Sima Qian, who’s often called the Chinese Herodotus. Appointed grand historian and astrologer following the death of his father, who held the same post, Sima Qian undertook the first-ever universal history of China and its neighbors, titled the “Shiji (Historical Records).” Much like Livy, he began with his civilization’s supposed founder, the legendary Yellow Emperor—essentially the Chinese equivalent of Romulus—and continued on to his own time. The monumental project almost came undone in 99 B.C., when he incurred the wrath of the emperor for coming to the defense of a defeated general. Given a choice of punishment, the historian purportedly defied custom by selecting castration over execution, shaming himself and his family so that he could continue his work.
He was the son of Sima Tan.
.jpg){kind=link}
Painted portrait