Shark Trivia

Did You Know that the first account of a shark attack….

.….was likely given by Greek historian Herodotus in 492 BC in his classic work Histories? This marked what was likely the first infamous account of sharks in literature.

In 492 BC during the first Persian invasion of Greece, Persian military commander Mardonius was proceeding well in his efforts until his fleet was caught by storms that caused 300 of his ships to sink against the cliffs of Mount Athos.

In Herodotus’s account of the event, “sea monsters” moved in to “seize and devour” many of the 20,000 sailors who fell into the water. While he was not specifically describing sharks, it is assumed that they were likely involved. The word “shark” did not yet exist and no clear lifelike graphic representation appeared before the I5th century.

While Herodotus may have taken artistic liberties in his descriptions of so many shark deaths, sharks may have also been much more present in the Mediterranean Sea at that time.