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In historiography, who are universally regarded as the foundational figures of both ancient and modern historical writing, and what exactly did each contribute to the craft?

I'm preparing a lecture on the origins of historical writing and need to clearly distinguish the foundational contributions. For antiquity, I assume Herodotus and Thucydides are central, but what did each do that was genuinely new? For the modern era, who actually established history as a professional, critical discipline—is it Leopold von Ranke, or are there other key figures like Barthold Niebuhr or Thucydides' later interpreters? I need a concise, authoritative breakdown of their seminal contributions.

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By Seema Answered 1 year ago

For ancient historiography, the founders are Herodotus (c. 484–425 BCE) and Thucydides (c. 460–400 BCE). Herodotus, the "Father of History," established the genre's scope by systematically investigating and narrating the past (the Greco-Persian Wars), incorporating inquiry (histori?), diverse sources, and ethnographic digressions. Thucydides, the "Father of Scientific History," introduced a critical, analytical method, rejecting myth and divine causality, rigorously evaluating evidence, and focusing on political and military history driven by human nature and chance. For modern historiography, Leopold von Ranke (1795–1886) is pivotal. He professionalized history by championing archive-based primary source research, rigorous source criticism (Quellenkritik), and the ideal of writing history "as it actually happened" (wie es eigentlich gewesen). He established history as an academic discipline distinct from literature and philosophy.

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