Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Historiography
(2,909 words)

1. Definition

The term “historiography” (from Greek historía, “history,” and gráphein, “to write”) first occurs in the 1st century CE in a gloss on a work of Josephus Flavius (Contra Apionem 1,134) and in a 4th-century treatise by Bishop Eustathios of Antioch. It is likely that the term originated with Greek teachers of rhetoric who wished to emphasize that historical discussions must be organized according to the rules of lite…

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Süßmann, Johannes, “Historiography”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 05 June 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_020968>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180915



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