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Article: Jacob Burckhardt: historian of civilization.
- Article from:
- Contemporary Review
- Article date:
- November 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Contemporary Review Company Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Few modern historians have been concerned with mapping the spiritual horizon of our civilization. The hundredth anniversary of Jacob Burckhardt's death is an appropriate moment to pause and reflect on those vitalizing aspects of human existence which every civilization must struggle to keep alive.
Born in 1818 into one of the poorer branches of a prominent Basel family, Jacob Burckhardt began his studies in theology before moving on to Greek philology and ancient history. But it was whilst studying at the University of Berlin, under Franz Kugler and Leopold von Ranke, that Burckhardt discovered the fledgling discipline of art history which he was to pursue and ...