Barthold G. Niebuhr
Niebuhr, Barthold Georg (1776-1831), a German historian. His three-volume History of Rome (1811-32) marked an important step in the application of scientific and critical methods to the study of history. He also discovered and helped to decipher fragments from the writings of Cicero, Livy, and other classical authors. Niebuhr was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, of German parentage. He studied in Kiel, London, and Edinburgh before entering the Danish civil service. He next taught history in Berlin. After serving as a propagandist for Prussia during the war against Napoleon, he was Prussian ambassador to the papal court in Rome, 1816-23. In 1823 he settled in Bonn, where he lectured on Roman history.