Karl Julius Beloch

Karl Julius Beloch (January 21, 1854 in Nieder-Petschkendorf – February 1, 1929 in Rome) was a German classical and economic historian.

From 1872 to 1875, he studied classical philology and ancient history in Freiburg, Heidelberg and Rome, obtaining his PhD from the University of Rome in 1875 (thesis "Sulla costituzione politica dell'Elide"). In 1879 he became an associate professor at Rome, where from 1891 to 1912, he served as a full professor of ancient history. In 1912/13 he was a professor of ancient history at the University of Leipzig.

Beloch is known for his critical examinations of classical Greek and Roman history. He was skeptical of traditional sources, and frequently presented a new and subjective reconstruction of historical events. These historical beliefs placed him out of favor with several influential German scholars, particularly the famed historian Theodor Mommsen (1817-1903). In 1889 Beloch was denied professorship at Breslau, a position that had been vacated by Eduard Meyer (1855-1930), and instead given to Ulrich Wilcken (1862-1944). His daughter Margherita Beloch Piazzolla was a mathematics professor in Ferrara.

Among his numerous publications were a four-volume opus of Greek history titled Griechische Geschichte, and a systematic study involving the demography of the Greco-Roman world called Die Bevölkerung der griechisch-römischen Welt.

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