Theodor Mommsen

Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen was born on November 30, 1817, in Garding, Schleswig. Studying jurisprudence and classical philology at the University of Kiel, Mommsen revolutionized historical science by insisting on empirical epigraphy—analyzing thousands of surviving stone inscriptions, coins, and legal codes rather than relying solely on secondhand literary manuscripts.

Between 1854 and 1856, Mommsen published the first three volumes of 'Römische Geschichte' (A History of Rome), a work of breathtaking narrative power, psychological insight, and scholarly brilliance that made Roman history vivid to modern readers. In 1863, he founded the monumental 'Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum' (CIL), collecting over 180,000 Roman inscriptions across 16 volumes.

In 1902, Mommsen became the second recipient—and the oldest at age 85—of the Nobel Prize in Literature, 'the greatest living master of the art of historical writing'. He was also a progressive liberal member of the Prussian Parliament who fiercely denounced anti-Semitism. He died in Charlottenburg on November 1, 1903.