1. History is regarded as a branch of literature, which pays attention to literary description. The proofreader in Alexandria, Egypt divided the History written by Herodotus into nine volumes with the names of nine muses (literary goddesses) in Greek mythology, which proved that history was regarded as a vassal of literature at that time. Thucydides argued that history must be recorded. However, in his History of the Peloponnesian War, about
Most historians in ancient Greece and Rome only wrote the contemporary history of their time. Historians themselves are mostly military strategists or politicians to educate future generations through personal experience.
3. Pay attention to moral education. Historians in ancient Greece and Rome wrote books to teach the world. Polybius pointed out that "the insights gained from research are the best education for real life." Tacitus wrote in his Chronicle of Rome that "the highest function of history is to reward good and punish evil" and advocated moral education with historical facts.
Except Thucydides, historians in ancient Greece and Rome are superstitious about "fate" and believe that there is a supernatural power that dominates everything in the world. Li Wei's works are even mixed with fairy tales.
5. There is no uniform standard for the age. For example, the ancient Greeks used Olympiad (that is, since 776 BC, it is said that the Olympic Games were held for the first time, with one Olympiad every four years). The ancient Romans used the names of all consuls to record the years.
(Original source: China Encyclopedia? "History of Western Historiography" in World History Volume, article 97 1-972.