Born
Nieder-Petschkendorf on 21 January 1854, 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. He died on 1 February 1929 in
Rome. == Selected works ==