Historiography

Historiography is the study of history as a cultural reflection in itself. Those who study historiography analyze the way history is written, to see if it tells them something about how the culture writing the history wanted itself to be remembered. For example, historiographers focusing on Livy and Plutarch often conclude that the accounts of both historians, while at least partially unreliable as historical documents, suggest that Roman culture in the Republic was very concerned with using history to justify Rome's unique place in the world, and teach moral lessons to young citizens.