Christoph (Keller) Cellarius (1638-1707) was a German classical scholar from Schmalkalden, Thuringa, Germany, who held academic positions in Weimar and Halle.
Cellarius revolutionised how we attributed periods of time in History. Although the three divisions of Ancient History, Medieval History and Modern History was used earlier by Italian Renaissance scholars Leonardo Bruni and Flavio Biondo, Cellarius’, Notitia Orbis Antiqui, Sive Geographia Plenior…et Novis Tabulis Geographicis or Universal History Divided into an Ancient, Medieval, and New Period published in 1683, helped popularize the concept. It is unlikely that Cellarius understood the impact that this historical nomenclature would have on the way future historians would interpret the past.
The library of the University of Applied Sciences in Schmalkalden bears his name, and is called, Cellarius Bibliothek, in honour of him.
