By and large, historical writing as we understand it has been traditionally dominated by a focus on political history and the influence of the so called 'great men' that appeared on the world's stage over millennia. This focus goes all the way back to the Greek histories of Thucydides & Herodotus.

It hasn't been until relatively recently in the 19th and 20th centuries that that trend has begun to change drastically. As each new generation begins writing their own histories they bring with them different perspectives that have collectively provided new insights and often dramatic paradigm shifts in our understanding of events. Marxist and feminist perspectives stand out as examples of profound landmarks in the break from traditional analysis, though there are many more.

In fact the American Historical Association has been researching the ways in which new, traditionally marginalized voices have come into ascendency both in terms of influence and sheer numbers, and how this 'clash' of old vs new has been impacting university history departments everywhere.

In short, and in terms of general trends, focusing on regular 'Farmer Joe' is much more modern than one might expect given the centuries of academic historical writing.

I may have misunderstood what you meant by "life and wants" but I hope that answered your question somewhat. I should add that I'm speaking of history exclusively, and not philosophy which follows a much different arc throughout the centuries.