Complex sentence: He began his career as a classical philologist before turning to philosophy, and became the youngest-ever occupant of the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel in 1869, at the age of 24.
Split into simpler sentences: He began his career as a classical philologist before turning to philosophy. He became the youngest ever to hold the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel in 1869, at the age of 24.