Hans-Günther Simon

Hans-Günther Simon (born July 12, 1925 in Bad Nauheim , † March 26, 1991 ibid) was a German ancient historian and Roman provincial archaeologist .

Life

In 1944, Simon received his secondary school leaving certificate and began shortly before the end of the Second World War with his studies at the University of Marburg to ancient history , classical archeology and prehistory . He received his doctorate on December 17, 1952 and then received from June to December 1953 an assistant grant from the German Research Foundation and, for 1954, the travel grant from the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy of the German Archaeological Institute . In the summer semester of 1955 he became a research assistant at the chair for archeology at the University of Erlangen , but from autumn 1955 he began to change his profession and entered his father's business as a self-employed businessman. However, his passion for archeology persisted and after a short time he returned to his original profession, where he was actively supported by his wife Gertrud, who made drawings, among other things.

During this time, the fruitful collaboration and friendship with the prehistoric Hans Schönberger (1916–2005) began. During the construction of a central school near Rödgen , an archeology-loving general practitioner from Bad Nauheim discovered two pointed ditches in June 1960. During the subsequent excavations of the Rödgen Roman camp by Schönberger, Simon and his wife secured the finds and findings and published the find material in Volume 15 of the Limes Research. He was considered an expert in terra sigillata and other pottery, not only knew about coins, weapons and fibulae , but also mastered the use of written sources. The ancient historian Klaus Bringmann encouraged him to do his habilitation in ancient history by working on the Rödgen Roman camp . After this habilitation, which took place on December 4, 1975 at the Technical University of Darmstadt , Simon took on several teaching assignments. On April 14, 1977 he was elected a full member of the German Archaeological Institute.

During the excavation in the vicus of Fort Langenhain in 1987 and 1988, he fell seriously ill. The discovery of an important crockery depot that was made there was to be his last work, but he died before it was completed. His wife Gertrud Simon took care of this and the printing.

Fonts (selection)

• with Heinz J. Köhler a. a .: A crockery depot from the 3rd century. Excavations in the camp village of Fort Langenhain (= materials for Roman-Germanic ceramics 11), Roman-Germanic commission of the German Archaeological Institute in Frankfurt am Main, Habelt, Bonn 1992, ISBN 3-7749-2556-9 .
• with Hans Schönberger : The Okarben fort and the occupation of the Wetterau since Vespasian. (=  Limes Research 19), Mann, Berlin 1980.
• with Hans Schönberger: The castles in Altenstadt. (=  Limesforschungen 22), Mann, Berlin 1983, ISBN 3-7861-1295-9 .
• with Hans Schönberger: Römerlager Rödgen . (=  Limes research 15), Mann, Berlin 1976.
• Picture bowls and pottery stamps on smooth goods . In: Dietwulf Baatz : Fort Hesselbach and other research on the Odenwald Limes. (=  Limesforschungen 12), Mann, Berlin 1973, ISBN 3-7861-1059-X
• For the initial dating of Fort Pförring. In: Bavarian history sheets. 35, 1970, pp. 94-105.
• The small fort Degerfeld in Butzbach, Kr. Friedberg (Hesse). Dating and Finds. In: Saalburg-Jahrbuch 25, 1968, pp. 5-64.
• with Dietwulf Baatz : Traces of the Ala Moesica Felix Torquata from Upper Germany . In: Saalburg-Jahrbuch 25, 1968, pp. 193-201.
• with Hans Schönberger: The mid-imperial terra sigillata from Neuss. In: Novaesium II (=  Limesforschungen 7), Berlin 1966 pp. 7–62.
• Terra Sigillata from Köngen . In: Saalburg yearbook . Volume 20, 1962, pp. 8-44.

literature

• Hans Schönberger : Obituary Hans-Günther Simon . In: Saalburg-Jahrbuch 46, pp. 152–153.