Gerhard Wirth

Gerhard Wirth (born December 9, 1926 in Hüttung , Upper Franconia ) is a German ancient historian .

life and work

Gerhard Wirth studied Ancient History and Classical Philology at the universities of Frankfurt am Main and Erlangen from 1946 after his deployment in World War II . After graduating as Dr. phil. in Frankfurt (December 13, 1950) he worked as a grammar school teacher and from 1960 took on a teaching position at the University of Erlangen. From 1966 he was a full-time university lecturer and completed his habilitation in 1968. Later he was appointed Scientific Councilor and Professor at the University of Erlangen. In 1979 he accepted a professorship for Ancient History at the University of Bonn , where he worked until his retirement in 1992. Among other things, Wirth is a corresponding member of the German Archaeological Institute (since 1984) and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (elected on May 14, 1991).

His research focus is the 4th century BC. BC, in which the Classical Age of Greece ended and Hellenism began. Wirth has published numerous papers on Alexander the Great , along with several essays and a general study, as well as a popular short biography. He also presented an authoritative biography of Alexander's father Philip II (1985). The second focus is on late antiquity , especially the migration period . In addition, Wirth was involved in the creation of several editions and translations of ancient historical works (including Arrian , Diodor and Ammianus Marcellinus ).

Fonts (selection)

• Studies on the history of Alexander by Ptolemy of Egypt. 1950 (Frankfurt am Main, University, dissertation, dated December 13, 1950, typed (German, see RE XXIII, 1959, 2457)).
• as translator: Cornelius Nepos: Famous Men. (Biographies of important Greeks and Romans) (= Goldmann's yellow paperbacks. 798, ZDB -ID 595447-2 ). Translated, introduced and explained. Goldmann, Munich 1962 (several editions).
• as editor: Procopii Caesariensis Opera omnia. Recognovit Jacobus Haury. Editio stereotypa correctior. 4 volumes. Teubner, Leipzig 1962–1964.
• as editor: Greek poetry. From the beginnings to Pindar (= Rowohlt's classics of literature and science. 140/141/142 = Rowohlt's classics of literature and science. Greek literature. 6). With an essay, bibliography and notes. Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1963.
• as editor and editor: Horace: Episteln (= Rowohlt's classics of literature and science. 144/145/146, ZDB -ID 256548-1 ). Latin and German. Translated and explained by CM Wieland . Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1963.
• as translator and editor: Caesar u. a .: The civil wars. The history of the war against Pompey in Alexandria, in Africa, in Spain (= Rowohlt's classics of literature and science. 179/180). Translated and published with explanations. Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1966.
• as editor: Cicero: Briefe (= Goldmann's yellow paperbacks. 1951/1952). Translated by KLF Mezger. Goldmann, Munich 1967.
• as editor: Flavii Arriani quae exstant omnia. Edidit AG Roos . Editio stereotypa correctior. 2 volumes (Vol. 1: Alexandri Anabasis. Vol. 2: Scripta minora et fragmenta. ). Teubner, Leipzig 1967–1968.
• Alexander the Great in personal testimonies and image documents (= Rowohlt's monographs. 203). Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1973, ISBN 3-499-50203-8 (numerous editions).
• Introduction and explanations to: Ammianus Marcellinus: The Roman Empire before the fall. All preserved books. Translated by Otto Veh . Artemis-Verlag, Zurich a. a. 1974, ISBN 3-7608-3514-7 .
• Epilogue and commentary on: Caesar: The Gallic War (= Ein Goldmann paperback. 7507). Transferred and explained by Viktor Stegemann . Goldmann, Munich 1978, ISBN 3-442-07507-6 .
• as editor: Perikles und seine Zeit (= ways of research . Vol. 412). Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1979, ISBN 3-534-06377-5 .
• as editor: Barthold Georg Niebuhr, historian and statesman (= Bonn historical research. Vol. 52). Lectures at the colloquium held in Bonn on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his death, November 10-12, 1981. Röhrscheid, Bonn 1984, ISBN 3-7928-0465-4 (therein p. 405 ff .: Niebuhr in Bonn. ).
• Introduction to: Cassius Dio: Roman History. Translated by Otto Veh. 5 volumes. Artemis-Verlag, Zurich a. a. 1985-1987.
• Studies on the history of Alexander. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1985, ISBN 3-534-08978-2 .
• Philip II. (= History of Macedonia. Vol. 1 = Kohlhammer-Urban-Taschenbücher. Vol. 369). Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1985, ISBN 3-17-008820-3 .
• as editor and translator with Oskar von Hinüber : Arrian. The Alexanderzug. Greek and German. Artemis-Verlag, Munich a. a. 1985, ISBN 3-7608-1649-5 .
• The Proteas Task Force. Speculation on the circumstances surrounding Alexander's career. Hakkert, Amsterdam 1989, ISBN 90-256-0960-0 .
• Diodorus and the end of Hellenism. Conjectures about an almost unknown historian (= Austrian Academy of Sciences. Philosophical-Historical Class. Meeting reports. Vol. 600). Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-7001-1998-4 .
• The way into oblivion. On the fate of the ancient picture of Alexander (= Austrian Academy of Sciences. Philosophical-Historical Class. Meeting reports. Vol. 605). Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-7001-2093-1 .
• The Persepolis fire. Conclusions on the history of Alexander the great. Hakkert, Amsterdam 1993, ISBN 90-256-998-0 .
• as editor: Cornelius Nepos. Latin - German. Hakkert, Amsterdam 1994, ISBN 90-256-1009-9 .
• Regression. To the required deditio of 190 and the difficulties of the Roman-Aitolian relationship (= Austrian Academy of Sciences. Philosophical-Historical Class. Meeting reports. Vol. 627). Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1995, ISBN 3-7001-2218-7 .
• Hypereides, Lycurgus and the autonomia of the Athenians. An attempt to understand some speeches from the Alexander period (= Austrian Academy of Sciences. Philosophical-Historical Class. Meeting reports. Vol. 666). Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1999, ISBN 3-7001-2845-2 .
• Attila. The Huns and Europe (= Kohlhammer-Urban pocket books. 467). Kohlhammer, Stuttgart a. a. 1999, ISBN 3-17-014232-1 .
• The Great Migration. In: The time, world and cultural history. Volume 5: Late Antiquity and the Migration Period. Zeitverlag Bucerius, Hamburg 2006, ISBN 3-411-17595-8 .
• Catastrophe and hope for the future. Conjectures about the second half of Diodor's library and its lost books (= Austrian Academy of Sciences. Philosophical-Historical Class. Meeting reports. Vol. 750). Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-7001-3723-8 .

literature

• Gerhard Wirth. In: Almanac of the Austrian Academy of Sciences for the year 1990/91. 141st year, Vienna 1991, pp. 101-102.
• Wolfgang Will with the collaboration of Johannes Heinrichs (Ed.): To Alexander d. Size Festschrift G. Wirth for his 60th birthday on December 9, 1986. 2 volumes. Hakkert, Amsterdam 1987, ISBN 90-256-0933-3 .
• Rüdiger Kinsky (Ed.): Openness and Interest. Studies on the 65th birthday of Gerhard Wirth. Hakkert, Amsterdam 1993, ISBN 90-256-1029-3 .
• Rüdiger Kinsky (Ed.): Diorthoseis. Contributions to the history of Hellenism and the afterlife of Alexander the great (= contributions to antiquity . Vol. 183). Saur, Munich a. a. 2004, ISBN 3-598-77735-3 .
• Vasile Lica with the assistance of Decebal Nedu (ed.): Philia. Festschrift for Gerhard Wirth's 80th birthday on December 9, 2006, presented by his students, friends and colleagues (= Historia antiqua Galatiensis. Vol. 2). Academica-Verlag, Galati 2006, ISBN 973-8937-13-2 .
• Michael Rathmann (ed.): Studies on ancient historiography (= Antiquitas . Series 1: Treatises on ancient history. Vol. 55). Habelt, Bonn 2009, ISBN 978-3-7749-3498-6 .

Web links

• Literature by and about Gerhard Wirth in the catalog of the German National Library