Scientist Wolfgang Spickermann receives the Ausonius Prize 2025!

Scientist Wolfgang Spickermann receives the Ausonius Prize 2025!

On June 30, 2025, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Spickermann, a renowned ancient historian from the University of Graz, was awarded the Ausonius Prize from the University of Trier. This honor recognizes his outstanding achievements in the areas of ancient religious history, epigraphy, social history and digital history. The prize has been awarded annually since 1998 and is endowed with 1,500 euros. It is named after the late antique teacher and poet Ausonius, who worked in Trier and is known for his work “Mosella”. uni-trier.de reported.

The awards ceremony begins at 6 p.m. c.t. in lecture hall 1 at the University of Trier. The welcome is given by the dean Prof. Dr. Uwe Jun, while Prof. Dr. Christoph Schäfer will introduce the award winner. A highlight of the evening is the keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Spickermann with the title “Fantastic journeys to the moon. Lucian of Samosata as the first science fiction author”.

Scientific career and research focus

After completing his doctorate and habilitation, Spickermann worked at the University of Osnabrück before being appointed to the Max Weber College in Erfurt in 2009. In 2013 he received a position at the University of Graz, where he has since headed the Department of Ancient History and Epigraphy. He is also a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and is considered a pioneer in the field of digital history. In this context, he was co-founder of the History and IT Working Group (AGE) and is responsible for digital media and scientific online tools.

In addition to Roman religious and social history, his research interests also include Latin epigraphy and the complex relationships between state and church during late antiquity. Spickermann made significant contributions to the religious history of Roman Germania, including the worship of women.

Publications and editorialship

Spickermann has published five monographs and written numerous essays and encyclopedia articles. He is the editor of standard works on topics such as the pagan and Christian religions, the Roman army and regional societies. He also directs the publication of the specialist journals “Keryx” and “Nikephoros” as well as the “Pharos” series and is responsible for the international graduate school “Resonant Self-World Relations in Ancient and Modern Socio-Religious Practices”.

The annual awarding of the Ausonius Prize reflects the high level of recognition that outstanding academic achievements in classical philology or ancient history receive. During the ceremony, the award winners traditionally give lectures on various topics that illustrate the breadth and depth of ancient studies. In the past, renowned scientists such as Peter Brown and Tanja Scheer have been awarded this prize de.m.wikipedia.org notes.

Through the award from Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Spickermann is not only honored for his personal contribution to ancient history, but also the University of Trier's ongoing commitment to promoting ancient studies is highlighted. The prize highlights the connections that ancient history has to both classical philology and disciplines such as classical archaeology, numismatics and religious history de.wikipedia.org determines.