Ausonius Prize: Professor Spickermann inspires with a moon trip!

Ausonius Prize: Professor Spickermann inspires with a moon trip!

Trier, Deutschland - On June 30, 2025, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Spickermann from the University of Graz awarded the renowned Ausonius Prize of the University of Trier. He receives this honor for his outstanding achievements in the areas of ancient religious history, epigraphy, social history and digital history. The price is endowed with 1,500 euros and goes back to the late antique teacher and poet Ausonius, who worked in Trier and is known for his work "Mosella". The Ausonius Prize has been awarded annually for special scientific work in classical philology or old history since 1998, as de.m.wikipedia.org

The award ceremony takes place at 6 p.m. C.T. in lecture hall 1 and is by Dean Prof. Dr. Uwe Jun opened. Prof. Dr. Christoph Schäfer will take over the presentation of the award winner. As part of the celebrations, Prof. Dr. Spickermann, entitled "Fantastic Travel to the Moon. Lukian from Samosata, as the first science fiction author", which offers an exciting insight into his research, such as Uni-trier.de reports on the event.

Scientific career and research focus

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Spickermann has established himself as a leading old historian in the course of his career. After his doctorate and habilitation at the University of Osnabrück, he had worked at the Max Weber-Kolleg in Erfurt since 2009. In 2013 he received a call to the University of Graz, where he heads the old history and epigraphy department. Spickermann is also a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

His research focuses on various aspects of Roman religious and social history, Latin epigraphy and the interactions between the state and the church in late antiquity. His significant contributions to the religious history of Roman Germania, especially for worship of the gods of women, are particularly remarkable. In addition, he is considered a pioneer in digital history and is a co -founder of the working group history and EDP (AGE). In his publication activity, he published five monographs as well as numerous essays and lexicon articles.

The importance of the Ausonius Prize

The Ausonius Prize stands out due to its focus on the recognition of important scientific contributions in the field of antiquity. Geded by the University of Trier, this award is particularly important for researchers who deal more intensely with classical philology and ancient history. In recent years, topics such as "Poverty and Social Model in late antiquity" and "Christians - citizens of another world" have been dealt with, which reflects the diversity of the topics treated. The award ceremony is always accompanied by a lecture by the award winner who presents a specific aspect of his research.

In this context, it is clear that the award of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Spickermann not only represents an individual appreciation, but also recognizes the important research contributions to the old history and the legacy of ancient cultures. The price supports the visibility of this discipline and promotes exchange about historical questions in today's world.