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AUTHOR’S PREFACE TO THE
ORIGINAL GERMAN EDITION
Räuber, Rebellen, Rivalen, Rächer
This work was successfully submitted as a Habilitationsdissertation to the
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the Gerhard-Mercator University, Duisburg,
during Winter Semester 1997/98. The text has been slightly revised
for publication in order to accommodate comments made by examiners.
Numerous colleagues and friends have helped towards the completion of
my ‘bandit studies’, and I would like to thank them warmly here. In pride of
place is Leonhard Schumacher, Mainz, who has actively supported me throughout
my professional career and taken great interest in my progress. During
his time at Duisburg he encouraged me in my pursuit of Roman latrones and
did much to further my work through his many references to sources and
publications and his frequent discussions with me on methodological issues.
His successor in the chair of Ancient History at Duisburg, Rupprecht Ziegler,
took a keen interest in my dissertation as it neared its completion and
likewise helped me in any way he could. I owe further thanks to Leonhard
Schumacher and Rupprecht Ziegler, together with Peter Herz, Regensburg,
for their examiners’ reports. These, through their searching criticism, have
helped to remove a number of imprecisions in the content of my text.
I owe deep thanks to Heinz Bellen, Mainz, for his keen interest in the progress
of my research, and for enabling me to publish its results in the series
‘Forschungen zur Antiken Sklaverei’. I extend this thanks to members of the
Research Group on Ancient Slavery at the Mainz Academy of Sciences and
Literature, working under him. My research profited immensely from the
fruitful conversations I was able to have with members of this circle about
my dissertation, and from the help they gave me in respect of sources and
references to publications.
I was able to discuss particular points and general issues of methodology
and approach with Frank Bernstein (Mainz), Helga Scholten, Barbara Fink
and Eckehart Stöve (Duisburg), Anton van Hooff (Nijmegen) and my wife.
These also read my draft, in whole or in part, and through their astute questioning
and advice helped greatly to improve its quality. Thomas Wrobel,
Manfred Körfer and Sabine Miethe read the proofs and kept a sharp eye on
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