No photo of Fritz Mitthof
1992 …2024

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Curriculum vitae

Born 1964 in Stuttgart (Germany)

1985-1996 Studies of Ancient History, Medieval and Early Modern History and Philosophy at the Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg

1996 Promotion (University of Heidelberg); supervisors: Géza Alföldy, Dieter Hagedorn

1997 Distinction Award (University of Heidelberg): „Ruprecht-Karls-Preis“

1997-1998 University Assistant at the Institute of Ancient History, Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena (Head: Walter Ameling)

1998-2008 Post-doctoral Assistant (Ancient History and Papyrology) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna (Head: Gerhard Thür)

2004 Habilitation (University of Vienna)

2008 Professor of Roman History, Epigraphy and Antiquity Studies (University of Vienna)

2015 Dr. h.c. Babeș-Bolyai-University (Universitatea Babeș Bolyai) Cluj-Napoca

2017 Corresponding member in Austria of the Division of Humanities and the Social Sciences of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW)

2018 Dr. h.c. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

 

Project Leader

FWF P 23975 From treasure hunt to archaeology: The Rediscovery of the Dacian Capital Sarmizegetusa Regia in 1803-1805 (11/2011-10/2016)

FWF P 27781 Documentary Fayumic Papyri in Vienna – Reedition of Texts from CPR II and IV (09/2015-08/2018)

FWF P 28112 Scythica Vindobonensia (08/2015-07/2018)

FWF I 4674 From the Nile to the Caucasus (09/2020-08/2024)

Research interests

The focus of my research activities is the history of the Roman Empire and Late Antiquity (1st-7th c. AD), especially political history and the history of events, as well as questions of administrative, social, economic and cultural history and of the history of mentalities, with special attention paid to inscriptions and papyri, but also to literary, numismatic and archaeological sources. In my research three large groups of topics stand centre stage, which I have established at our Institute since my appointment in October 2008, and which at the same time at least partially continue or revive Viennese traditions:

Basic research spanning the full range of the evidence in the area of original primary sources (inscriptions, papyri, ostraca etc.) written in Latin and Greek: many of my works consist of the edition or re-edition, as well as of the historical and textual classification of and commenting upon written primary sources or are based upon such sources or take these as starting points for further examinations. In this, those studies are particularly important which aim to collect together and analyse all testimonies on a particular topic and the objective of which in this is to show the existence of general structures or mechanisms. In addition, a comprehensive approach to the evidence, which brings together various different types of sources, proves to be particularly fruitful.

History of the Roman Empire and Late Antiquity from the 1st to the 7th c. AD: the second main area of my research includes thematic studies of a comprehensive and fundamental character on the history of the Imperium Romanum. Here the main focus of my research in recent years has been aspects of the history of ideas and mentalities.

History of the region of the Danube and the Balkans in the Roman period (2nd c. BC-7th c. AD):In order to establish this third focus of my research, which currently lies on Romania, the Dacians and Roman Dacia, but in future should be extended to other areas of south-east Europe, I have pursued a tripartite strategy. First, I organised two international conferences on the topics “Dacians and Dacianism” and “Columna Traiani – Trajan’s Column”. Secondly, I successfully applied for the FWF-Projekt P 23975-G21 with the title “k. Schatz- und Altertümergrabung in Grădiştea de Munte 1803-1805” (“Imperial and royal excavations for treasures and antiquities in Grădiştea de Munte 1803-1805”). Thirdly, I am joint editor with Oliver Schmitt, a Vienna-based historian of south-east Europe, of the first volume of the six-volume work “Handbuch der Geschichte Südosteuropas” (Handbook of South-East European History), supported by the Südost-Institut Regensburg (I am also author of a chapter in the same volume). The first volume is entitled “Power and Politics: The Pre-Modern Age” and discusses the period from Antiquity to 1800.

Administrative duties

Oct. 2009 - Sept. 2014 Head of Department

Oct. 2010 - Seot. 2017 Spokesman for the Council of Professors of the Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies

Dec. 2019 – Head of Department

Memberships

Corresponding member in Austria of the Division of Humanities and the Social Sciences of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW)

Mommsen-Gesellschaft (Mommsen Society)

AIEGL (Association Internationale d’Épigraphie Grecque et Latine)

AIP (Association Internationale de Papyrologues)

dArV (Deutscher Archäologenverband)

Österreichisch-Rumänische Gesellschaft (Societatea Austro-Română)

Eranos Vindobonensis (june 2014-june 2016 Vicepresident, june 2018 President)

Verein zur Förderung der Christlichen Archäologie Österreichs

Organisation of academic events

Erstes Internationales Wiener Kolloquium zur antiken Rechtsgeschichte: „Vergeben und Vergessen? Amnestie in der Antike“, Wien, 27.-28. Okt. 2008 (in collaboration with Kaja Harter-Uibopuu, ÖAW-KAR)

Dacians and Dacianism: Sources and Discourses from Antiquity to Modern Times, Wien, 13.–15. Mai 2011 (in collaboration with Dr. Meinolf Arens, Institut für Minderheiten und Regionalismus, München)

Columna Traiani - Trajanssäule: Siegesmonument und Kriegsbericht in Bildern.
Internationale Tagung anläßlich des 1900. Jahrestages ihrer Einweihung Wien, 9.-12. Mai 2013 (in collaboration with Prof. Günther Schörner, Institut für Klassische Archäologie)

2000 Jahre Augustus: Wirken und Vermächtnis, Wien, 24.-27.9.2014 (in collaboration with Prof. Reinhard Wolters, Institut für Numismatik und Geldgeschichte)

3rd International Conference on the Roman Danubian Provinces, Vienna, 11th-14th Nov. 2015 (in collaboration with Prof. Livio Zerbini, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Director "Laboratorio di studi e ricerche sulle Antiche province Danubiane"): https://crdp3.univie.ac.at/de/home/

Empire in Crisis:Gothic Invasions and Roman Historiography, Vienna, 3rd-6th May 2017, http://altegeschichte.univie.ac.at/forschung/kongresse-und-tagungen/kongress-tagungsarchiv/kongresse-und-tagungen-2017/international-conference-empire-in-crisis-gothic-invasions-and-roman-historiography-3rd-6th-may-2017/

XVth International Congress of Greek and Latin Epigraphy, Vienna, 28.8.-1.9.2017 https://epicongr2017.univie.ac.at/en/home

Teaching

Dissertations

Sänger, Patrick, Veteranen unter den Severern und frühen Soldatenkaisern: Die Dokumentensammlungen der Veteranen Aelius Sarapammon und Aelius Syrion (completed 2009, published 2011)

Kovarik, Sophie, Das spätantike Notariat: Kanzleipraxis des 4.-8. Jh. u.Z. am Beispiel der griechischen Papyrusdokumente aus dem mittelägyptischen Gau „Arsinoites“ (completed 2014)

Sänger-Böhm, Kerstin, Die öffentliche Stellung und politische Funktion der Frauen des römischen Kaiserhauses im Spiegel der epigraphischen Überlieferung (1.–2. Jh. n. Chr.) (completed 2015)

Haarmann, Daniela, Sammeln und Graben für Herrscher und Vaterland – Archäologie, Antiquarianismus und Altertumskunde in der Habsburgermonarchie um 1800 (DOC-Stipendiatin 2015-2018) (completed 2018)

Maurer, Karin, Demosia erga: Öffentliche Bautätigkeit im römischen Ägypten (completed 2020)

Cenati, Chiara, Miles in urbe: Soldiers from the Danube-Balkan region in the city of Rome from Septimius Severus to Constantine (AD 193-312) (PraeDoc Ass. 2014-2018) (completed 2020)

Rafetseder, Niklas, Lex coloniae - lex municipii: Die römische Stadtgesetzgebung in Republik und Kaiserzeit (completed 2021) 

Pantzer, Theresia, Die proconsules Asiae (68/69-192/193 n.Chr.) (ongoing)
 
Dumitru, Victor, Die „k. Schatz- und Alterthümergrabung“ im siebenbürgischen Gradiştea Muncelului (= Sarmizegetusa Regia) unter Kaiser Franz II./I. (ongoing)

Lappé, Kira, Gothic invasions and the Roman army (FWF project-coworker, 2015-2018) (ongoing)

Dellantonio, Diana, Die Frühgeschichte Roms aus der Perspektive der spätantiken Geschichtsschreiber (2.-7. Jh. n. Chr.) (ongoing)

Diploma / Master theses

Pantzer, Theresia, Legati Augusti ad census accipiendos: die senatorischen Zensusbeamten des 1. bis 3. Jhs. n. Chr. nach den epigraphischen Zeugnissen (completed 2006)

Böhm (= Sänger-Böhm), Kerstin, Die Chartera und andere Geldsteuern im römischen Ägypten (completed 2007)

Scheriau, Alexandra, Fulvia - Leben, Wirken und Diffamierung einer römischen Politikerin (completed 2009)

Zehetner, Stefan, Der Signifer: Stellung und Aufgaben in der kaiserzeitlichen Armee (completed 2009)

Dumitru, Victor, Die dakischen Könige von Burebista bis Decebal (completed 2010)

Krenn, Katharina, A pugione: Bedeutung und Symbolgehalt eines kaiserzeitlichen Hofamtes (completed 2011, published 2012)

Uebel, Katharina, Boudicca - Verlauf und Hintergrund einer Rebellion gegen die römische Herrschaft und ihre Darstellung in den Quellen (completed 2012)

Fleischhacker, Johann, Imperator, Caesar und Dominus noster: zur Entwicklung der römischen Kaisertitulatur im 4. Jh. u. Z. nach den Münzen und lateinischen Inschriften (completed 2012)

Maurer, Karin, Der Pontarch des westpontischen Koinons (completed 2012, published 2014)

Bruna, Elisabeth: Tiberius zwischen literarischer Figur und historischer Gestalt (completed 2013)

High, Adrian, Mehrsprachigkeit im römischen Südosteuropa: Eine soziolinguistische Analyse der Sprachwahl in der westpontischen Stadt Histria (completed 2013)

Lappé, Kira, "trans danuvium in expeditionem": Untersuchungen zum Papyrus BMP 2851 (completed 2013)

Rafetseder, Niklas, Magistratswahlen in der frühen Kaiserzeit: Rom und die Kolonien bzw. Munizipien im Vergleich (concluded 2015)Vallant, Christoph, Die Gärten der Luculli. Roms erste Palastanlage - Geschichte, Architektur, Bbedeutung, zum Forschungsstand (completed 2016)

Vallant, Christoph, Die Gärten der Luculli. Roms erste Palastanlage - Geschichte, Architektur, Bbedeutung, zum Forschungsstand (completed 2016)

Marx, Alexander, „Und ein Schwert wird vom Himmel fallen“: Eschatologie, Prophetie und Gewalt in Laktanz Divinae Institutiones (completed 2016)

Riegler, Nadine Franziska, Konstantin, deus und divinitas (completed 2017)

Renner, Raphael, Darstellungen der Daker und Römer in den rumänischen Geschichtslehrbüchern von 1942 bis 2010 (completed 2018)

Numrich, Moritz, Der handelnde Kaiser – Nomina agentis in der römischen Kaisertitutlatur. Eine Studie zu den Titeln propagator imperii und pacator orbis (completed 2019)

Bartl, Thomas, Die Antoninische Pest aus paläopathologischer Sicht (completed 2021)

Czeitschner, René, Historischer Tatsachenbericht oder narratives Konstrukt? Die römischen Parther- und Perserfeldzüge des 2.-4. Jahrhunderts n. Chr. in der Darstellung zeitgenössischer und spätantiker Autoren (completed 2021)

Tomko, Zoltan, Illyrer und Illyricum bei Herodian (completed 2022)

Streicher, Magdalena, Strafklauseln in lateinischen Grabinschriften der römischen Kaiserzeit (ongoing)

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or