Herwig Wolfram was born inVienna, Austria on 14 February 1934.[1] He studied history andLatin at theUniversity of Vienna since 1952, gaining aPh.D. there in 1957. He subsequently served as University Assistant at the Institute of History at the University of Vienna (1959–1961) and theInstitute of Austrian Historical Research [de] (1962–1969). Wolfram gained hishabilitation at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Vienna in 1966.[2]
Wolfram is a leading figure in theVienna School of History.[3] His bookHistory of the Goths (1979) has been translated into a number of languages and been published in several completely revised editions. It is considered the standard work on theGoths, and a work of large importance to the study ofGermanic peoples in general.[3][4][5][6][7] In the more recent editions of this work, Wolfram has adopted some of the controversial theories ofWalter Goffart.[6][8] Wolfram and Heather's books on the Goths are considered the foremost studies on the subject.[9]
^ab"Wolfram, Herwig".Das österreichische Kulturinformationssystem. Retrieved3 October 2020 – viaGale.
^abGoffart 2006, p. 58. "Herwig Wolfram, whose writings and teaching in Vienna have dominated Gothic history since the 1970s..."
^Brown 1990, p. 82. "[I]t has established itself since its publication in 1979 as the standard survey..."
^Fanning 1990, pp. 104–106. "[T]his is a major work... among the most significant recent contributions to the history of the early Middle Ages... [T]he weight of Wolfram's scholarship makes it mandatory to consult this brilliant study for virtually any matter of Gothic or Gotho-Roman history."
^abCroke 1991, pp. 183–184. "By now Wolfram's History of the Goths requires no explanation or comment. It has already established itself as a classic... Wolfram has [however] absorbed, perhaps too uncritically, the controversial thesis of Walter Goffart..."
^Schutz 1990, p. 1174. "This detailed history of the Goths establishes itself as the definitive treatment of the subject..."
^Heather 1989, p. 256. "One major change between the second German edition and this translation is W.'s adoption... after previous resistance... of W. Goffart's theories concerning the economic integration of 'barbarians' into the Roman Empire. This is a controversial question, and in coming down heavily on one side of the debate without further argument, W. leaves himself open to criticism from the wide group of scholars who remain unconvinced.
^Murdoch 2004, p. 166. "The best modern general history in English is Peter Heather’sThe Goths... The standard German text is Herwig Wolfram’sDie Goten..."
Croke, Brian (December 1991). "Wolfram, Herwig, History of the Goths".Parergon.9 (2). Australian and New Zealand Association of Medieval and Early Modern Studies:183–184.doi:10.1353/pgn.1991.0069.S2CID144328249.
