Old history works on the market
Dr. Stefan von der Lahr was a guest on "SAmstags um 12".
Ancient history is boring? Not when it is taught by Dr. Stefan von der Lahr. The ancient historian spent over 30 years as a lecturer in ancient studies at the Munich-based publishing house Beck Verlag. The now 68-year-old is also a successful author. His crime novels are based on ancient historical models. He wrote the non-fiction book "Die verdammt blutige Geschichte der Antike ohne den ganzen langweiligen Kram" (The bloody history of antiquity without all the boring stuff) together with Oldenburg historian Prof. Dr. Michael Sommer - von der Lahr is an expert on Greek history, Sommer on Roman history.
The language of the book can be described as pointedly hearty. In this way, the author duo hopes to inspire young readers in particular for the ancient world. Von der Lahr: "At universities, smaller subjects are increasingly being cleared out." This often includes ancient studies. At school, antiquity is covered by the end of the 6th grade and disappears from memory and interest. The number of people interested in antiquity is dwindling as a result. Nevertheless, people can still be inspired by the subject. His position (von der Lahr has been retired for two years) at the Beck publishing house has been filled again: "It works on the market. But you have to present the story with a low-threshold approach." The unconventional writing style proved popular at the reading as part of the "Saturdays at 12" format. The content of the "bloody story" was often harrowing in terms of human suffering, murder and death.
Stefan von der Lahr guided the audience through selected periods of history. From Alexander the Great, whom the authors describe as a "mass murderer" and who, according to the author, thought he was a god, to Cicero and Tiberius, all the way to Troy.
The 50 or so guests at "Saturdays at 12" were enthusiastic about the reading and the author. The reading was followed by a lively discussion about times of violence, the prerequisites for security and, above all, the morals of the respective elites.