Dr. Speidel, born in 1963, teaches Greek and Roman history at several universities in Switzerland. He studied Ancient History (including epigraphy and papyrology), Egyptology, and General History at the Universities of Zürich, Heidelberg and Oxford. He previously held posts at the Universities of Lausanne, Bern and Cologne. He was awarded several grants and fellowships by the Swiss National Science Foundation, including a SNFS-Professorship in Ancient History in 2002. Dr. Speidel was a board member of the “Arbeitsgemeinschaft zur Provinzialrömischen Erforschung der Schweiz”, and is now on the board of the Zabern Series “Orbis Provinciarum”, as well as of the “Journal of Ancient Military History” and the “Revue des Etudes Militaires Anciennes”, as well as of other scientific book series on Ancient History and Archaeology.

His research topics focus primarily on the history and the documents of the Roman army from the Republic to Late Antiquity. In particular, this includes topics on the Roman army on the Rhine and Euphrates frontiers, on the soldiers’ service, pay and daily lives, on the Roman army’s role in cultural history and in the integration of the Empire, on the army and the empire’s economy, as well as epigraphic, numismatic and papyrological studies related to the Roman imperial army.

Dr. Speidel is currently responsible for the Roman Army Documents" and “Army and the Integration ” projects. He is also assisting in the “Roman army at Zeugma” and "Roman Army Equipment" projects.