Dr. Alfred M. Hirt, born in 1971, studied General and Ancient History as well as Ancient Near Eastern Cultures and Languages at the University of Bern, Switzerland. During this time he was employed as Tutor of Ancient History at the University of Bern. In 1999 he successfully completed his studies with a major treatise on the origins and the development of the Phoenician culture. As licentiatus phil. hist., he held the position of a teaching Assistant in Ancient History at the University of Bern.

In 2000, Dr. Hirt continued his studies in Ancient History at the University of Oxford where, in 2004, he successfully completed his DPhil project: 'Mines and Quarries in the Roman Empire. Administrative aspects 27BC - AD 235'. He has received grants and scholarships from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Janggen Poehn Foundation, St. Gallen, Switzerland, the Karmán Foundation, University of Bern, Switzerland, and from the Overseas Research Student Award, United Kingdom.

Dr. Alfred Hirt is the deputy director of the Mavors-Institute. He undertakes research for the projects Rome's Eastern Frontier, Roman Army Documents and the Army and Integration of the Mavors-Institute.