Being over the hill, actually, I'm not afraid any longer of being called "old", Thiu. ;o)
Since I live in the area where once the Chatti settled - by the way, I grew up in the lands of the Cugerni and Ubii near the bank of the Rhine. All these things have touched me deeply.
During my university time (studying classics, literature and philosophy mainly) I kept a strong interest in the early history of the Germano-Roman relations and conflicts. And I ended up as a writer whose first novel deals with the battle of the Teutoburg Forest (although I do not describe it, I'm more interested in why it happened and what impact it had on people's lives - more).
Meanwhile I am sorting out my zillions of papers and going through dozens of books, I'm learning to be the head of a group in AW, hopefully, I will manage to really nurture and grow this group like the herbs and flowers in my garden. ;o)