x | PREFATORy NOTE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Otherwise, Before and after Muhammad was conceived and written in the
uniquely favorable environment provided by the Department of Greek and
Roman Antiquity at the Institute of Historical Research, National Research
Foundation, Athens, and in particular by Anna Mihailidou (Acting Direc-
tor) and Harikleia Papageorgiadou (Head of Department), who sacrificed
time and energ y to protecting their colleagues from the worst effects of the
Greek economic collapse. The book was completed in the winter of 2012–
13, when I was fortunate to be a fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin,
and finally caught up with many publications not available in Greece.
Among those who have read part or all of this book, or otherwise assisted
at its birth, the following deserve special thanks: Nadia Ali, Aziz al- Azmeh,
Kamal Boullata, Hariclia Brecoulaki, Peter Brown, Elizabeth Key Fowden,
Luca Giuliani, Anthony Kaldellis, Myrto Malouta, and Walter Pohl. I also
thank all those who organized ( Johann Arnason, Bo Stråth) and took part in
the meeting on “The European foundation myth: A critical assessment and a
relativisation of the European origo,” which was convened at the University
of Helsinki in May 2011 in order to discuss the Before and After Muham-
mad/First Millennium project.
Finally, I thank Elizabeth and Gabriel for the good humor and solidarity
that have kept us going through the last three and a half difficult years of
crisis in Greece and temporary departure.
Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin
30th January 2013