Birger Nerman | |
|---|---|
 Nerman in the 1920s | |
| Born | (1888-10-06)6 October 1888 Norrköping, Sweden |
| Died | 22 August 1971(1971-08-22) (aged 82) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Einar Nerman (twin brother) Ture Nerman (older brother) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater |
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| Academic work | |
| Discipline |
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| Institutions |
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| Main interests | Sweden and the easternBaltic in theIron Age |
Birger Nerman (6 October 1888 – 22 August 1971) was a Swedisharchaeologist, historian andphilologist who specialized in the history and culture ofIron Age Sweden.
Nerman was educated atUppsala University, where he began his career as a lecturer inNordic philology. He participated in archaeological excavations onStone Age and Iron Age Sweden, and became noted for his efforts to combine archaeological and philological evidence. Areas investigated by Nerman includeGamla Uppsala andGotland.
From 1923 to 1925, Nerman was professor of archaeology at theUniversity of Tartu, during which he made contributions to the development of archaeology in Estonia. In subsequent years, he conducted excavations atGrobiņa and other places, with the aim of investigating relations between Sweden and the easternBaltic in the Iron Age.
Nerman was director of theSwedish History Museum from 1938 to 1954, during which he organized several exhibitions on Swedish history. He was a Swedish nationalist who opposed bothNazism andCommunism, and a noted advocate for the independence of theBaltic states. Nerman was the author of several scholarly works on Iron Age archaeology, and popular works on the culture and history of early Sweden.
Birger Nerman was born inNorrköping, Sweden, on 6 October 1888.[1] He was the son of Janne Nerman, a bookseller, and Ida Nordberg.[2]
Nerman became a student inphilology atUppsala University in 1907, where he gained his doctorate in 1913 with a dissertation entitledSvärges hedna litteratur (Sweden's Pagan Literature), which was concerned with theYnglingatal.[2] Among his professors at Uppsala wereKnut Stjerna, who left a strong influence on him.[3] In studyingOld English andOld Norse literature, Nerman argued that works such asBeowulf contained traces from Swedish oral literature of theMigration Period. His dissertation was criticized by several philologists for its use ofarchaeological evidence. This criticism encouraged Nerman to focus more on archaeology rather than philology, although he throughout his remaining career would continue to advocate cooperation between the two disciplines.[1]
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Together with Stjerna and laterOscar Almgren, Nerman became increasingly involved in archaeological research on the SwedishStone Age andIron Age. By combining philological and archaeological evidence, Nerman sought to gain further insight into the history and culture of Iron Age Sweden. His work in this regard was positively received by many Swedish archaeologists, includingOscar Montelius, and philologists. He participated in excavations atGamla Uppsala,Vendel andAdelsö.[1] His excavations at Gamla Uppsala were carried out withSune Lindqvist.[3]
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From 1914, Nerman became increasingly involved with archaeological excavations inGotland and theBaltic states. The connection between these two areas during the Iron Age became a subject of great interest to him.[1] His publications on the archaeology of Iron Age Gotland, many of which were co-written with Almgren, became standard works on the subject.[1]
At Uppsala University, Nerman was appointed an assistant professor in 1917, and adocent in 1919.[2] During this time he lectured onNordic philology, with particular focus on thesagas. He gained afilosofie licentiat [sv] in prehistory in 1918.[1]
From 1923 to 1925, Nerman was Professor of Archaeology at theUniversity of Tartu, during which he laid the foundations for modern archaeology in Estonia.[2] His years at Tartu would prove instrumental for his future scholarship. He conducted archaeological research atIzborsk, Estonia, in 1924.[1]
Combined with his duties at the university, Nerman wrote a number of works on Swedish history intended for a popular audience. InEn utvandring från Gotland och öns införlivande med Sveaväldet (1923) andDet svenska rikets uppkomst (1925), he argued that theSwedes had a powerful state and engaged in extensive colonizing ventures in the easternBaltic as early as theVendel Period.[1] Nerman was a Swedish nationalist, and several of his works should be understood not only as scholarly contributions, but also as manifestations of Nerman's patriotism.[3]
In 1929–1930, Nerman led excavations atGrobiņa, Latvia.[1] The results of the excavations were published inDie Verbindungen zwischen Skandinavien und dem Ostbaltikum in der jüngeren Eisenzeit (1929).[1] He believed that Grobiņa had been founded as a Swedish/Gotlandic colony, and that it was identical to the town of Seeburg mentioned byRimbert inVita Ansgarii.[1] Scandinavian burials examined by Nerman at Grobiņa have been dated to as early as 650 AD, and thus predate the Viking Age.[4] The finds at Grobiņa encouraged Nerman to conduct further research atApuolė andWiskiauten in 1931.[1]
After his return from Tartu, Nerman worked for theSwedish History Museum, serving as its director from 1938 to 1954. He supervised the renovation of the museum building, and organized a number of successful exhibitions. Nerman spent much efforts at making the collections at the museum as accessible to the public as possible. He combined his duties at the museum with engagements as an author and public speaker.[1]
Nerman was active in organizations working towards the preservation of Sweden's national heritage, serving as the secretary (1929–1939) and chairman (1939–1969) of theSwedish Antiquarian Society [sv]. From his days as a university professor in Estonia, he held a fondness for the Baltic states and its peoples. He played a leading role in establishing theBaltic Institute [sv], and was the founding Chairman of theBaltic Committee [sv]. Nerman was an advocate for the independence of the Baltic states and rights ofBalts andEstonians.[1] DuringWorld War II, he was a member ofanti-Nazi andanti-communist organizations.[3]
Nerman retired from the Swedish History Museum in 1954. After his retirement, he continued to author works on Swedish archaeology.[1]
Nerman married Zelma Nerman on 21 January 1932.[1] He died inStockholm on 22 August 1971.[1] Nerman was survived by two daughters and several grandchildren.[5]
