National-Socialist Archaeology in Europe and its Legacies

This edited volume is dedicated to national-socialist archaeology as a Europe-wide phenomenon. It analyses national-socialist attempts to denationalize the archaeologies of European nations by creating a new unifying European archaeology on a racial basis. From the beginning of the nineteenth century, archaeology began to develop into an important force behind processes of nation building. At the same time, structures of transnational academic collaboration contributed strongly to the internal dynamics of the research field, which was primarily organized on a national basis. In those European countries that were confronted with national-socialist occupation and repression between 1939 and 1945, these transnational archaeological networks were to prove crucial for the development of national-socialist archaeological policies. This volume will reveal how national-socialist archaeology was to an extent valued positively in its time as highly innovative, even influencing the archaeology of non-occupied countries. Although in the final instance, it generally failed to displace the national archaeologies in Europe, the volume also analyses the long-term impact of national-socialist rule on the development of European archaeology. How did the attempts to create a unified European archaeology after 1945 continue to influence networks, methods and terminologies, institutional structures, or popular representations of the early past? Contents Editors and Contributors About the Editors Contributors Chapter 1: Introduction: National Socialist Archaeology in Europe and Its Legacies Introduction: Engaging with National Socialist Archaeology Contexts: The Historiography of National Socialist Archaeology Background and Aims: Exploring National Socialist Archaeologies of Europe Some General Considerations: National Socialist Ideologies, Archaeologies, and Europe A First Integrated Overview of National Socialist Archaeology in Europe European Archaeology and the Legacies of National Socialist Archaeology References Chapter 2: Prehistoric Archaeology in Germany and National Socialism Introduction Origins and Preconditions 1933 and Its Consequences Prehistorians at War Legacies Archival Sources References Chapter 3: Archaeology in Austria During the Nazi Era Introduction Political Background Museums Federal Museums Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) Naturhistorisches Museum (NHM) State Museums Local Museums Associations and Societies Universities University of Vienna: Classical Archaeology and Ancient History University of Vienna: Pre- and Early History University of Graz: Classical Archaeology, Ancient History and Roman Antiquities University of Graz: Prehistoric and Provincial Roman Archaeology University of Graz: Institute for Carinthian Provincial Research University of Innsbruck: Classical Archaeology, Ancient History and Epigraphy University of Innsbruck: Pre- and Early History Research Institutes Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI) Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) Monument Office Conclusion References Chapter 4: National Socialist Archaeology in Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia Introduction Archaeology in Czechoslovakia Before World War II The Situation Under the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia: Museums The Situation Under the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia: Archaeological Investigation Developments in Slovakia Conclusion References Chapter 5: Poland Reborn: The Ethnic Origin of Past Societies and Contemporary Land Affiliation – Polish and German Prehistorians During the Twentieth Century Introduction The Beginnings Interbellum World War II Impact of the War Concluding Remarks References Chapter 6: Dreams of Germanic Unity: The Desire for Scandinavia and the Use of Archaeology Introduction Norwegian Archaeology During the Occupation: German Claims to Power and Incessant Resistance from Local Prehistorians Karl Kersten as Safeguard of Danish Prehistory No Complete Breakdown of Contacts with Swedish Colleagues Finnish Archaeologists Resist Pro-Nazi Direction in Academic Life Difficult Post War Period Archival Sources References Chapter 7: Dangerous Liaisons of a Nazi Sort: A Failed Icelandic Expedition and the Legacy of Bruno Schweizer Introduction The Case of Bruno Schweizer An Icelandic Expedition Legacies Fellow Travellers and Opportunists Postscript References Chapter 8: National Socialist Archaeology in the Low Countries Introduction Nazi Rule in the Low Countries Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology in the Low Countries and the National Socialist Archaeology of the Pre-War Years National Socialist Archaeological Interventions in the Low Countries in the War Years Concluding Remarks References Chapter 9: National Socialist Archaeology and France Pre-war Contacts with French Research The Allure of National Socialist Ideology: Vaufrey and Thomasset 1940 to 1944: The Germanisation of Alsace-Moselle Research Programs in Occupied France Programs of the Römische-Germanische Kommission (RGK) and the DAI Research Projects of the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) The Ahnenerbe and the Reinerth-Jankuhn Conflict After 1945 Collaborators? What Collaborators? German Archaeologists and French Research What French Scholars Inherited from German National Socialist Archaeology References Chapter 10: National Socialist Archaeology in Serbia: Power and Ideology at the “Völkerstrasse” Introduction Context of the 1930s Connecting the Dots “Kunst und Denkmalschutz” in Serbia The Evolution of Ahnenerbe’s Activities in Serbia 1942–1944 Education as Upbringing “Die Zeit wird wissenschaftlich weiter ausgenützt werden” Archival Sources References Chapter 11: “Unrestricted Research Opportunities” with “Unpleasant Surprises” – German Archaeologists in Greece During the National Socialist Era Introduction Relations Between German and Greek Archaeologists Before World War Two: The Situation After the Seizure of Power The 1930s: Support Programmes for Greek Students and Academics Emigrants in Greece The Consequences of the War for Archaeological Research in Greece Historical Overview The Impressions of Foreign Visitors to Greece Archaeological Activities During the Occupation – Plans and Preparations The Archaeological Legacy: Results and Consequences of the Occupation of Greece References Chapter 12: The Kunstschutz in World War II Occupied Crete Introduction Heritage in War-Time: Ideological Background and Recruitment of Archaeologists in the Kunstschutz Inspections and Excavations by Kunstschutz Officials in the Period from 1941 to 1942 Concluding Remarks References Chapter 13: Lithuanian Archaeology During the National Socialist Occupation Introduction Main Archaeologist of Lithuania Excavations, an Exhibition, and Publications Young Archaeologists Conclusions Archival Sources References Chapter 14: The Struggle to Survive and Work: Archaeology in Latvia During the German Occupation (1941–1945) Introduction The State of Archaeology Until the German Occupation of Latvia Archaeology in German Occupied Latvia Post-Nazi Period Epilogue Archival Sources References Chapter 15: Between the Rock and a Hard Place: Estonian Archaeology at the Times of National, Socialist, and National Socialist Ideologies Introduction Adverse Winds of Change: The First Soviet Occupation (Summer 1940 – Summer 1941) Blitzkrieg Bop: The Years of German Occupation (Summer 1941 – Autumn 1944) The Instrumentalisation of Estonian Archaeology During the Times of National, Socialist, and National Socialist Ideologies: Concluding Remarks Archival Sources References Chapter 16: Archaeology in Ukraine During World War II The History of Ukrainian Archaeology Before 1941 German-Ukrainian Relations Before World War II Ukraine Under German Occupation Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce (ERR) Ahnenerbe German-Ukrainian Relations After World War II Conclusion References Chapter 17: Interactions Between British Archaeologists and National Socialism: Pragmatism, Neutrality, Opposition and Compromise Introduction Archaeology in Britain Between the Wars Archaeology and the Nation in Britain The Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei/Auslands-Organisation, Britain’s German Minority and Archaeologists British Archaeologists and Germany Archaeology Between the Wars: Admiration, Friendship and Advocacy Opposition to National Socialist Archaeology and Ideology: Debates About ‘Scientific Racism’, Aryanism and British Archaeology Between the Wars Political Neutrality and Pragmatism in the British Archaeological Community Between the Wars German Refugees and British Archaeology Britain and Germany at War: Transnationalism, Internationalism and Patriotism Post-war and Post-colonialism: Rebuilding the European and International Archaeological Community Conclusion Archival Sources References Chapter 18: Adolf Mahr: What Was His Impact and What Is His Legacy for Contemporary Prehistoric Research in Ireland? Introduction Mahr the Archaeologist Mahr the Nazi Mahr’s Archaeological Impact and Legacy Assessing the Political Context of Mahr’s Impact on Irish Archaeology References Chapter 19: Walking on Egg Shells? Archaeology in Switzerland Torn Between Submission and Resistance from 1933 to 1945 Preface and Prologue Switzerland as an Island in National Socialist-Occupied Europe The Spiritual National Defence and Pre- and Protohistory Swiss Blood and Walking on Eggshells The Pile-Dwelling Problem: Reinerth and Switzerland’s Identity Switzerland as a Place of Refuge for Archaeologists and Prehistorians – Before, During and After the War Conclusion and Closing Remarks Archival Sources References Chapter 20: Visigothic Archaeology: An Example of the Influence of National Socialism in Spain? Introduction German Archaeology in Spain – A Brief Overview Foreign Archaeologists and Visigothic Spain Visigothic Archaeology in Spain in the 1920s Visigothic Archaeology in Spain in the 1930s Conclusion References Chapter 21: Redistributions of the National Socialist Archaeological Research Program Within the Study of Prehistory in Portugal During Estado Novo Introduction Estado Novo’s New Man Project and Mendes Corrêa’s Idea of a Portuguese Race Dialogues Between Portuguese and German Archaeologists in the Study of Prehistory Conclusion References Chapter 22: Was Italian Archaeology Influenced by National Socialism? A Provisional Assessment Introduction Siedlungsarchäologie in Germany and Italy Italian Archaeology and Racism Strukturforschung in Germany and Italy Volkskunst vs. Arte Popolare ‘German’ Traces: Medieval Archaeology in Italy Epilogue: Damnatio? References Chapter 23: Albania and the Period of Fascist Archaeology Archaeological Research in Albania Before the Establishment of the Albanian State The Albanian State and the Rise of Archaeological Research by Foreign Missions The French and Italian Archaeological Missions in Albania Archaeological Research in Albania During the Fascist Occupation (1939–1943) Concluding Remarks Archival Sources References Chapter 24: Hungarian Archaeology in the Shadow of National Socialism (1920–1945) Introduction Hungary Before and During World War II The Infrastructure of Hungarian Archaeology After 1920 Highlighting the Germanic Past? The Archaeology of “Germanic” Ethnic Minorities How Was Archaeological Propaganda Developed in Support of Expansionism? Hungarian Archaeology in the Shadow of National Socialism Conclusions References Chapter 25: Nationalism and National Socialism in Romanian Archaeology in the Interwar Period and World War II (1918–1945) Introduction Romania in the Interwar Period and the Years of World War II Archaeology in Interwar Romania and World War II Connections Between German and Romanian Archaeology Before World War II Discourses in Romanian Archaeology in the Interwar Period and World War II Nationalism and the Glorification of the Dacian Past Romanian-German Relations Reflected in Archaeological Discourses and Practices Conclusions References Chapter 26: Bulgarian-German Relations in Archaeology Before and During the Time of National Socialism Bulgaria Caught in the Middle of a Historical Conflict Between East and West The Beginnings of Research in Ancient Studies in Bulgaria Bulgaria in the First World War and the Role of Archaeology Bulgaria and Archaeology in the Inter-war Period Gerhard Bersu and the Bulgarian-German Excavations in Sadovets Bulgarian Politics During the World War II German Foreign Cultural Policy in Bulgaria During World War II The Excavations in Sveti Kirilovo 1941/42 Political Upheaval and the Post-War Period Concluding Remarks References Chapter 27: Archaeology and National Socialism in the Independent State of Croatia (1941–1945) Introduction Historical Background Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Croatian State Museum in Sarajevo Croatia: The Archaeological Museum in Zagreb Slavonia: The City Museum of Osijek and the Heimatmuseum Esseg Research in Yugoslavia and the Independent State of Croatia by German Archaeologist R. R. Schmidt (1938–1943) Conclusion Archival Sources References Chapter 28: Epilogue: Legacies and Continuities, and What to Do About Them Introduction The Roots of National Socialist Archaeology: A Brief Discussion Some Particular Elements of National Socialist Archaeology Moving On References Glossary Index This edited volume is dedicated to national-socialist archaeology as a Europe-wide phenomenon. It analyses national-socialist attempts to denationalize the archaeologies of European nations by creating a new unifying European archaeology on a racial basis. From the beginning of the nineteenth century, archaeology began to develop into an important force behind processes of nation building. At the same time, structures of transnational academic collaboration contributed strongly to the internal dynamics of the research field, which was primarily organized on a national basis. In those European countries that were confronted with national-socialist occupation and repression between 1939 and 1945, these transnational archaeological networks were to prove crucial for the development of national-socialist archaeological policies. This volume will reveal how national-socialist archaeology was to anextent valued positively in its time as highly innovative, even influencing the archaeology of non-occupied countries. Although in the final instance, it generally failed to displace the national archaeologies in Europe, the volume also analyses the long-term impact of national-socialist rule on the development of European archaeology. How did the attempts to create a unified European archaeology after 1945 continue to influence networks, methods and terminologies, institutional structures, or popular representations of the early past? Chapter “1” Is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via Springerlink.