Alphons Augustinus Barb (born: Alfons Ascher Barb; 15 April 1901 – 13 November 1979) was an Austrian academic, archaeologist, numismatist, museum director and author who received recognition both from his native

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and in Britain for his contribution to the Arts and Sciences. He was the founding director of the

Burgenland Burgenland (; hu, Őrvidék; hr, Gradišće; Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland;'' Slovene: ''Gradiščanska'') is the easternmost and least populous state of Austria. It consists of two statutory cities and seven rural districts, with a total of ...

br>Landesmuseum
in Eisenstadt, Austria and throughout his life remained a committed advocate for this region and its people. Being Jewish, he was removed from his job as a public servant immediately following the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

and fled to Britain with his young family. In 1949 Barb joined the

Warburg Institute The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of cultural history and the role of images in culture – cro ...

, ultimately becoming Librarian and publishing extensively in both English and German.

Family and education

The son of Moriz Barb, an engineer in the Austro-Hungarian army, and Henrietta Schrenzel, Barb was born in Vienna, the second of four children. His grandfathers were Isaac Barb and D. H. Schrenzel from Galicia (now Ukraine), both notable for their roles in the

revival of the Hebrew language The revival of the Hebrew language took place in Europe and Palestine toward the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, through which the language's usage changed from the sacred language of Judaism to a spoken and written language ...

during the mid 19th century. A student at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...

, he was obliged to put his studies on hold to support his family by working as a goldsmith. Under the tutelage of Wilhelm Kubitschek, he finally received his doctorate at the age of 25 for his thesis on the coinage of

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...

. During his time at the university, Barb was selected to work on archaeological digs by Adolf Mahr in support of whom he gave testimony after the war during the latter's denazification process. In 1975 Barb was awarded the title of professor and a golden doctor's diploma by the university.

Austria and the Anschluss

Shortly after receiving his doctorate, Barb was chosen by Sándor Wolf, the philanthropist, art collector and wine merchant, to create and manage the Landesmuseum for the

. In his role as director of the museum he was a tireless advocate for the region's culture, history and environment. However, as was the case for all Jews operating as public servants at the time of the

, he was dismissed from his post and then required to leave Eisenstadt. With the support of ESG Robinson, then Deputy Keeper of the Coin and Medal Department, British Museum he was given entry to the United Kingdom but following the outbreak of war was interned on the Isle of Man as an enemy alien. He was subsequently released to work as a factory tool-fitter in Leeds, where he remained for a number of years.

Warburg Institute

In 1949 Barb took up the role of assistant librarian at the

, becoming librarian in 1956. He worked under a number of directors, including E.H. Gombrich, and, in addition to his special interest in the Burgenland, continued to publish extensively on the fields of folklore and magic in the ancient world. Following his retirement, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the institute.

Honours and awards

Among others: Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art First Class Grand Decoration of the Burgenland Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soci ...

Honorary Fellow of the

Royal Numismatic Society The Royal Numismatic Society (RNS) is a learned society and charity based in London, United Kingdom which promotes research into all branches of numismatics. Its patron was Queen Elizabeth II. Membership Foremost collectors and researchers, bo ...

References

* Österreichisches Biographisches Lexicon. * "Obituary" ''The Times'' 17 November 1979 * "Amtliche Personalnachrichten" ''Wiener Zeitung'' 26 February 1969 * "Dr.Barb erhielt Ehrenkreuz" ''Burgenlandisches Volksblatt'' 25 January 1969 * Mullins, Gerry (2007). Dublin Nazi No. 1 : the life of Adolf Mahr. Dublin, Ireland: Liberties Press. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barb, Alphons 1901 births 1979 deaths Archaeologists from Vienna Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to the United Kingdom People associated with the Warburg Institute Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London