Jan Greve Thaulow Petersen (October 20, 1887 - March 3, 1967) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

archaeologist.

Biography

He was the son of Hans Henrik Petersen (1827–1906) and Elisabeth Cæcilie Thaulow (1845–1901). His father was the principal of

Trondheim Cathedral School Trondheim Cathedral School ( no, Trondheim katedralskole, Latin: ''Schola Cathedralis Nidrosiensis'') is an upper secondary school located next to the Nidaros Cathedral in the center of Trondheim, Norway. History There is great dispute regarding ...

. Petersen became a cand.philos. in history in 1914 at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

and the following year was employed as a curator at the University's Antiquities Collection. Petersen received a dr.philos. in

archeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

during 1919. Petersen was director of the Stavanger Museum from 1923 to 1958. During this period he worked with excavation and publication of Iron Age farms in southwestern Norway. He also worked with architect Gerhard Fischer (1890-1977) in the preservation and restoration of the medieval monastery

Utstein Abbey Utstein may refer to: Places * Utstein Abbey, a historic abbey in Rennesøy, Norway *Utstein Church, a historic church in Rennesøy, Norway Other *, a submarine in the Royal Norwegian Navy *Utstein Style The Utstein Style is a set of guidelines fo ...

. He was notable for writing ''De Norske Vikingsverd'' ("The Norwegian Viking Swords") in 1919. This book was the "standard and authoritative work" on Norse sword typology and "remains an invaluable guide today." The

Oakeshott typology The Oakeshott typology is a way to define and catalogue the medieval sword based on physical form. It categorises the swords of the European Middle Ages (roughly 11th to 16th centuries) into 13 main types, labelled X through XXII. The historian an ...

by British historian and illustrator

Ewart Oakeshott Ronald Ewart Oakeshott (25 May 1916 – 30 September 2002) was a British illustrator, collector, and amateur historian who wrote prodigiously on medieval arms and armour. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a Founder Member of the ...

(1916–2002) was based on Petersen's work.

Personal life

In 1928 he was elected to the

Norwegian Academy of Sciences The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Univer ...

. In 1917, he married Gerda Holtermann (1892–1985). Their daughter Liv Petersen (1922–81) married the political scientist Knut Dahl Jacobsen (1925–1999).

Selected works

*''De Norske Vikingesverd'' (1919) *''Vikingetidens smykker'' (1928) *'' Gamle gårdsanlegg i Rogaland'' (2 volumes, 1934–1936) *''Vikingetidens redskaper'' (1951)

References

External links

Partial online English translation of ''De Norske Vikingsverd'' by Kristin Noer (1998)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Jan Norwegian archaeologists 1887 births 1967 deaths People from Trondheim 20th-century archaeologists University of Oslo alumni Directors of museums in Norway Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters