Margareta Biörnstad (23May 1928 – 1November 2019), was a Swedish

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

. She was Sweden's first female National Antiquarian () from 1987 to 1993.

Personal life

Biörnstad, born Sköld in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, was the daughter of former Swedish Minister for Defence Per Edvin Sköld and Edit Persson. She was the sister to former Chief of the Army Nils Sköld and former Marshal of the Realm Per Sköld. In 1952, she married Arne Biörnstad (1924–2012). , she lived in Stockholm.

Career

She got her fil.lic. degree in archaeology in 1955, and in 1992, she received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from the

Chalmers University of Technology Chalmers University of Technology (, commonly referred to as Chalmers) is a private university, private research university located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Chalmers focuses on engineering and science, but more broadly it also conducts research ...

. In 1951, she started working at the

Swedish National Heritage Board The Swedish National Heritage Board (; RAÄ) is a Swedish government agency responsible for World Heritage Sites and other national heritage monuments and historical environments. It is governed by the Ministry of Culture. The goals of the agen ...

and the

Swedish History Museum The Swedish History Museum () is a museum located in Stockholm, Sweden, that covers Swedish archaeology and cultural history from the Mesolithic period to present day. Founded in 1866, it operates as a government agency and is tasked with preservi ...

, where she was Head Antiquarian from 1972 to 1987, and in 1987 she became Sweden's first female National Antiquarian, a position she held until 1993. From 1967 to 1975, Biörnstad was a member of the Museum and Exhibition Expert Committee (, MUS 65). The project caused much debate and resulted in giving increased responsibility to the County Administrative Boards for the counties' local cultural heritage. She was also a member of the Humanities and Social Science Research Council ( (HSFR)) as well as a board member of the

Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design The Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design () or ArkDes, previously known as the Museum of Architecture (''Arkitekturmuseet''), is a Swedish national museum dedicated to architecture and design. It is located on the island of Skeppsholmen in S ...

. During her time as National Antiquarian, infrastructure in Stockholm as well as other parts of Sweden went through major changes. Biörnstad became instrumental in recording, preserving and preventing destruction of archaeological sites and cultural heritage as

water power Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kin ...

was expanded and new railways were constructed. Biörnstad was awarded the Gösta Berg Medal in 2006 and the

Illis quorum ''Illis quorum'' (''Illis quorum meruere labores'') (English: "For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It") is a gold medal awarded for outstanding contributions to Swedish culture, science or society. The award was introduced in 1784 by King Gusta ...

in 2016 and is an honorary member of the

Stockholms nation Stockholms nation is a student society and one of thirteen nations at Uppsala University. The nation has its origins in the mid-17th century and regards 1649 as its official date of foundation, although this is uncertain. A document in the arch ...

Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...

Margareta Biörnstad Fund

The Margareta Biörnstad Fund was created in 1993 by Biörnstad's friends and colleagues to honor her as she retired. The purpose of the fund is to further international cooperation within the field of cultural heritage by financing field trips, further studies and international activities.

Works

Biörnstad has written several book and articles about archaeological sites and finds, as well as cultural heritage.

Books, a selection

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References

Bibliography

External links

Interview with Margareta Biörnstad about the development of archaeology in Sweden (1996)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biornstad, Margareta 1928 births Swedish archaeologists 20th-century Swedish women writers Writers from Stockholm 2019 deaths Swedish women archaeologists Recipients of the Illis quorum