Oluf Rygh (5 September 1833 – 19 August 1899) was a noted
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
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 ...
,
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...
and
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
. Oluf Rygh is recognized as one of the founders of professional archaeology in Norway. He led the 1867 excavation of the
Tune ship
The Tune ship (''Tuneskipet'') is a Viking ship exhibited in the Viking Ship Museum (''Vikingskipshuset på Bygdøy'') in Bygdøy, Oslo.
The Tune ship is of the karve, a small type of longship with broad hull. It was found at the Haugen far ...
(''Tuneskipet'')
Background
Oluf Rygh was born in
Verdal
Verdal is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Verdalsøra. Some villages in the municipality include Forbregd/Lein, Lysthaugen, Stiklest ...
in
Trøndelag
Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denmar ...
, Norway. His parents were
Peder Strand Rygh (1800–1868) and Ingeborg Marie Bentsen (1809–1878). He was the older brother of banker
Evald Rygh (1842–1913) and member of Parliament
Karl Ditlev Rygh (1839–1915) . Oluf Rygh attended the
Trondhjem Cathedral School in 1850 and went to the
University of Christiania
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 ...
to study philology, where he graduated in 1856. In 1858, while a teacher at Nissens Skole in Christiania, he was a research fellow for history. Later he was a professor of classical philology, history and Scandinavian languages.
Career
Rygh was professor of history at the
Royal Frederick University
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 ...
(now University of Oslo) between 1866 and 1875. He was director of ''Oldsaksamlingen'' (which subsequently became the
Museum of Cultural History) from 1862 and professor of Nordic archaeology from 1875 – the first professor of archaeology at any
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n university. He led excavation of the
Tune ship
The Tune ship (''Tuneskipet'') is a Viking ship exhibited in the Viking Ship Museum (''Vikingskipshuset på Bygdøy'') in Bygdøy, Oslo.
The Tune ship is of the karve, a small type of longship with broad hull. It was found at the Haugen far ...
1867. His work about Norwegian antiquities ''Norske Oldsaker'' (1885) is recognized for its detailed illustrations and even today is still a significant reference source.
From 1879 to 1899 he chaired the
Norwegian Historical Association
The Norwegian Historical Association ( no, Den norske historiske forening, HIFO) is a Norwegian historical organization.
The Association was founded in 1869 by Michael Birkeland and Ludvig Ludvigsen Daae. It works to promote historical research an ...
.
Oluf Rygh is best known for creation of a registry of Norwegian farm names ''
Norske Gaardnavne ''Norske Gaardnavne'' (English: Norwegian Farm Names) is a 19-volume set of books based on a manuscript prepared from 1897 to 1924 by Oluf Rygh, a noted professor of archaeology, philology, and history at the University of Oslo. The book contains a ...
'' which is a 19 volume set of books based on a manuscript prepared from 1897 to 1924. The book contains a standardized notation, information on pronunciation, historical forms and the
etymology
Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
for recorded farm, estate and manor names in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, which became the standard for place names in Norway. It inspired similar research in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. Rygh died in 1899 at
Ulefoss
Ulefoss is the administrative centre of Nome municipality in Telemark, Norway, located near the border of Grenland. Its population is 2,699. It occupies both sides of Ulefoss falls on the river Eidselva. Ulefoss is one of Norway's oldest industri ...
in
Holla, Telemark
Holla was a parish, district and former municipality now located in the municipality of Nome in Telemark, Norway.
History
Holla is situated in the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. Holla parish included the churches at Holla and Helgen both i ...
. At the time of his death, only three and one half volumes had been published.
[Oluf Rygh: Norwegian Farm Names]
/ref>
Legacy
The street ''Oluf Ryghs gate'' at Fagerborg
Fagerborg is a neighbourhood in the St. Hanshaugen borough in Oslo, Norway. Located at the northwestern end of the borough, it is bounded by Majorstua in Frogner in the west, by Marienlyst in the north, by Adamstuen and Bolteløkka in the east, ...
has been named after him.
Bibliography
His more significant publications include:
*1869 – ''Om den ældre Jernalder i Norge'' (On the Older Iron Age in Norway)
*1877 – ''Om den yngre Jernalder i Norge'' (On the Younger Iron Age in Norway)
*1885 – ''Norske Oldsaker'' (Norwegian Antiquities)
*1897 –
Norske Gaardnavne
' (a 19 volume set on "Norwegian Farm Names" parts of which were completed for publication after his death by other researchers)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rygh, Oluf
1833 births
1899 deaths
Archaeologists from Oslo
19th-century Norwegian historians
Old Norse studies scholars
People from Verdal
University of Oslo faculty
People educated at the Trondheim Cathedral School