Paul Åström (January 15, 1929 – October 4, 2008) 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, ...

and

classical scholar Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

. He was a professor at the

University of Gothenburg The University of Gothenburg () is a List of universities in Sweden, university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current List of universities in Sweden#Public universities, S ...

and director of the Swedish institutes in Athens and Rome. He is mostly known for his achievements in the prehistoric archaeology of

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

Biography

Åström was born at

Sundsvall Sundsvall () is a city and the seat of Sundsvall Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden. It has a population of 58,807 as of 2020; more than 95,000 live in the municipal area. It is Sweden's 21st largest city by population. Old town i ...

Västernorrland County Västernorrland County () is a county ('' län'') in the north of Sweden. It is bordered by the counties of Gävleborg, Jämtland, Västerbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. The name ''Västernorrland'' means "Western Norrland", as it was in the ...

, Sweden. Åström earned a Master of Philosophy in 1951 and Doctor of Philosophy in 1958 at

Lund University Lund University () is a Public university, public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially foun ...

. Åström started his academic career as a student of Axel W. Persson (1888-1951) at

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

and subsequently became a student of

Einar Gjerstad Einar Nilson Gjerstad (30 October 1897 – 8 January 1988) was a Swedish archaeologist. He was most noted for his research of the ancient Mediterranean, particularly known for his work on Cyprus, as well as his studies of early Rome. Biography ...

(1898-1988) where he received his doctoral degree. His dissertation was called ''The Middle Cypriote Bronze Age'' and dealt mostly with the ceramics of that time period. In 1958 he became the director of the

Swedish Institute at Athens The Swedish Institute at Athens (; ) was founded in 1946 and is one of 19 foreign archaeological institutes operating in Athens, Greece. The Institute is one of three Swedish research institutes in the Mediterranean, along with the Swedish Insti ...

where he remained until 1963. Then he taught at

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

(1963-1964) and became the director of the

Swedish Institute at Rome The Swedish Institute in Rome (, ) is a research institution that serves as the base for archaeological excavations and other scientific research in Italy. It also pursues academic instruction in archaeology and art sciences as well as arranging ...

(1967-1969). In 1969 he took up a professorship in ancient culture and social life at the

. He was dean of the historical-philosophical section 1974-1980 and for the Faculty of Humanities 1975-1980 prior to his retirement from the university in 1993. Åström participated in a number of excavations, including in Turkish

Labranda Labraunda ( ''Labranda'' or Λάβραυνδα ''Labraunda'') is an ancient archaeological site five kilometers west of Ortaköy, Muğla Province, Turkey, in the mountains near the coast of Caria. In ancient times, it was held sacred by Carians ...

in 1950, in Kalopsida and Agios Iacovos in

in 1959, in Dendra on several occasions during the 1960s and 1980s and in San Giovenale in 1967 and 1969. He headed the Swedish part of the Greek-Swedish excavations at Midea in Argolis (1983-1999) and conducted excavations in Dendra together with Greek archaeologist Nicoletta Divari-Valakou, Head of the Archaeological Sites Department,

Hellenic Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the government department of Greece entrusted with preserving the country's cultural heritage and promoting the arts. The incumbent minister is Lina Mendoni, and the deputy minister is . History This ministry ...

and at

Hala Sultan Tekke Hala Sultan Tekke ( ''Tekés Chalá Soultánas''; ) is a mosque and takya (or ''tekke'' in Turkish) on the west bank of Larnaca Salt Lake, in Larnaca, Cyprus. Umm Haram, known as Hala Sultan in Turkish tradition, was the wife of Ubada bin al-S ...

, site of one of the Late Bronze Age biggest harbours in Cyprus. Åström formed his own publishing company, Astrom Editions in 1962. He held honorary doctorates from the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

(1994), the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...

(1995) and the

University of Ioannina The University of Ioannina (UoI; Greek: Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων, ''Panepistimio Ioanninon'') is a public university located in Ioannina, Greece. The university was founded in 1964, as a charter of the Aristotle University of ...

(2001).'Paul Åström (1929–2008) - the Swedish Nestor of Archaeology', Peter M. Fischer, ''Opuscula'' 1, 2008, p. 180.

Selected works

*''The Middle Cypriote Bronze Age'' (1957) *''Hala Sultan Tekke: 8, Excavations 1971-79'' (1983) *''Kairos: Studies in Art History and Literature'' (1988)

References

External links

Astrom Editions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Astrom, Paul 1929 births 2008 deaths People from Sundsvall Lund University alumni Uppsala University alumni Academic staff of the University of Gothenburg 20th-century Swedish archaeologists Classical archaeologists Classics educators Knights of the Order of the Polar Star