Axel Boëthius (July 18, 1889 in Arvika, Sweden – May 7, 1969 in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) was a scholar and archaeologist of

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...

culture. Boëthius was primarily a student of Etruscan and Italic architecture. His father was the historian Simon Boëthius. As a student, Boëthius studied at the

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

, where he completed his Ph.D. in 1918. He taught at Uppsala (1921–24) during which time he excavated at

Mycenae Mycenae ( ; grc, Μυκῆναι or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos; and south of Corinth. ...

in Greece. In 1925 he was selected as the first director of the

Swedish Institute at Rome The Swedish Institute in Rome ( sv, Svenska institutet i Rom, it, Istituto Svedese di studi classici a Roma) is a research institution that serves as the base for archaeological excavations and other scientific research in Italy. It also pursues ...

by the Swedish crown prince Gustav Adolf (also known as an accomplished amateur archaeologist). He became professor of archaeology at the Göteborg University in 1934, a post he held until 1955. He also served as rector of the university (1946–51). In 1955, he retired to Italy. There he published his book ''Golden House of Nero'' in 1960, which was the product of the Thomas Spencer Jerome Lectures given in Rome. Boëthius, working together with

John Bryan Ward-Perkins John Bryan Ward-Perkins, (3 February 1912 – 28 May 1981) was a British Classical architectural historian and archaeologist, and director of the British School at Rome. Family and early life John Bryan Ward-Perkins was born on 3 February 19 ...

, wrote the section on Etruscan architecture for the prestigious ''Pelican History of Art'' series. The volume was published in 1970, shortly after his death in 1969.Ward-Perkins, John. ddendum to Forward ''Etruscan and Roman Architecture''. Pelican History of Art 32. Baltimore: Penguin, 1970, p. xv

Publications

* issertation:''Die Pythaïs: Studien zur Geschichte der Verbindungen zwischen Athen und Delphi''. Uppsala: Almquist & Wiksells, 1918. * and Ward-Perkins, John. ''Etruscan and Roman Architecture''. Pelican History of Art 32. Baltimore: Penguin, 1970. Revised edition as: Axel Boëthius, Roger Ling, Tom Rasmussen, ''Etruscan and Early Roman Architecture'', Yale University Press Pelican history of art, 1978, Yale University Press, , 9780300052909 * ''The Golden House of Nero: some Aspects of Roman Architecture''. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press,1960. * and Sahlen, Nils G. ''Etruscan Culture, Land and People: Archaeological Research and Studies Conducted in San Giovenale and its Environs by Members of the Swedish Institute in Rome''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1963.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boethius, Axel Swedish archaeologists Classical archaeologists Swedish classical scholars Linguists of Etruscan Academic staff of the University of Gothenburg 1889 births 1969 deaths Fellows of the British Academy Burials at Uppsala old cemetery 20th-century archaeologists Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy Axel