Ćiro Truhelka
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Ćiro Truhelka (2 February 1865 – 18 September 1942) was a Croatian
archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the 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 landscapes. Archaeol ...
, historian, and
art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...
who devoted much of his professional life to the study of the history of
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
. He wrote about
prehistory Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins   million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
, Roman and medieval history (most notably its
numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...
), Ottoman and Turkish documents from the region, stećci, and Bosnian Cyrillic. He was also engaged in albanology. He was the first curator of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.


Early life and education

Ćiro Truhelka was born on 2 February 1865 in
Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
to Antun Vjenceslav and Marija (née Schön) Truhelka. His father was of Czech and mother of German origin. He finished elementary school in Osijek after which he enrolled in high school that he eventually finished in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
where he moved after his father's death along with his mother and siblings, Dragoš and Jagoda Truhelka. In youth, he showed interest in painting and technical sciences, but because of his family's poor financial situation, he opted for the study of philosophy at the
University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...
which lasted three years. He chose art history and history as main subjects. He received his doctorate in 1885 with the dissertation "Andrija Medulić: His Life and Work".


Professional career

As a student, Truhelka worked with Izidor Kršnjavi at the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters and made institutions' first catalog (1885). In 1886, he became secretary of the Museum Society for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the first curator of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His task was preparing Museum's opening in 1888. He was only 21 years old when he came to Sarajevo, where he lived for 40 years. In the Museum he managed the ethnographic, prehistoric, and medieval collections, but as there were not many experts, he took care of all museum collections except those from the field of
natural sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...
. As a curator, Truhelka arranged Bosnian pavilions at exhibitions in Budapest (1896), Brussels (1897) and Paris (1900). In 1905, he succeeded Kosta Hörmann as director of the National Museum and editor of the ''Gazette of the National Museum of Music'' (until 1920). Thanks to him, in 1913, the National Museum got a new building. He retired in 1922, but in 1926 he come out of retirement as he was appointed a professor of archeology and art history at the University of Skopje, Macedonia until 1931. He served as the president of the Zagreb branch of the Society of Bosnian Croats.Zlatko Hasanbegović, ''Muslimani u Zagrebu 1878.-1945. Doba utemeljenja'', Medžlis Islamske zajednice u Zagrebu-Institut društvenih znanosti Ivo Pilar, Zagreb, 2007, pp. 175 Truhelka made an outstanding contribution to the study of the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Work at the Museum influenced his various interests. He was engaged in the excavation of archaeological sites, Ilyrian graves and castles on prehistoric necropolises at Glasinac, a penitentiary settlement in Donja Dolina, a prehistoric cult edifice in Gorica near Posušje, and also dug up the early Christian basilica in
Zenica Zenica ( ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. The ...
and warned of the phenomenon of "Bosnian churches" and their early Christian background, explored the localities in the valley of
Lašva The Lašva ( sr-cyrl, Лашва) is a river in Central Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a left tributary of the Bosna.Vojnogeografski institut, Ed. (1955): Travnik (List karte 1:100.000, Izohipse na 20 m). Vojnogeografski institut, Beograd / ...
river and around Stolac, the medieval Jajce and many other medieval cities. This brought him the recognition of the anthropological congress in Vienna and membership in the Society. In the field of ethnology, he worked on an ethnographic collection and gave an overview of the national life in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Truhelka made many important findings about pre-Ottoman
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
, and gave a significant contribution to the research of the history of medieval Bosnia by the study of ''stećaks'', material culture, bosančica, topography, numismatics, political, social and religious situation. He also proposed that a grave he found on Vran mountain belongs infect to a Diva Grabovčeva, a 17th century legendary heroin and a
virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...
in Prozor-Rama local
oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...
, thus claiming that he confirmed the myth. However, the legend was never verified in local or any other written sources, and her existence was neither recorded in
chronicle A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...
s of the local nor its
martyrology A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs and other saints and beati arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by na ...
. In 1888, Truhelka excavated the mortal remains of a decapitated male at the location called Kraljev Grob () near Jajce, which he proposed are remains of king
Stjepan Tomašević Stjepan is a Croatian masculine given name, variant of Stephen. Historically it was found among ijekavian South Slavs, and it was also used as a honorific. In Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Eu ...
. Although never confirmed, these remains are now housed in the Franciscan friary, Jajce. Truhelka studied the Albanian and Turkish languages for his researches. In addition, his sister Jagoda Truhelka was a renowned Croatian writer.


Controversy

In order to provide anti- Yugoslavist Croat nationalism with a firm scientific basis, Truhelka used racial anthropology to differentiate between Croats and Serbs. Truhelka claimed that Bosnian Muslims were ethnic Croats, who, according to him, belonged predominantly to the Nordic-Dinaric racial type. On the other hand, the majority of Serbs belonged to the degenerate race of the
Vlachs Vlach ( ), also Wallachian and many other variants, is a term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate speakers of Eastern Romance languages living in Southeast Europe—south of the Danube (the Balkan peninsula ...
, similar to the
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
and
Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...
, although Truhelka 'was cautious to distinguish between the dark-skinned Serbs of Vlach descent and the fair-haired Serbs who, according to him, were pure Slavs'. At the time he was leading "Zemaljski muzej" in Sarajevo, some of scientific work and research were subordinate to the proving some of his pseudo-scientific views and attempts to find a confirmation of exaggerated assertions regarding the presence of Catholicism in Bosnia. On the other hand, in line with the politics of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, everything related to the Serbian heritage or Serbs was systematically avoided or suppressed. Truhelka, like many others, enthusiastically welcomed the creation of the
Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...
in 1941. By his death a year later, he wrote some racist and pseudoscientific remarks towards Serbs in his book "Memoires of a Pioneer"; "Serbs are an ethnically-alien racial element that, according to their geopolitical position, belong to different cultural areas, and never had a common cultural history, faith nor cultural life, and that struggle being held in front of our eyes is the struggle of Vlah inhabitants against the indigenous Bosnian population, which has always been only Croatian." He claimed that Bosnian Muslims were ethnic Croats who belonged to the racially superior Nordic race.
Miljenko Jergović Miljenko Jergović (born 28 May 1966) is a prominent Bosnian writer. Biography Born in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia to Croatian parents, Jergović received his M.A. in literature from the Sarajevo University. While at hi ...
wrote that the book, if this racist remark was put aside, was "one of the most powerful, literally superior, documentary precious Croatian books about Bosnia and Sarajevo at a time when this city turned from the fringes of the Turkish '' čaršija'' into one of the metropolises of the Habsburg Empire".


Works

* ''Starobosanski pismeni spomenici'', 1894 * ''Starobosanski natpisi'', 1895 * ''Slavonski banovci'', 1897 * ''Osvrt na sredovječne kulturne spomenike Bosne'', (1900.) * ''Djevojački grob'', (1901.) * ''Državno i sudbeno ustrojstvo Bosne u doba prije Turaka'', 1901 * ''Kraljevski grad Jajce'', 1904 * ''Naši gradovi'', 1904 * ''Arnautske priče'', 1905 * ''Hrvarska Bosna: Mi i "oni tamo"'' (''Croatian Bosnia: We and "They over There"''), 1907 * ''Crtice iz srednjeg vijeka'', 1908 * ''Dubrovačke vijesti o godini 1463.'', 1910 * ''Tursko-slavjenski spomenici dubrovačke arhive'', 1911 * ''Gazi Husrefbeg'', 1912 * ''Kulturne prilike Bosne i Hercegovine u doba prehistoričko'', 1914 * ''Historička podloga agrarnog pitanja u Bosni'', 1915 * ''Das Testament des Gost Radin'', 1916 * ''Stari turski agrarni zakonik za Bosnu'', 1917 * ''Konavoski rat 1430.-1433.'', 1917 * ''Nekoliko misli o rješenju bosanskog agrarnog pitanja'', 1918 * ''Sojenica kao ishodište pontifikata'', 1930 * ''Starokršćanska arheologija'', 1931 * ''O porijeklu bosanskih muslimana'', 1934 * ''Studije o podrijetlu. Etnološka razmatranja iz Bosne i Hercegovine'', 1941 * ''Uspomene jednog pionira'', Croatian Publishing and Bibliographic Institute, 1942


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Truhelka, Ciro 1865 births 1942 deaths People from Osijek Anti-Serbian sentiment Croatian archaeologists 20th-century Croatian historians Croatian art historians Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Historians of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina art historians Croatian people of Czech descent Croatian people of German descent 19th-century Croatian historians Historians from Austria-Hungary Archaeologists from Austria-Hungary Proponents of scientific racism