
Aarne Michaël Tallgren (8 February 1885 – 13 April 1945) was a Finnish archaeologist.
Tallgren was born in
Ruovesi. He earned his PhD in 1914 and served as professor of archaeology at the
University of Tartu. In 1923, he became the first professor of Finnish and Nordic archaeology at the
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...
. He held the chair until his death in 1945.
Tallgren's research focused mainly on the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
and the
Early Iron Age in Eastern Europe.
He founded the journal ''Eurasia septentrionalis antiqua'' which was published in 12 volumes from 1926 to 1938 and became the leading international publication in this field.
His work in Estonia resulted in ''Zur Archäologie Eestis'' (two volumes, 1922 and 1925) which was the first modern scientific publication on the country's prehistory.
He undertook many trips to the Soviet Union until 1936, when he cut off all contact with the country for ideological reasons and was subsequently declared persona non grata.
He was a foreign member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities
The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities also called simply the Royal Academy of Letters or Vitterhetsakademin abbreviated KVHAA ( sv, Kungl. Vitterhetsakademien Historie och Antikvitets Akademien or or ) is the Swedish royal ...
and an honorary member of the Swedish Antiquarian Society,
and served as chairman of the Finnish Antiquarian Society for many years.
In 1940, the
Society of Antiquaries of London
A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...
awarded him the gold medal for distinguished services to archaeology. In the same year, he was elected corresponding fellow of the
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...
.
His brother was the linguist
Oiva Tuulio
Oiva Johannes Tuulio (17 January 1878, Pyhäjärvi – 21 June 1941, Helsinki) was a Finnish linguist specializing in the Romance languages. He bore the surname ''Tallgren'' until 1933.
Tuulio was son to provost Ivar Markus Tallgren and Jenny Ma ...
and his sister was the writer .
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallgren, Aarne Michael
1885 births
Academic staff of the University of Helsinki
Finnish archaeologists
1945 deaths
Academic staff of the University of Tartu
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities
People from Ruovesi
Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy
Finnish expatriates in Estonia
20th-century archaeologists