Edmundas Antanas Rimša (December 15, 1948 in Skirai,

Rokiškis district Rokiškis () is a city in northeastern Lithuania with a population of about 14,400. History The legend of the founding of Rokiškis tells about a hunter called Rokas who had been hunting for hares ( Lit. "kiškis"). However, cities ending in "- ...

) is a

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

n historian, specialist of heraldics, sfragistics and

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

Biography

In 1977, Rimša graduated from

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...

and began working at the Ministry of Culture of the

Lithuanian SSR The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; lt, Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika; russian: Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика, Litovskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialistiche ...

. In 1981, he began working at the Lithuanian History Institute. In 1993 he received Ph.D. for his doctoral thesis ''Coat of Arms in the History of Lithuanian Cities''. He has been teaching at Vilnius University (from 1991) and

Vytautas Magnus University Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) ( lt, Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas (VDU)) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university. Initially it was known ...

(in 1995–98). Rimša works as a consultant at Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts and as an expert of coins design at the

Bank of Lithuania The Bank of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos bankas) is the central bank of the Republic of Lithuania. The Bank of Lithuania is a member of the European System of Central Banks. The chairman of the bank is Gediminas Šimkus. Until 2015, the Bank of L ...

. Rimša is a member of the editorial board of academic journals ''Lietuvos istorijos metraštis'' (Lithuanian History Annals) and ''Numizmatika'', published by the

Lithuanian National Museum The National Museum of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos nacionalinis muziejus), established in 1952, is a state-sponsored historical museum that encompasses several significant structures and a wide collection of written materials and artifacts. It also or ...

. He is a member of the Poland Heraldry AssociationPolskie Towarzystwo Heraldyczne
/ref> and the chairman of the Lithuanian Heraldry Commission. For his book ''Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės miestų antspaudai'', he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas.

Important works

Rimša has published more than 70 scientific articles, and over 100 popular articles. Books: #''Heraldika. Iš praeities į dabartį'', 2004, 184 p. Translated into English as (''Heraldry: Past to present'' in 2005). #''Kauno miesto herbas XV–XX a.'' 1994. #''Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės miestų antspaudai.'' 1999, 765 p. #''Lietuvos heraldika'', vol. 1–2, compiled by E. Rimša, 1998–2004 (192 and 240 p.). #''Lietuvos miestų istorijos šaltiniai'', vol. 1–2, compiled by Z. Kiaupa ir E. Rimša, 1988–1992 (166 and 208 p.) #''The Heraldry of Lithuania'', compiled and arranged by E. Rimša, Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 1998, bk. 1, 192 p. #''Lietuvos Metrika.'' Knyga Nr. 556: (1791–1792); Viešųjų reikalų knyga 35, by A. Baliulis, R. Firkovičius, E. Rimša, 2005, 200 p. # ''Lietuvos didžiojo kunigaikščio Vytauto anspaudai ir žemių heraldika.'' 2016, 192 p.

References

1948 births Living people 20th-century Lithuanian historians Vilnius University alumni Knight's Crosses of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas 21st-century Lithuanian historians Lithuanian male writers People from Rokiškis District Municipality 20th-century male writers {{Lithuania-historian-stub