Hans Hahne (archaeologist)
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Hans Hahne (18 Mar 1875, Piesdorf–2 Feb 1935,
Halle (Saale) Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (), is the second largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is the sixth-most populous city in the area of former East Germany after (East Berlin, East) Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Chem ...
) was a German physician and
prehistorian 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 o ...
.


Life

Hans Hahne was born the son of a sugar manufacturer. He attended school in
Artern Artern () is a town in the Kyffhäuserkreis district, Thuringia, Germany. The former municipalities Heygendorf and Voigtstedt were merged into Artern in January 2019. Geography Artern is situated at the confluence of the rivers Unstrut and H ...
and after 1885 in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
and
Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
, where he graduated in 1894 from the ''Domgymnasium''. At the Universities of
Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...
,
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, and
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, he studied natural sciences and medicine and received his MD in 1899. This was followed by specialist training in
Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
, Berlin, and Leipzig. In 1902 Hahne settled in Magdeburg as an
internist Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of th ...
and
neurologist Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous system, which comprises the brain, the ...
, but closed his practice in 1905 to devote himself to prehistory and early history . In the years 1905-1907 Hahne studied prehistory under
Gustaf Kossinna Gustaf Kossinna (28 September 1858 – 20 December 1931) was a German philologist and archaeologist who was Professor of German Archaeology at the University of Berlin. Along with Carl Schuchhardt he was the most influential German prehisto ...
at the University of Berlin. From 1907 he became assistant at the
Lower Saxony State Museum The Lower Saxon State Museum Hanover (, or simply ) is the state museum of Lower Saxony in Hanover, Germany. Situated adjacent to the New Town Hall, the museum comprises the state gallery (), featuring paintings and sculptures from the Middle ...
in
Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
, where he was appointed assistant director in 1908. At the same time he was an adjunct professor at the
Leibniz University Hannover Leibniz University Hannover (), also known as the University of Hannover, is a public university, public research university located in Hanover, Germany. Founded on 2 May 1831 as Higher Vocational School, the university has undergone six period ...
. In 1912 Hahne was appointed director of the
Halle State Museum of Prehistory The State Museum of Prehistory (''Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte'') in Halle (Saale) is the archaeological museum of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Founded in Naumburg in 1819, it was moved to Halle in 1825, and within Halle to its prese ...
. In
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
he was exempted from military service due to a heart and liver disease. At the
University of Halle Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...
, he received his doctorate in February 1918 with his thesis "Die geologische Lagerung der Moorleichen und Moorbrücken als Beitrag zur Forschung der erdgeschichtlichen Vorgänge der Nacheiszeit " ("The geological stratification of bog bodies and bog villages as a contribution to the research of geological processes of the post-glacial period"). He was appointed professor in May and
habilitated Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellen ...
in November 1918 at the University of Hannover in prehistory (Prehistoric Archeology). In 1921 Hahne was appointed associate professor, in November 1933 full professor; shortly afterwards he was appointed rector of the University of Halle. As a " Volkish" scientist, he also incorporated anthroposophical influences into his theories.Peter Staudenmaier: ''Der deutsche Geist am Scheideweg: Anthroposophen in Auseinandersetzung mit völkischer Bewegung und Nationalsozialismus.'' In: Uwe Puschner (ed), Clemens Vollnhals (ed): ''Die völkisch-religiöse Bewegung im Nationalsozialismus. Eine Beziehungs- und Konfliktgeschichte'' (= ''Schriften des Hannah-Arendt-Instituts für Totalitarismusforschung.'' 47). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen u. a. 2012, , pp. 473–490, hier p. 475. Before 1933 Hahne joined the National Socialist Party and was Deputy District Culture Warden (''Gaukulturwart''), Director of Training in Racial Science (''Rassenkunde'') in Gau Mitteldeutschland (Saxony) of the
SS Race and Settlement Main Office The SS Race and Settlement Main Office (''Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt der SS'', RuSHA) was the organization responsible for "safeguarding the racial purity of the SS" within Nazi Germany. One of its duties was to oversee the marriages of SS p ...
(''Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt''). In February 1934, Hahne suffered a severe stroke with paralysis on his left side, which hindered him so much that he had to turn over most of his duties to colleagues. Hans Hahne died on 2 February 1935 in Halle. Hahne's research interests were bog archeology and
bog bodies A bog body is a human cadaver that has been Natural mummy, naturally mummified in a Bog, peat bog. Such bodies, sometimes known as bog people, are both geographically and chronologically widespread, having been dated to between 8000 BC and the S ...
, such as the "Bernuthsfeld Man".


References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hahne, Hans 1875 births 1935 deaths People from the Province of Saxony Archaeologists from Saxony-Anhalt German prehistorians Leipzig University alumni