Jan Greve Thaulow Petersen (October 20, 1887 - March 3, 1967) was a Norwegian archaeologist.

Biography

He was the son of Hans Henrik Petersen (1827–1906) and Elisabeth Cæcilie Thaulow (1845–1901). His father was the principal of

Trondheim Cathedral School Trondheim Cathedral School (, Latin: ''Schola Cathedralis Nidrosiensis'') is an upper secondary school located next to the Nidaros Cathedral in the center of Trondheim, Norway. History There is great dispute regarding the actual founding date of ...

. Petersen became a cand. pilot. in history in 1914 at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

and the following year was employed as a curator at the University's Antiquities Collection. Petersen received a

dr.philos. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

archeology 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. Archaeolo ...

during 1919. Petersen was director of the

Stavanger Museum Stavanger Museum is a museum of natural and cultural history established in 1877, located in the Norwegian city Stavanger. The museum's collections consist of several departments: the department of zoology, the department for cultural history (whi ...

from 1923 to 1958. During this period he worked with excavation and publication of Iron Age farms in southwestern Norway. He also worked with architect Gerhard Fischer (1890-1977) in the preservation and restoration of the medieval monastery

Utstein Abbey Utstein Abbey () is Norway's best-preserved medieval monastery. It is located on the southern shore of the island of Klosterøy in Stavanger municipality, Rogaland county. It was built in the late 1200s. Utstein Church is located on the grounds ...

. He was notable for writing ''De Norske Vikingsverd'' ("The Norwegian Viking Swords") in 1919. This book was the "standard and authoritative work" on Norse sword typology and "remains an invaluable guide today." The

Oakeshott typology The Oakeshott typology is a way to define and catalogue the medieval sword based on physical form. It categorises the swords of the European Middle Ages (roughly 11th to 16th centuries) into 13 main types, labelled X through XXII. The historian an ...

by British historian and illustrator

Ewart Oakeshott Ronald Ewart Oakeshott (25 May 1916 – 30 September 2002) was a British illustrator, collector, and amateur historian who wrote prodigiously on medieval arms and armour. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a Founder Member of the A ...

(1916–2002) was based on Petersen's work.

Personal life

In 1928, he was elected to the

Norwegian Academy of Sciences The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick University in Christiania was establis ...

. In 1917, he married Gerda Holtermann (1892–1985). Their daughter Liv Petersen (1922–81) married the political scientist Knut Dahl Jacobsen (1925–1999).

Selected works

*''De Norske Vikingesverd'' (1919) *''Vikingetidens smykker'' (1928) *'' Gamle gårdsanlegg i Rogaland'' (2 volumes, 1934–1936) *''Vikingetidens redskaper'' (1951)

References

External links

Partial online English translation of ''De Norske Vikingsverd'' by Kristin Noer (1998)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Jan 1887 births 1967 deaths People from Trondheim 20th-century Norwegian archaeologists University of Oslo alumni Directors of museums in Norway Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters