Kurt Bittel (born 5 July 1907 in

Heidenheim an der Brenz Heidenheim an der Brenz, or just Heidenheim (; Swabian language, Swabian: ''Hoidna'' or ''Hoirna''), is a town in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is located near the border with Bavaria, approximately 17 km south of Aalen and 33&n ...

, died 30 January 1991 in Heidenheim an der Brenz) was a German prehistorian. As president of the

German Archaeological Institute The German Archaeological Institute (, ''DAI'') is a research institute in the field of archaeology (and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office, Federal Foreign Office of Germany. Status, tasks and ...

(''Deutsches Archäologisches Institut'' - DAI) and excavator of the Hittite city of Hattusha in Turkey, as well as an expert on the

Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

in Central Europe, he acquired great merit.

Decorations and awards

;State awards * Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1955) * Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts (Member, 1967; Chancellor of the Order 1971–1979; 3rd Vice-Chancellor from 1979 to 1980; 2nd Vice-Chancellor 1980–1984) *

Austrian Decoration for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Austria, Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science a ...

(1978) *

Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...

(1982) * Grand Cross of Merit with Star and Sash of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1984) ;Memberships: * Honorary member of the İstanbul Enstitüsü (1955),

Turkish Historical Society The Turkish Historical Society (; TTK) is a research society studying the history of Turkey and the Turkish people, founded in 1931 by the initiative of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, with headquarters in Ankara, Turkey. It has been described as "the Ke ...

(''Türk Tarih Kurumu''; Ankara, 1959),

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

(Dublin, 1965), Société de Yougoslavie Archéologique (''Arheološko Društvo Jugoslavije'', Belgrade, 1966), German-Turkish Association (Bonn, 1970), Society for Pre- and Early History in Württemberg and Hohenzollern (''Gesellschaft für Archäologie in Württemberg und Hohenzollern'') (1977), Honorary Member of the

(1982) * Honorary Corresponding Member of The Prehistoric Society (Oxford, 1956) * Honorary Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

(1965) * Foreign Honorary Member of the

Archaeological Institute of America The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is North America, North America's oldest learned society and largest organization devoted to the world of archaeology. AIA professionals have carried out archaeological fieldwork around the world and ...

(New York, 1967),

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

(Boston, Massachusetts, 1980), and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1984). ;Other * Honorary Citizen of the city of Heidenheim (1967) * Honorary doctorates from the University of Istanbul (1969), Anadolu University (''Anadolu Üniversitesi'') (

Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from 'old' and 'city') is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 821 315 (Odunpazari + Tebebasi), with a metropolitan population of 921 630. The city is l ...

, Turkey; 1990)

References

1907 births 1991 deaths 20th-century German archaeologists People from Heidenheim Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Members of the Royal Irish Academy Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences German male non-fiction writers Corresponding fellows of the British Academy Explorers of West Asia International members of the American Philosophical Society Hattusa {{Germany-historian-stub