Oluf Rygh (5 September 1833 – 19 August 1899) was a noted Norwegian

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

. Oluf Rygh is recognized as one of the founders of professional archaeology in Norway. He led the 1867 excavation of the

Tune ship The Tune ship (''Tuneskipet'') is a Viking ship exhibited in the Viking Ship Museum (''Vikingskipshuset på Bygdøy'') in Bygdøy, Oslo. The Tune ship is of the karve, a small type of longship with broad hull. It was found at the Haugen far ...

()

Background

Oluf Rygh was born in

Verdal Verdal may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places *Verdal Municipality Verdal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative cen ...

in Nordre Trondheim county, Norway. His parents were Peder Strand Rygh (1800–1868) and Ingeborg Marie Bentsen (1809–1878). He was the older brother of banker

Evald Rygh Evald Rygh (26 May 1842 – 9 May 1913) was a Norwegian banker and politician for the Conservative Party. He served as Minister of Finance and Customs and mayor of Kristiania. He was born in Verdal Municipality, and was the brother of Karl D ...

(1842–1913) and member of Parliament

Karl Ditlev Rygh Karl Ditlev Rygh (7 June 1839 – 10 March 1915) was a Norwegian archaeologist and politician for the Conservative Party of Norway, Conservative Party. He was born in Verdal Municipality, and was the brother of Evald Rygh, Evald and Oluf Rygh. H ...

(1839–1915). Oluf Rygh attended the Trondhjem Cathedral School in 1850 and went to the

University of Christiania The University of Oslo (; ) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick University, the university was established in 1811 as the de facto Norwegian conti ...

to study philology, where he graduated in 1856. In 1858, while a teacher at Nissens Skole in Christiania, he was a research fellow for history. Later he was a professor of classical philology, history and Scandinavian languages.

Career

Rygh was professor of history at the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo (; ) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick University, the university was established in 1811 as the de facto Norwegian conti ...

(now University of Oslo) between 1866 and 1875. He was director of ''Oldsaksamlingen'' (which subsequently became the Museum of Cultural History) from 1862 and professor of Nordic archaeology from 1875 – the first professor of archaeology at any

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n university. He led excavation of the

1867. His work about Norwegian antiquities ''Norske Oldsaker'' (1885) is recognized for its detailed illustrations and even today is still a significant reference source. From 1879 to 1899, he chaired the

Norwegian Historical Association The Norwegian Historical Association (, HIFO) is a Norwegian historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narrati ...

. Oluf Rygh is best known for creation of a registry of Norwegian farm names ''

Norske Gaardnavne ''Norske Gaardnavne'' (English: Norwegian Farm Names) is a 19-volume set of books based on a manuscript prepared from 1897 to 1924 by Oluf Rygh, a noted professor of archaeology, philology, and history at the University of Oslo. The book contains a ...

'' which is a 19 volume set of books based on a manuscript prepared from 1897 to 1924. The book contains a standardized notation, information on pronunciation, historical forms and the

etymology Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

for recorded farm, estate and manor names in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, which became the standard for place names in Norway. It inspired similar research in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. Rygh died in 1899 at

Ulefoss Ulefoss is the administrative centre of Nome Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The village is located along the northwest shore of the large lake Norsjø. The village occupies both sides of Ulefoss falls on the river Eidselva, just before ...

in Holla Municipality in

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

county. At the time of his death, only three and one half volumes had been published.Oluf Rygh: Norwegian Farm Names
/ref>

Legacy

The street ''Oluf Ryghs gate'' at

Fagerborg Fagerborg is a neighbourhood in the St. Hanshaugen borough in Oslo, Norway. Located at the northwestern end of the borough, it is bounded by Majorstua in Frogner in the west, by Marienlyst in the north, by Adamstuen and Bolteløkka in the eas ...

has been named after him.

Bibliography

His more significant publications include: *1869 – ''Om den ældre Jernalder i Norge'' (On the Older Iron Age in Norway) *1877 – ''Om den yngre Jernalder i Norge'' (On the Younger Iron Age in Norway) *1885 – ''Norske Oldsaker'' (Norwegian Antiquities) *1897 –
Norske Gaardnavne
' (a 19 volume set on "Norwegian Farm Names" parts of which were completed for publication after his death by other researchers)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rygh, Oluf 1833 births 1899 deaths Archaeologists from Oslo 19th-century Norwegian historians Old Norse studies scholars People from Verdal Academic staff of the University of Oslo People educated at the Trondheim Cathedral School