Oscar Montelius (9 September 1843–4 November 1921) was a Swedish archaeologist who refined the concept of seriation, a relative chronological dating method. Seriation is the procedure of working out a chronology by arranging material remains of a cultural tradition in the order that produces the most consistent patterning of their cultural traits. September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Seriaton in Archaeology Seriation is a way of situating an object within a series. ...

His impetus was at first to provide relative dates for artifacts in museum collections that often lacked rigorous records, by making comparisons with other artifacts within a comparable geographical area. Montelius’ method created a timeline specific to the location, based on material remains. Later, when combined with written historical references, objects could be provided absolute dates.

He took the three-age system (Stone age, Bronze age, Iron age), originally devised by Christian Jürgensen Thomsen to organize Danish museum collections of archaeological materials, and sub-divided it further. He divided the Neolithic in Scandinavia into four numbered periods, I-IV, and the Nordic Bronze Age into six I-VI. Further he supported Thomsens typology of gold bracteates from the migration period. The three-age system is a system of classifying human prehistory into three consecutive time periods, named for their respective predominant tool-making technologies: The Stone Age The Bronze Age The Iron Age Its formal introduction is attributed to the Dane Christian Jürgensen Thomsen in the 1820s in order... Stone Age fishing hook. ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... Christian Jürgensen Thomsen (December 29, 1788–May 21, 1865) was a Danish archaeologist. ... The Neolithic, (Greek neos=new, lithos=stone, or New Stone Age) was a period in the development of human technology that is traditionally the last part of the Stone Age. ... Map of the Nordic Bronze Age culture, ca 1200 BC The Nordic Bronze Age is the name given by Oscar Montelius (1843-1921) to a period and a Bronze Age culture in Scandinavian pre-history, ca 1800 BC - 600 BC, with sites that reached as far east as Estonia [1... Categories: Stub | Numismatics ...

By taking calendrical dates from the recently deciphered hieroglyphics of Ancient Egypt, Montelius employed a complex system of cross-dating through typologies and associated finds to apply absolute dates to archaeological finds and features all over Europe. Hieroglyphs are a system of writing used by the Ancient Egyptians, using a combination of logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic elements. ... Map of Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt as a general historical term broadly refers to the civilization of the Lower Nile Valley, between the First Cataract and the mouths of the Nile Delta, from circa 3300 BC until the conquest of Alexander the Great in 332 BC. As a civilization based... The word typology literally means the study of types. ... World map showing location of Europe When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ...

His diffusionist theories were eventually displaced by more complex views of cultural interaction but following refinement his system of sub-divisions is still effectively in use. Montelius was made a member of the Swedish Academy in 1917. Diffusionism is the theory about the development of cultures and technologies, particularly in ancient history. ... The Swedish Academy or Svenska Akademien, founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. ...

Strindberg on Montelius

August Strindberg, a contemporary of Montelius, held his work in low regard and satirized archeaology and Montelius' typological work in particular, in his De lycksaliges ö (published in Svenska öden och äfventyr 1882) Montelius and his colleagues are compared to button collectors who typologize buttons in accordance to uses, number of holes etcetera, founding the science of buttonology (knappologi). The typologists then go on to demand professor chairs for themselves, considering the science highly important. August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg   {{{2}}}? (January 22, 1849 – May 14, 1912) was a Swedish writer, playwright and painter. ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

External link

• Oscar Montelius