The evolution of Oscar Montelius : a critical historiographical analysis on his academic legacy, and the influences that shaped his later research

Abstract

Through a critical historiographical analysis of Swedish archaeologist Oscar Montelius’s evolving perspectives, this paper seeks to examine complex aspects of Montelius’s research between 1910–1921 that has received little attention by scholars. Using a comparative approach that examines the similarities between Montelius later research and the German archaeologist Gustaf Kossinna, this paper reveals that towards the end of his life, Montelius started to increasingly adopt Kossinna’s standpoints, resulting in Montelius moving away from his prior research. This alignment is shown through the examination of several papers written by Montelius during the stated period. Therefore, the aspiration of this analysis is to offer insights into the research that led to the discrediting of Kossinna’s academic contributions, but which in comparison left Montelius’s legacy mostly unblemished. Concurrently, this article delves into the substantial impact that Kossinna had on Montelius’s scholarly endeavours, especially during the period between1910 and 1921. Thus, the objective of this work is to improve our understanding of the complex legacy of Montelius and the influences that affected him whilst simultaneously highlighting parts of his research relating to nationalism, and racial biology that has not been given as much scrutiny