Johannes Bureus

Johannes Thomae Agrivillensis Bureus (* 15./25 March 1568 in Åkerby, † October 22, 1652 in Bondkyrka; actually. Johan Bure, also known as John Buraeus ) was a Swedish researchers runes, mystic, royal Hofarchivar and writer.

Life

Bureus was born in March 1568 Åkerby near Uppsala, the son of Lutheran pastor Thomas Mattiae and Magdalena Burea.

He attended schools in Uppsala and Stockholm, and also studied in Germany and Italy later. In 1591 he married Margaretha Mårtensdotter Bång. From their brother, who would be executed on 15 January 1603, for witchcraft, he received this year, the translated by Agrippa book Arbatel De magia veterum that deals with the occult and magic and began to seriously for Kabbalah in the sequence and the Rosicrucians to care. Hebrew he had begun to learn already in 1584, but previously not pursued it.

In the area of Uppsala rune stones were quite common to find. Bureus was fascinated by their design and began around 1593 with trying to decipher this. In 1599 he was given by King Charles IX. commissioned to examine the rune stones of the country and catalog. In 1602 he published his first book to his research - Monumenta veterum Gothorum in patria, 1611 then also appeared a little book ( Runa ABC boken ), in which he also presented a guide to reading the runes next to his own specially developed Runes Set. In his books on rune stones, many stones are given, which are now often found again in stone walls and buildings. For some of the stones - such as the U439 - but these books are the only remaining evidence of their former existence.

1603 Bureus royal Hofarchivar and teachers of the Prince Gustav II Adolf and Karl Philipp, which he later also had a great influence on Gustav Adolf, after it had become king in 1611. 1630 transferred Gustav Adolf Johan Bureus the newly created job of " Riksantikvarie " ( Empire Antique dealer). Gustav Adolf thus created the first national monuments in the world. Johan Bureus had to inventory the task, rune stones, grave mounds and ruins and to ensure their preservation. The office of " Riksantikvarie " still exists today. The legislation was passed only after Bureus death in 1666 and represents the oldest historic preservation law of the world

Work

• Monumenta veterum Gothorum in patria, 1602
• Runa ABC boken, 1611
• Monumenta Sveogothica Hactentus Exculpta, 1624
• Adulruna Rediviva