Ernst Wahle

Ernst Wahle ( born May 25, 1889 in Magdeburg, † January 21, 1981 in Heidelberg ) was a German prehistorians.

Life

Wahle studied in Halle, Berlin and Heidelberg. In 1909 he became a member of the German Society of prehistory. He received his doctorate in 1913 with his work " East Germany in jungneolithischer time, a prehistoric - geographical experiment" with Alfred Hettner and Friedrich von Duhn. After the First World War, he was from 1919 to 1921 in the prehistoric collection at the Metropolitan Museum Heidelberg operates.

Since his habilitation in 1920, he represented until his retirement in 1957, the Pre-and Early History at the University of Heidelberg, initially only in the context of a teaching assignment at the Archaeological Institute, since 1933 in its own " teaching institution of Prehistory ", from the Institute of Prehistory and Early History Ruprecht -Karls -Universität Heidelberg (now: Institute of Prehistory and early History, and Near Eastern Archaeology ) has emerged. He was co-editor of the racist magazine for racial science. From 1922 to 1938 Wahle was also responsible for heritage management in sub- Baden. In this capacity, he founded the " Badische Fund Reports," which have been clarified in the " Fund reports from Baden- Württemberg" in 1972. Since 1923 he was a corresponding member of the German Archaeological Institute. From 1935 he was a regular member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences.

After the " seizure of power" of the Nazis, he worked with in the division for German history of the struggle League for German Culture since 1934. 1933 joined the National Socialist Teachers' Association Wahle and 1937 the NSDAP.

After the end of World War II he was initially dismissed, but received in 1946 the Magisterium back.

Importance

Wahles scientific spectrum was very broad. It ranges from studies of the Neolithic to the discussion of medieval finds.

Research History important is his discussion of the settlement archeology of Gustaf Kossinna, one of his teachers in the Berlin study. The criticism of this line of research, which had a strong influence on the archeology during the Third Reich, was published in 1941 in the print. However, Wahle represented in principle a folkish research and his criticism was directed not general but against the ethnic interpretation of archaeological material only against " lex Kossinna " according to which culture provinces and peoples would always cover. Preceded the was a dispute over the origin of the Indo-Europeans, in the Wahle against the Nazi ideology, which provided a Nordic origin, advocated an origin in the eastern steppes.

In 1920, Wahle came forward with his habilitation thesis on the settlement history of South West Germany, which was consistent with the beginnings of a modern settlement archeology. He specifically addressed the natural foundations of the colonization of South West Germany, where he focused on the Neolithic. The results are now obsolete ( steppe heath theory ), the methodological approach, however, was pioneering. Wahles work is characterized mainly by the cooperation of many overviews of Prehistory and Early History, as well as some rather theoretical and conceptual considerations for prehistoric archeology. Typological work went into Wahles work back in favor of a historical perspective. Despite the criticism of Kossinna but were also at Wahle cultures and peoples bearing the sizes of the (pre) history.

Also noteworthy is his participation in the " Historical Atlas of Baden -Württemberg".

Publications (selection )

  • The colonization of South West Germany in pre-Roman times for their natural resources. Ber. RGK 12, 1920, 1-75.
  • German prehistory (1932 )
  • Prehistory of the Upper Rhine (1937 )
  • Early history of Germanic. In: New Propylaea World History Vol 2 (1940 )
  • For the ethnic interpretation of prehistoric culture provinces. Boundaries of early historical knowledge. Sitzungsber. Heidelberg Acad. , Phil - Hist. Kl 2 Abh 1 (Heidelberg 1941)
  • Early history as the country's history (1943 )
  • Studies on the history of prehistoric research. Abh Heidelberg Acad. , Phil -hist. Kl (Heidelberg 1950)
  • Prehistory and Early History in the Central European region. (B. Gebhardt ( eds.): Handbook of German History 1 ) ( 9th Edition Munich 1999)
  • Early History still in demand? On the situation of a " loaded " science. In: Time, No. 34/1947
  • Unity and independence of prehistoric research. Schr Ges friends Mannheim ud former Electoral Palatinate 12 (Mannheim 1974)
  • And there went his way with him. Habelt, Bonn 1980 ( autobiography, including publication list ).
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