Riksantikvarieämbetet

T. J. Arne (1879–1965) still stands out as the most important Scandinavian, perhaps Western European scholar working with the archaeology of early Russia. He was a person with a sharp and clear intellect, an impressive capacity to workwith rich archaeological collections and he was an outstanding linguist. He undertook three very ambitious research tours in Russia both before and after the revolutions. In connection with two of these tours he also excavated at important sites in Ukraine and in Russia. After the assumption of power of J. Stalin Arne became the leading scholar opposing the increasingly nationalistic and crude Marxist interpretations of what happened in the 9th and 10th centuries in Eastern Europe and more precisely in Russia. His scholarly achievements still today remain unchallenged and carry much weight.