Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann

Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann (born September 21, 1936 in Bad Nauheim ) is a German prehistorian . Herrmann was a state archaeologist in Hessen for many years . In science he gained fame through the discovery of the Celtic princely grave from Glauberg in the Wetterau district .

Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann on a guided tour of Arnsburg Castle near Lich in summer 2009

Life

Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann was born in Bad Nauheim as the son of a publisher and bookseller and went to school in Friedberg. In addition to his studies, he completed an apprenticeship as a bookseller. He studied in Frankfurt am Main with Günter Smolla , in Munich with Joachim Werner and in Marburg with Wolfgang Dehn . In 1962 he received his doctorate in Frankfurt with a dissertation on the subject of the findings of the Urnfield Culture in Central and Southern Hesse .

In 1963/64 Herrmann received a travel grant from the German Archaeological Institute and traveled to the British Isles, the Balkans, Greece and Turkey. This was followed by a position as a consultant for Roman provincial archeology at the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation in Munich from 1964 to 1967, from 1966 to 1973 he headed the Nuremberg branch of this office.

Since 1973 Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann was head of the archaeological monument preservation in Hesse. At that time this consisted of three independent offices in Wiesbaden , Marburg and Darmstadt , which have now been combined to form the office of the "State Archaeologist of Hesse". In 1974, with the Hessian Monument Protection Act, the first uniform monument protection law for the state of Hesse was created. With him, the office became part of the State Office for Monument Preservation Hesse and formed the archaeological and (later added) palaeontological monument preservation department . In 2001 he retired.

In addition to the excavations, he paid particular attention to the publications, especially the series of Fund Reports from Hesse , materials on the prehistory and early history of Hesse , guides to Hessian prehistory and early history and archaeological monuments in Hesse . Herrmann was a tireless author, especially with the latter. Many of the popular booklets were based on the topographical recordings made together with surveyor F. Eckle. As an author and co-editor, he promoted the works The Prehistory of Hesse and The Romans in Hesse, summarizing representations of these epochs of Hessian history.

Herrmann expanded the library and set up a restoration workshop in the office. He also promoted the use of scientific methods in archeology. He achieved the dovetailing of science and the public through the establishment of the Archaeological Society in Hesse , in which he played a major role, and by organizing the Hessian Prehistory Day (later Hessian Archaeological Day ).

Shortly before his retirement, he was particularly lucky as a researcher with the discovery of the century on the Glauberg near Büdingen . The excavations carried out since 1994 led to the discovery of a Celtic princely grave with rich additions and the well-known stone stele.

In 2008 Herrmann was awarded the Goethe plaque of the State of Hesse , the highest award of the Hessian Ministry for Science and Art. Since 1976 he has been a member of the Historical Commission for Hesse .

Publications (selection)

• Archaeological monuments in Hessen . 41 issues.
• The prehistoric finds and the landmarks of the Obertaunus and Usingen districts. A catalog. In: Saalburg-Jahrbuch 17, 1958, pp. 13–46.
• The finds of the urn field culture in central and southern Hesse. Berlin 1966 (= Roman-Germanic research , 27).
• (together with H. Dannheimer): Rothenburg oT catalog on prehistory and early history in the district. Kallmünz 1968 (= catalogs of the Prehistoric State Collection Munich , 11).
• The iron hoard find from Künzing Fort. In: Saalburg-Jahrbuch 26, 1969, pp. 129–141.
• The ring walls on the local mountain near Butzbach. In: Find reports from Hessen , Supplement 1 - Festschrift W. Dehn , Bonn 1969, pp. 58–68.
• Excavations on the inner wall of the Kelheim oppidum in 1971. In: Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 2, 1972, pp. 295–297.
• The excavations in the Künzing / Quintana fort (= small writings on the knowledge of the history of Roman occupation in southern Germany. 8), Stuttgart 1972.
• The excavation on the inner wall of the Kelheim oppidum. In: Germania 51, 1973, pp. 133-146.
• House floor plans from an Urnfield settlement in Künzing (Lower Bavaria). In: Excavations in Germany , Mainz 1975 (= monograph RGZM , 1.1), pp. 155–170.
• The late Bronze Age hoard from Henfenfeld in Middle Franconia. In: Annual Report Bayerische Bodendenkmalpflege 11/12, 1970/71 (1977), pp. 75–96.
• (together with A. Jockenhövel): Bronze Age burial mounds with post rings near Edelsberg, Limburg-Weilburg district. In: Find reports from Hessen 15, 1975 (1977), pp. 87–127.
• (together with Hans Schönberger ): No Roman camp, but settlement pits from the Neolithic and Iron Age in Friedberg-Fauerbach. In: Find reports from Hessen 19/20, 1979/80, pp. 107–118.
• The Dünsberg. In: HE Mandera: Prehistoric fortifications between the Rhine, Main and Westerwald. Wiesbaden 1982, pp. 32-35.
• Early fortifications in Central and South Hesse. In: H. Roth / Egon Wamers (ed.): Hessen in the early Middle Ages. Archeology and art. Sigmaringen 1984, pp. 64-66.
• Defense systems of the early and high Middle Ages. In: Guide to archaeological monuments in Germany 14 - Weissenburg-Gunzenhausen district. Stuttgart 1987, pp. 247-252.
• (together with Reinhard Dietrich and Th. Keller): Origins. Archaeological and paleontological preservation of monuments in Hessen. Wiesbaden 1988.
• Archaeological monument preservation and flight prospecting in Hesse. In: Traces of time - aerial archeology in Hessen. Published by the State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen, Wiesbaden 1993, pp. 5–13.
• The Alteburg near Biebergemünd-Kassel in the Spessart. In: Festschrift OH Frey. Marburg 1994, pp. 275-284.
• Early Celtic princely grave. In: Archeology in Germany 1995,2, p. 47f.
• Resurrected Celtic princes. Large Celtic sculpture from the prince's grave hill on Glauberg. In: Antike Welt 27,4, 1996, p. 333f.
• (together with Otto-Herman Frey ): An early Celtic princely grave mound on Glauberg in the Wetterau district, Hesse. Research report 1994–1996. In: Germania 75, 1997, pp. 459-522.
• Early Celtic prince seat north of the Main. In: Archeology in Germany 1997, 1, pp. 6-11.
• Glauberg. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 12, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1998, ISBN 3-11-016227-X , pp. 188-195.

Editorships

• Find reports from Hessen , Volume 12, 1972 (1974) - 34/35, 1994/95 (2000).
• Materials on the prehistory and early history of Hessen , Volume 1 (1976) - 22 (2000).
• Archaeological Monuments in Hessen , Issue 1 (1977) - 150 (1999).
• Guide to Hessian Prehistory and Early History , Volume 1 (1979) - 6 (2001).
• Palaeontological Monuments in Hessen , Issue 1 (1994) - 9 (1999).
• (together with Albrecht Jockenhövel ): The history of Hesse , Konrad Theiss Verlag Stuttgart, 1990, ISBN 3-8062-0458-6 .
• (together with Dietwulf Baatz ): The Romans in Hesse. 3rd edition 1989, licensed edition Nikol, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-933203-58-9 .

literature

• Svend Hansen / Volker Pingel (Hrsg.): Archeology in Hessen. New finds and findings. Festschrift for Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann on his 65th birthday. Rahden / Westf. 2001 ( International Archeology, Studia honoraria , 13), ISBN 3-89646-393-4 .