Alfred Dieck
Encyclopedia
Alfred Dieck was a German
archaeologist
internationally recognised for the scientific studies on bog bodies and bog finds. The results of his scientific work has been recently critically reviewed and found to be wrong in major parts.
near the Elbe
river. After he graduated school he studied theology
and in 1934 he changed to prehistory
and anthropology
and ethnography
at the Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg
were he finished with the degree of a doctor in 1939. During World War II
he was injured and returned from American imprisonment as an invalid
. Both, his thesis
and most of his scientific records were lost during the war. For several years he was unemployed, living in the region Bad Reichenhall
and Salzburg
, being the voluntary director of the International Turf Museum at Bad Wimsbach-Neydharting
in Austria
. Later he was employed by the German state of Lower-Saxony.
For more than 50 years Alfred Dieck worked on his archaeological bog body finds and ethnographic studies. He collected records about bog finds from archives, museums and personal conversations with people who found bog finds and their relatives. He also collected specimens and samples of hairs and clothing from European bog bodies and published more than 180 articles about ethnographic studies, bog bodies and bog finds. For many years he had been internationally recognised as one of the most reputable scientist in this field.
Dieck has put a new view of sight on the interpretation of bog body finds not only being a small regional and cultural phenomena. It has been believed that bog bodies are a phenomena of Northern Europe
: Ireland
, the British Islands
, Denmark
, Northern Germany
and the Netherlands
only and that most of the finds are dating to the Iron Age
period only some hundred years BC and AD. Dieck clearly stated out that the earliest bog body finds dating to Mesolithic
periods and the youngest to the Word War II. He also stated out that there are also fins known from Norway
, Sweden
, southern Germany and many other regions as well.
Alfred Dieck died 1989 in Bremen.
ed, scalped or being circumcised. But Dieck has never performed practical investigations on the human remains himself. He collected his information from archives, literature and travellings to museums all over Europe, from conversations with finders and their relatives. Especially in his late years Dieck has collected all information without questioning their reliability. He also cited many sources as …personally told by… or …lost during the war.
In relation with the studies for their Master thesis at the University of Hamburg
Sabine Eisenbeiß and Katharina von Haugwitz checked the files of Alfred Diecks personal archive and comparing them with reliable sources for the finds from Lower-Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein
. Both came to the resume that only a small percentage of Diecks finds can be confirmed by external reliable sources, for example only 70 out of 655 bog body finds from Schleswig-Holstein presented by Alfred Dieck.
Wijnand van der Sanden checked Dieck's reports of Dutch finds and reaches the same result.
During their studies in Alfred Dieck's private archive Eisenbeiß and van der Sanden came to the conclusion that Dieck created his own imaginary world in his publications, which he actually managed to maintain for many decades.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
archaeologist
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
internationally recognised for the scientific studies on bog bodies and bog finds. The results of his scientific work has been recently critically reviewed and found to be wrong in major parts.
Biography
Alfred Dieck was born in Bad Salzelmen, a suburb of SchönebeckSchönebeck
Schönebeck is a town in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Elbe, approx. 14 km southeast of Magdeburg.-International relations:Schönebeck is twinned with:...
near the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
river. After he graduated school he studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and in 1934 he changed to prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
and anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
at the Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg
University of Halle-Wittenberg
The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg , also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg within Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...
were he finished with the degree of a doctor in 1939. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was injured and returned from American imprisonment as an invalid
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
. Both, his thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
and most of his scientific records were lost during the war. For several years he was unemployed, living in the region Bad Reichenhall
Bad Reichenhall
Bad Reichenhall is a spa town, and administrative center of the Berchtesgadener Land district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. It is located near Salzburg in a basin encircled by the Chiemgauer Alps ....
and Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, being the voluntary director of the International Turf Museum at Bad Wimsbach-Neydharting
Bad Wimsbach-Neydharting
Bad Wimsbach-Neydharting is a municipality in the district of Wels-Land in Upper Austria, Austria....
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Later he was employed by the German state of Lower-Saxony.
For more than 50 years Alfred Dieck worked on his archaeological bog body finds and ethnographic studies. He collected records about bog finds from archives, museums and personal conversations with people who found bog finds and their relatives. He also collected specimens and samples of hairs and clothing from European bog bodies and published more than 180 articles about ethnographic studies, bog bodies and bog finds. For many years he had been internationally recognised as one of the most reputable scientist in this field.
Dieck has put a new view of sight on the interpretation of bog body finds not only being a small regional and cultural phenomena. It has been believed that bog bodies are a phenomena of Northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
: Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the British Islands
British Islands
British Islands is a term within the law of the United Kingdom which since 1889 has referred collectively to the following four states:*the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ;...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Northern Germany
Northern Germany
- Geography :The key terrain features of North Germany are the marshes along the coastline of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, and the geest and heaths inland. Also prominent are the low hills of the Baltic Uplands, the ground moraines, end moraines, sandur, glacial valleys, bogs, and Luch...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
only and that most of the finds are dating to the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
period only some hundred years BC and AD. Dieck clearly stated out that the earliest bog body finds dating to Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
periods and the youngest to the Word War II. He also stated out that there are also fins known from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, southern Germany and many other regions as well.
Alfred Dieck died 1989 in Bremen.
The Alfred Dieck problem
According to actual scientific research Alfred Dieck's publications are highly questioned by archaeological scientists. Dieck has published many finds without referencing proper sources. During his researches he raised the number of bog body finds from 120 in 1939 to 160 in 1951, 500 in 1968, 700 in 1972 and finally 1,850 bog bodies in his last summary in the year 1986. Over a period of more than 50 years Dieck published a variety of special articles about stomach and colon investigations, individuals being tattooTattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
ed, scalped or being circumcised. But Dieck has never performed practical investigations on the human remains himself. He collected his information from archives, literature and travellings to museums all over Europe, from conversations with finders and their relatives. Especially in his late years Dieck has collected all information without questioning their reliability. He also cited many sources as …personally told by… or …lost during the war.
In relation with the studies for their Master thesis at the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
Sabine Eisenbeiß and Katharina von Haugwitz checked the files of Alfred Diecks personal archive and comparing them with reliable sources for the finds from Lower-Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
. Both came to the resume that only a small percentage of Diecks finds can be confirmed by external reliable sources, for example only 70 out of 655 bog body finds from Schleswig-Holstein presented by Alfred Dieck.
Wijnand van der Sanden checked Dieck's reports of Dutch finds and reaches the same result.
During their studies in Alfred Dieck's private archive Eisenbeiß and van der Sanden came to the conclusion that Dieck created his own imaginary world in his publications, which he actually managed to maintain for many decades.