Eric Boman
Encyclopedia
Eric Boman was a Swedish Argentine archaeologist.
, Sweden
, in 1867. He relocated to Argentina
in 1889, and completed his secondary school
ing in Buenos Aires
and Catamarca
. He remained in the mountainous Province of Catamarca, and was appointed a Justice of the Peace
.
Boman began his archaeological experience in a 1901 Swedish expedition into Purmamarca
and the Quebrada de Humahuaca
(Jujuy Province
) directed by Baron Erland Nordenskiold
, a nobleman whose family included a number of noted travelers; Nordenskiold later authored an account of that expedition, Travels on the Boundaries of Bolivia and Argentina. Boman joined a further expedition, with Marquis Georges de Crequi-Montfort
, into the Cerro Chañi area (Jujuy), in 1903, and discovered Tastil
, an Atacameño
settlement that was one of the region's most significant until their siege by troops of the Inca Empire
. He compiled his findings in Antiquités de la région andine de la Republique Argentine et du désert d'Atacama ("Antiquities in the Andean Region of Argentina and in the Atacama Desert"), which, when published in 1908, was recognized as one of the first comprehensive archaeological studies of the Argentine Northwest
(comparable only to Juan Bautista Ambrosetti
's work). Boman's work was honored also by the Académie Française
, and the original is now in the Musée de l'Homme
, in Paris
.
Boman subsequently focused his studies on the archaeology of La Rioja Province
, conducting excavations in Pucará de los Sauces, Fuerte del Pantano, other sites in the Famatina Range
, as well as in other provinces, notably Tinti (in the Calchaquí Valleys
) and in Buin, Chile
. He created a sizable bibliography from the experiences, and these expeditions, conducted between 1910 and 1920, yielded the most comprehensive collection of Diaguita
artifacts located up to then, making him an authority on the Pre-Inca cultures of the region.
Boman was appointed Chief of the Archaeological Department of the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum
in 1917, and remained at the post until his death in 1924.
Life and work
Boman was born in FalunFalun
Falun is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 36,447 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the capital of Dalarna County...
, 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....
, in 1867. He relocated to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in 1889, and completed his secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
ing in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and Catamarca
Catamarca
Catamarca may refer to:*San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina*Catamarca Province, Argentina...
. He remained in the mountainous Province of Catamarca, and was appointed a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
.
Boman began his archaeological experience in a 1901 Swedish expedition into Purmamarca
Purmamarca
Purmamarca is a town in the Tumbaya Department of the Jujuy Province in Argentina.- Etymology :The name of the town can be interpreted as the combination of Aymara language words purma and marca , though desert in that language can refer to uncivilised or not touched by human hand, thus the name...
and the Quebrada de Humahuaca
Quebrada de Humahuaca
The Quebrada de Humahuaca is a narrow mountain valley located in the province of Jujuy in northwest Argentina, north of Buenos Aires . It is about long, oriented north-south, bordered by the Altiplano in the west and north, by the Sub-Andean hills in the east, and by the warm valleys in the...
(Jujuy Province
Jujuy Province
Jujuy is a province of Argentina, located in the extreme northwest of the country, at the borders with Chile and Bolivia. The only neighboring Argentine province is Salta to the east and south.-History:...
) directed by Baron Erland Nordenskiold
Erland Nordenskiöld
Baron Nils Erland Herbert Nordenskiöld was a Finnish-Swedish archeologist and anthropologist. He was born in Stockholm, the son of N. A. E. Nordenskiöld...
, a nobleman whose family included a number of noted travelers; Nordenskiold later authored an account of that expedition, Travels on the Boundaries of Bolivia and Argentina. Boman joined a further expedition, with Marquis Georges de Crequi-Montfort
Georges de Crequi-Montfort
Henri Georges Le Compasseur de Créqui-Montfort Marquis de Courtivron was a French explorer, anthropologist, diplomat, businessman and sports shooter who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics and in the 1924 Summer Olympics.-Personal life:He was born in Sainte-Adresse, Normandy...
, into the Cerro Chañi area (Jujuy), in 1903, and discovered Tastil
Tastil
Tastil is a Pre-Inca archaeological site near Santa Rosa de Tastil, Salta Province, Argentina.-Overview:Located around 2.5 km northwest of the settlement are the Ruins of Tastil...
, an Atacameño
Atacameño
The Atacameños are a Native American people who inhabited the Andean portion of the Atacama Desert, mainly in what is today Chile's Antofagasta Region. Their language is known as Kunza....
settlement that was one of the region's most significant until their siege by troops of the Inca Empire
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
. He compiled his findings in Antiquités de la région andine de la Republique Argentine et du désert d'Atacama ("Antiquities in the Andean Region of Argentina and in the Atacama Desert"), which, when published in 1908, was recognized as one of the first comprehensive archaeological studies of the Argentine Northwest
Argentine Northwest
The Argentine Northwest is a region of Argentina composed by the provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán.-Geography:The region had 5 different biomes:* Sub-Andean humid Sierras of the east...
(comparable only to Juan Bautista Ambrosetti
Juan Bautista Ambrosetti
Juan Bautista Ambrosetti was an Argentine archaeologist, ethnographer and naturalist who helped pioneer anthropology in his country.-Life and work:...
's work). Boman's work was honored also by the Académie Française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
, and the original is now in the Musée de l'Homme
Musée de l'Homme
The Musée de l'Homme was created in 1937 by Paul Rivet for the 1937 Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne. It is the descendant of the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro, founded in 1878...
, in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Boman subsequently focused his studies on the archaeology of La Rioja Province
La Rioja Province (Argentina)
La Rioja is a one of the provinces of Argentina and is located in the west of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Catamarca, Córdoba, San Luis and San Juan.-History:...
, conducting excavations in Pucará de los Sauces, Fuerte del Pantano, other sites in the Famatina Range
Sierras pampeanas
The Sierras pampeanas or Pampas Sierras is a geographical region of Argentina.The Sierras pampeanas are a chain of mountains that rise sharply from the surrounding pampa region of Northwest Argentina...
, as well as in other provinces, notably Tinti (in the Calchaquí Valleys
Calchaquí Valleys
The Calchaquí Valley is an area in the northwestern region of Argentina which crosses the provinces of Catamarca, Tucumán and Salta. It is best known for its contrast of colours and its unique geography that ranges from the mountain desert to the subtropical forest.There are a number of valleys...
) and in Buin, Chile
Buin, Chile
Buin is a city and commune of Chile, in the Maipo Province, Metropolitan Region of Santiago, which forms part of Greater Santiago. It is a city conformed by the towns of Maipo, Viluco, Linderos, Valdivia de Paine, Alto Jahuel, Los Guindos and El Recurso...
. He created a sizable bibliography from the experiences, and these expeditions, conducted between 1910 and 1920, yielded the most comprehensive collection of Diaguita
Diaguita
The Diaguita, also called Diaguita-Calchaquí, are a group of South American indigenous peoples. The Diaguita culture developed between the 8th and 16th centuries in what are now the provinces of Salta, Catamarca, La Rioja and Tucumán in northwestern Argentina, and in the Atacama and Coquimbo...
artifacts located up to then, making him an authority on the Pre-Inca cultures of the region.
Boman was appointed Chief of the Archaeological Department of the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum
Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum
The Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum is a public museum located in the Caballito section of Buenos Aires, Argentina.-History and overview:...
in 1917, and remained at the post until his death in 1924.