Hans Hildebrand

Who was Hans Hildebrand?

Hans Olof Hildebrand Hildebrand was a Swedish archeologist. Born in Stockholm, he was the son of Bror Emil Hildebrand and Anna Mathilda Ekecrantz. He was the brother of Emil Hildebrand, and in 1867 married Elin Maria Charlotta Martin.

Hildebrand, along with his father and his colleague Oscar Montelius, is considered one of the fathers of Swedish archaeology. He worked both in archaeology and numismatics, mainly of the High and Late Middle Ages. He is internationally known as one of the pioneers of the archaeological technique of typology.

Between 1895 and his death, Hildebrand was Director-General of the Swedish Academy. From 1879-1907 he was also Secretary to the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities and Custodian of the National Heritage, riksantikvarie. Whilst at the Academy of Letters he contributed to the foundation of the journal Fornvännen. He was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from 1891.