Disciplinating the Past - The Antiquarian Striving for Interpretative Supremacy

Abstract

The establishment of archaeology as a separate discipline involved a disciplination of interpretation. The interpretative task was from now on supposed to be performed solely by professionals. This meant that the former antiquarian interest in ideas held by common people about ancient artefacts and monuments almost vanished in Sweden during the late nineteenth century. Today, with the archaeological focus on the interpretation of meaning, there is a renewed interest in the folklore surrounding ancient objects.