Olov Janse

Professor Robert Ture Olov Janse (August 3, 1892, in Norrköping, Sweden – March 1985, in Washington, D.C., United States) was a Swedish archaeologist. He is notable for his excavation work at Đông Sơn between 1935 and 1939. Though he originally argued a viewpoint for the European origins of Bronze Age culture in Vietnam, he reversed himself in support of Chinese origins after he started excavations at Đông Sơn. Janse is characterized as having introduced order into the research of the history of archaeology in Mainland Southeast Asia.

Janse was the son of candy factory owner Thure Johan Janse and Hilma Wilhelmina Svensson. His uncle, Otto Janse, who was an archaeologist who specialized in Swedish medieval history, was an inspiration to Olov in choosing his field of study, archaeology. Olov also received inspiration from Ture Nerman. Nerman and his brothers, Birger and Ejnar, became lifelong friends with Olov. Stated the archaeologist Birger Nerman, "I soon grew tired of sweets, but got a friend for life."

Janse received his early education was at De Geer school in Norrköping. He graduated from Uppsala University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1916, a Master of Arts degree in 1920, and his doctorate in 1922 on the thesis Le travail de l'or en Suède à l'époque mérovingienne. Études précédées d'un mémoire sur les solidi romains & byzantins trouvés en Suède.

Between 1920 and 1930, he worked as an assistant curator at the National Archaeological Museum in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. He held the position of associate professor of national and prehistoric archaeology at the École du Louvre during the period of 1925 to 1927, lectured as an associate professor from 1928 through 1936 at the École pratique des hautes études at the Sorbonne. He was appointed honorary professor at the University of Paris in 1934. His work alternated between Paris and Stockholm at different institutions.

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