Paul Grimm (Prehistorian)

Paul Grimm (* 18 August 1907 in Torgau; † 19 November 1993 in Berlin) was a German prehistorian and also a pioneer of Medieval archaeology, especially of the excavation of abandoned villages and castles. Grimm worked on various periods, but mainly in central Germany – the names of two important Neolithic archaeological cultures in the area, the Baalberge group and the Salzmünde group derive from him. His comprehensive excavations in Hohenrode and Tilleda are important milestones in the history of German archaeology.

Grimm, son of a paymaster, graduated from high school at Aschersleben in 1925 and then studied at the University of Halle, where he was instructed in prehistory, history, classical archaeology, German studies, geography and geology until 1929. He first participated in an excavation in 19 27 under Hans Hahne. From 1929 he was a research assistant at the State Bureau for Prehistory. In 1929 he was awarded a doctorate for his dissertation on Die vor- und frühgeschichtliche Besiedlung des Unterharzes und seines Vorlandes auf Grund der Bodenfunde (The Prehistoric and Protohistoric Settlement of Lower Harz and its Foothills on the basis of Archaeological Finds). His examiners were Hahne and Georg Karo.

Grimm was a member of the German Youth Movement and from 1926 to the völkisch youth league Adler und Falke (Eagle and Falcon). Well before the Nazi seizure of power he was a member of the Mannus-Society for "Aryan prehistory" and the prehistoric division of the Militant League for German Culture. On 1 February 1933, Grimm joined the Nazi Party and was registered as party member 1,447,316. He was a Blockleiter from 1933 to 1934. In 1935, Grimm was curator and acting director of the State Bureau for Volk Studies in Halle. From 1935 he was editor of the journal Mitteldeutsche Volkheit – Hefte für Vorgeschichte, Rassenkunde und Volkskunde (Central German Volk Studies – Volumes on Prehistory, Racial Studies and Volk Studies) along with the leader of the Volk Studies department, Heinz-Julius Niehoff. After he achieved his habilitation with his work on the Salzmünde Culture he was employed as Reader and Director of the State Bureau of Volk Studies in Halle from 1939 to 1945.

...
Wikipedia