Paul Reinecke facts for kids

Paul Heinrich Adalbert Reinecke (born September 25, 1872 – died May 12, 1958) was a German expert who studied ancient times. He was known as a prehistorian and an archaeologist. A prehistorian studies history before writing was invented. An archaeologist studies human history by digging up old things.

Paul Reinecke's Life and Discoveries

Paul Reinecke was born in Berlin, Germany. He studied medicine and science at university. One of his teachers was Rudolf Virchow, a famous scientist. Paul Reinecke was very interested in prehistory. He also took classes with Johannes Ranke, who studied people, and Adolf Furtwängler, an archaeologist.

In 1893, while still a student, Paul Reinecke traveled a lot. He went on a big study trip through Austria and Hungary. After finishing his studies in 1897, he started working. He worked at the Romano-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz until 1908. Later, he worked for the Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection.

Paul Reinecke worked on history for his whole life. He studied almost all periods of early European history. He was especially good at figuring out the timeline for the European Bronze Age and Iron Age. He named important ancient cultures, like the Michelsberg culture in 1908 and the Altheim culture in 1915. He also helped organize the different stages of the Hallstatt culture.

His work in a book called "Antiquities of our pagan past" was very important. In this book, he created a system to tell how old ancient objects were. He looked at their style and features. This system is still used by archaeologists today. Paul Reinecke passed away in Herrsching, Bavaria, in 1958.

Recognized for His Work

Paul Reinecke received several important awards for his contributions:

• 1942: He was given the Goethe Medal for Art and Science.
• 1953: He received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. This is a very high honor in Germany.

See also

In Spanish: Paul Reinecke para niños