Christian Jürgensen Thomsen | Danish Archaeologist | Britannica

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• Linda Hall Library - Biography of Christian Thomsen

Christian Jürgensen Thomsen Danish archaeologist Ask Anything Homework Help Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Dec. 25, 2025 •History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

Christian Jürgensen Thomsen (born Dec. 29, 1788, Copenhagen, Den.—died May 21, 1865, Copenhagen) was a Danish archaeologist who deserves major credit for developing the three-part system of prehistory, naming the Stone, Bronze, and Iron ages for the successive stages of man’s technological development in Europe. His tripartite scheme brought the first semblance of order to prehistory and formed the basis for chronological schemes developed for other areas of the globe by succeeding generations of archaeologists.

Quick Facts Born: Dec. 29, 1788, Copenhagen, Den. (Show more) Died: May 21, 1865, Copenhagen (aged 76) (Show more) Subjects Of Study: chronology prehistoric age (Show more) See all related content

Curator of the National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen (1816–65), Thomsen arrived at his nomenclature in the course of classifying and arranging the museum’s large collection of Scandinavian antiquities. Based on 20 years of work, the scheme was published in Ledetraad til nordisk Oldkyndighed (1836; A Guide to Northern Antiquities). He also founded the first ethnographic museum.

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