Margareta Biörnstad

Margareta Biörnstad (23 May 1928 - 1 November 2019),was a Swedish archaeologist. She was Sweden's first female National Antiquarian (riksantikvarie) in 1987–93.

Personal life

Biörnstad, born Sköld in Stockholm, is the daughter of former Swedish Minister for Defence Per Edvin Sköld and Edit Persson. She is sister to former Chief of the Army Nils Sköld and former Marshal of the Realm Per Sköld. In 1952, she married Arne Biörnstad (1924–2012). As of 2016, she is residing in Stockholm.

Career

She got her fil.lic. degree in archaeology in 1955, and in 1992, she received an honorary doctorate from the Chalmers University of Technology. In 1951, she started working at the Swedish National Heritage Board and the Swedish History Museum, where she was Head Antiquarian in 1972-87, and in 1987 she became Sweden's first female National Antiquarian, a position she held until 1993.

In 1967-75, Biörnstad was a member of the Museum and Exhibition Expert Committee (1965 års musei- och utställningssakkunniga, MUS 65). The project caused much debate and resulted in giving increased responsibility to the County Administrative Boards for the counties' local cultural heritage. She was also a member of the Humanities and Social Science Research Council (Humanistisk-samhällsvetenskapliga forskningsrådet (HSFR)) as well as a board member of the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design. During her time as National Antiquarian, infrastructure in Stockholm as well as other parts of Sweden went through major changes. Biörnstad became instrumental in recording, preserving and preventing destruction of archaeological sites and cultural heritage as water power was expanded and new railways were constructed.

Biörnstad was awarded the Gösta Berg Medal in 2006, and she is an honorary member of the Stockholms nation in Uppsala.

Margareta Biörnstad Fund

The Margareta Biörnstad Fund was created in 1993, by Biörnstad's friends and colleagues to honor her as she retired. The purpose of the fund is to further international cooperation within the field of cultural heritage by financing field trips, further studies and international activities.

Works

Biörnstad has written several book and articles about archaeological sites and finds, as well as cultural heritage.

Books, a selection

• Bronsvimpeln från Grimsta (1958)
• Kungl. Vitterhets historie och antikvitets akademiens fastigheter av antikvarisk karaktär jämte övriga områden ställda under akademiens eller Riksantikvarieämbetets förvaltning (1960)
• Jämtlands och Härjedalens historia. Arkeologisk inledning (1962)
• En järnåldersgrav vid Odensala (1962)
• Fornminnen i Härjedalen, Jämtland och Medelpad (1965)
• Riksantikvarieämbetets norrlandsundersökningar. 3 1967)
• Blekingesägner om skogsnuvor, drakar, gastar m.m. (1976)
• Landskaps- och bebyggelseförändringar under 1800-talet : rapport från symposium i Stockholm 11–12 September 1985 (1986)
• Forntid och framtid : en vänbok till Roland Pålsson (1987)
• Utvärdering av FOK-programmet : rapport 930331 (1993)
• Arkeologi och samhälle : fornlämningars behandling i samhällsplaneringen (1993)
• Heritage in distress : experiences from international emergency rescue aid and development co-operation 1995–2002 (2002)
• Kulturminnesvård och vattenkraft 1942–1980 : en studie med utgångspunkt från Riksantikvarieämbetets sjöregleringsundersökningar (2006)