The Finnish Antiquarian Society was founded on October 1, 1870. The aim of the Society was to establish the preconditions for protecting historical monuments and to kick-start archaeological research, as well as to arouse public interest in ancient monuments.

The idea for the Society came from the young Master of Arts Johan Reinhold Aspelin, along with Kaarle Alfred Castrén and Emil Nervander. However, the founding members were all under 30 years old, which was seen to diminish the Society’s authority. Therefore, the decision was made to invite Professor of History Zacharias Topelius to be the chairman of the Society.

At the instigation of Aspelin, the Society embarked on a systematic cataloguing of antiquities from different regions of Finland. These activities played a significant part in the development of systematic research in Finnish archaeology. The law regarding historical monuments, which originated from a time when Finland remained part of Sweden, was still in effect in the 1870s, but there was no official body to enforce it. The Finnish Antiquarian Society played a decisive role in developing the necessary legislation and administration.

The Senate of Finland finally passed a new ordinance on the protection of historical monuments in 1883, which resulted in the founding of the Archaeological Committee—the predecessor of the National Board of Antiquities. Aspelin was appointed head of the Archaeological Committee, thus becoming the first State Archaeologist of Finland.

Over his long term, Aspelin often spoke strongly in favour of turning the Archaeological Committee into an expert bureau, as its operations were based on the work of various learned societies. This change only took place after Aspelin’s death. The founding of the State Historical Museum—now the National Museum of Finland—also owes a great deal to the work of Aspelin.

Despite the fact that much of Aspelin’s archaeological research became outdated in his own lifetime, he became a figure of respect for most Finnish archaeologists. He also received international recognition as a pioneer of Finno-Ugric archaeology. Aspelin’s most significant contribution, however, was the creation and development of a system to protect historical monuments.

Sources:

• Timo Salminen, Aspelin, Johan Reinhold, the National Biography of Finland, Online Publication. Available for free on the Nelli Portal. Accessed November 23, 2015.
• J. R. Aspelin, Finnish Wikipedia article. Accessed November 23, 2015.
• History, online publication by the Finnish Antiquarian Society. Accessed November 23, 2015.
• Johan Reinhold Aspelin, Swedish Wikipedia article. Accessed November 23, 2015.