The Study of the Lombards and the Ostrogoths at the German Archaeological Institute of Rome, 1937-1943

The conflict between classical and prehistoric archaeologists in Germany has its roots in the nineteenth century but became bitter with the event of National Socialism. The German Archaeological Institute struggled with the Amt Rosenberg that claimed exclusive competence for prehistoric and ‘Germanic’ archaeology. The research programme on Italian ostrogothic and Lombard artefacts carried out by the Institute’s Roman branch and supervised by its second secretary and Nazi-activist Siegfried Fuchs can be interpreted as part of this struggle. The ‘Germanic research’ lead the Institute to co-operation with Himmler’s SS-Ahnenerbe and produced several publications that combined quite serious basic data with an explicit ideological interpretation. This ethnic approach seems to have been accepted by many Italian and other foreign scholars.