Sonja Lyttkens became in 1956 the second woman in Sweden with a doctorate in mathematics on a doctoral thesis that dealt with harmonic analysis.
In 1963 she became the Country's first lecturer in mathematics, a service she held until 1984. Lyttkens was also involved in the work to improve women's conditions in the academic world.
In addition to her work, Lyttkens devoted herself to watercolor painting and had already had several exhibitions before she retired. Her watercolours are represented at the Swedish public art Agency.
As recently as 1986, Lyttkens published a work: General Tauberian Theorems connected with a Theorem of Korenblum. After retiring, Lyttkens devoted herself entirely to watercolor painting.
Image description: Sonja Lyttkens at the Lake Vin, unknown year. Photo: From private collection. [The image is cropped] Click here for an uncropped image
Axel W. Persson was born in Kvidinge and was early interested in archaeology.
Persson's studies and interest in the Greek language led to his becoming an associate professor in Greek language and literature 1915, in Classical Antiquity and ancient history 1921. In Uppsala Persson became professor of Classical antiquities and ancient history in 1924.
Persson was the leader of successful excavations in Greece (Asine 1922–1930, Change and Midea 1926–1927, 1937 and 1939 and in Berbati 1936–1937) and Turkey (Milas 1938 and Labraynda 1948–1950).
Special attention was the unplundered dome tomb in Dendra With treasures from Mycensk time that was excavated 1926. The discovery was designated as the largest archaeological find after the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt. In the grave rested a king, a queen and a princess. In addition, precious grave gifts were found such as gold swords and bowls of precious metals. The findings from the dome tomb ended up at the National Museum of Athens. Persson's results were published in scientific monographs such as the Royaltombs at Dendra Near Midea (1931). That work is considered a classic.
Together with his wife, during World War II he made an important humanitarian effort for Greece in the service of the Red Cross.
After the end of World War II, Persson made new excavations. In Labraynda, the goal was to find the origins of the Minoan culture. However, a temple site was found for classical and Roman times. Shortly afterwards, Persson died of a stroke.
From 1924 to 1951 Axel W. Persson was professor of classical archaeology and made his findings, his writing and his lectures the classical archaeology known and appreciated in Sweden. Persson was awarded the Övralidpriset.
Persson was regarded at his death as one of the world's leading archaeologists. He is also the father of Viktor Persson, better known as the book-Viktor.
Pontus Wikner was born in a poor homestead in Valbo-Ryrs parish in Dalsland.
He came to Uppsala in 1856 and took a lasting impression of the neo-evanglism and of Rydberg and Geijer.
As a disciple of philosopher Christopher Jacob Boström, Wikner developed at first Boström's ideas, to later expose them to religious philosophical and epistemological criticism. Against the philosophy of Boström, which was derived from God as the absolute sense, Wikner's conception a God as marked by sacred will and religion as a me-you relationship.
Between 1863–1884, Wikner was Associate Professor in theoretical philosophy in Uppsala and became lecturer in theology and Hebrew at higher general grammar school in Uppsala 1873, and professor of philosophy and aesthetics in Kristiania (Oslo) in 1884.
In the most read work thoughts and questions before the Son of man (1872) Wikner took personal position in the Christologian battles of the present time. He wanted to reconcile a biblically inspired revival of piety with a culture of open humanism and was beheld in Christian circles, mainly within the young ecclesiastical and the Covenant of Christian Humanism.
When Pontus Wikner died in Oslo after a life of sickness and personal crises, his remains was brought to Uppsala through the student union. A large number of students followed the remains to the grave.
More than 80 years (1971) after Wikner's death, his notes were published, in which he describes his homosexual orientation and the suffering it caused him.
Wikner also became an inspiration when the modern gay movement emerged in Sweden in the 1970s; a movement that has evolved and today can be referred to as the LGBTQI movement.
Otto von Friesen was born in Kulltorps Parish, Jönköping County and his most important scientific work deals with the runic script.
1897 became von Friesen docent at the Nordic languages at Uppsala University.
He published about the descent of the Runic script (1906) and the Smoke Stone (1920) in which he claimed that the enigmatic stone is about a conflict between Östgötar and Frisian merchants.
During the years 1905–1936 was von Friesen professor of Swedish language, became a member of the Academy of Sciences in 1928 and elected to the Swedish Academy in 1929.
After the master's degree, Karin Westman Berg worked as a grammar school teacher in Luleå and Härnösand from 1943 to 1957.
She received her Ph.D. in Uppsala in 1962 with studies in C.J.L. Almqvist's view on women and edited several anthologies, such as Text analysis from a gender perspective (1976) and Don't cry – research (1979).
Westman Berg was a leading figure in Swedish feminist literary research and was a member of the Fredrika Bremer Association Board from 1945 to 1977.
Westman Berg initiated and led gender roles seminars at the course activities from 1967 to 1977. At that time, women's research seminars were started, which Westman Berg led up to 1979. The seminars became an inspiring meeting place for people interested in women's issues and women's research.
A research post on women's and gender issues gave her the opportunity to start the Women literature project at the Department of Literature in Uppsala in 1978. With women's literature, it referred at the time to fiction which was written by Swedish women authors.
At the retirement in 1982, Karin Westman Berg was awarded the name of professor.
Image description: Karin Westman Berg, unknown year. Photo: Inger Harnesk / Centre for Gender Studies, Uppsala University. [The image is cropped] Click here for an uncropped image
Gunilla Bergsten was an associate professor in literary studies and mainly devoted to German literature, both in academic and popular science circles.
In 1963 she defended her thesis, Thomas Mann's Doctor Faustus , who attracted a great deal of international attention. It came to mean a lot to Thomas Mann research, because it skilfully sorted out the structure of Mann's novel design while presenting a comprehensive, previously unknown source material.
Gunilla was also theater critic for many years in the paper Upsala Nya Tidning.
Greta Arwidsson was born in Uppsala in 1906 and was the daughter of Ivar and Anna, both of whom were academics.
During the 1930s, after studying at Uppsala University, Arwidsson participated together with Professor Sune Lindqvist of the Båtgravsfältet at Vals field, which is located 7 km north of Uppsala next to Fyris creek and is a large burial ground that was used during Iron age. In 1942 she defended her thesis on the findings of the Vals field, which focused on the animal ornamentation of the Vendel period.
She was an associate professor at Uppsala University and later National antiquarian on Gotland and member of Swedish Academy. On Gotland, Arwidsson carried out several important studies. Arwidsson also participated in investigations of Birka and thus contributed to the Birka research, among other things as editor and author for research publications.
In 1956 Arwidsson was appointed professor of archaeology. In addition, she became internationally recognized for her efforts in archaeology. In her name "Greta Arwidsson Friends" was funded, an association for women working in the student nations in Uppsala.
From Greta Arwidsson Book from 1942 concerning the findings in Vals field. The picture shows a helmet found in one of the tombs. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
In 1944, Greta Arwidsson and Gunnar Ekholm examined from Uppsala University six graves on the ridge in Gamla Uppsala. Greta Arwidsson stands by the camera. Photo: Nils Johansson (presumed) / Upplandsmuseet.
Image description: Greta Arwidsson at the Museum of Nordic Antiquities, Gustavianum, Uppsala unknown year. Gunnar Sundgren / Upplandsmuseet. [The image is cropped] Click here for an uncropped image
Svante Arrhenius was born at Wiks Castle outside Uppsala where his father was a trustee.
He was one of the foremost natural scientists of his time and received the first Swedish Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1903 for his efforts regarding the electrolytic Dissociation theory from 1887. It changed all the chemists perceptions of acids, bases and salts.
From the mid-1890s, Arrhenius's interest was extended to geophysics and cosmic physics. He regarded himself as a physicist, but his main findings mainly concerned chemistry.
From 1905, Arrhenius was the director of the Nobel Institute for Physical Chemistry (Academy) in the same year.
Also as a popular science writer, Arrhenius was internationally known among other things through the release of the development of the Worlds (1906), Man in the face of the World Riddle (1907), Smallpox and their suppression (1930), The Fates of the Stars (1915) and The chemistry and Modern Life (1919).
Rutger Sernander became Associate professor in Plant Geography 1895 and later professor of plant biology from 1908 to 1931.
His research areas included plant spreading biology, lichen biology, forestry research, dendrology, archaeology as well as the development of the climate and plant world in Scandinavia after the ice ages.
Sernander was an internationally recognized scientist, and his works include The spreading biology of the Scandinavian Vegetation (1901) and the Zur Morphologie der Diasporen (1927).
Sernander also wrote about important sites from a natural and cultural point of view. In particular, Uppland and old Uppsala, Rickebasta swamps, Flottsund and also the publication about Uppsala Kungsäng that Gustav Sandberg completed and published.
Sernander conducted an intense fight to preserve unique plant communities, such as Fiby Forest and Uppsala Kungsäng. The Platform for the conservation work was the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, which Sernander was a co-founder of in 1909, and was its chairman from 1917–1930.
Professor Sernander with students before 1944, Uppsala University. Photo: Paul Sandberg / Upplandsmuseet.
Professor Sernander at Upplands Ancient Monuments Association spring excursion, Uppland 1936. Photo: Paul Sandberg / Upplandsmuseet.
Karl Gustaf Lennander became a student in Uppsala in 1875 and later associate professor and professor of surgery and obstetrics in 1891.
With him, the modern abdominal surgery began in Sweden and in 1889 the first operation at peritonitis (peritoneal inflammation) outcome from the Appendix (worm appendage) was performed. The results Lennander presented in 1902 when he also advocated early surgery at appendicitis (appendicitis). Lennander published several studies in surgery and gynecology.
Lennander became a member of the Society of Science in Uppsala in 1893, the Society of Science and Literature in Gothenburg in 1902 and the Royal Academy of Sciences in 1905. Lennander's large fortune was bequeathed to a scholarship fund at Uppsala University and to the Swedish Medical Society.
A course in surgery, autumn term 1890. Professor Karl Gustaf Lennander (sitting closest to the operating table) with the students Lindblad, Segerstedt, Floderus, Strandman, Kaijser, Olsson, Wennerström, Didriksson, Bodinsson, Nilsson. Photo: Uppsala University Library.
Doctors at the University Hospital in 1889. Around the portraits are photographs of the Fyris creek, the University Hospital, the harbour with the pump house and the Department of Anatomy, Uppsala University, the stairwell in university building, the Botanical garden, view towards the University Hospital and the castle and the cathedral, Flustret. Photo: Heinrich Osti / Uppsala University Library.
