RYDH, Hanna Albertina. Stockholm 12.2.1891 — Solna 29.6.1964. Swedish Archaeologist. Daughter of engineer and director Johan Albert Rydh (1852–1931) and Matilda Josefina Westlund, teacher at elementary school. School and studies in Stockholm, graduated 1915 in archaeology and art history. Ph.D. 1919 Uppsala (diss. on Viking Age archaeology). Conducted excavations at various Swedish sites. In 1924-25 in Musée d’Archéologie nationale, conducted excavations in the Pyrenees. In 1931-38 living in Östersund, where his husband was governor. She was also a politician, M.P. 1943-44 for Liberal People’s Party, among pioneers of feminist movement in Sweden (President of International Alliance for Women 1946-52). Strongly opposed to Nazis. Married 1919 Bror Schmittger (1882–1924), also an archaeologist, and 1929 Mortimer Munck af Rosenschöld (1873–1942), a high civil servant, two sons with the first.
In 1945 Rydh made her first visit to South Asia. In 1952–54 she led the joint Indian-Swedish archaeological expedition to Rang Mahal in the north of Rajasthan.
Publications: Wrote on Swedish archaeology, popular books on Egyptian and Mediterranean archaeology; also political writings, her main works listed in Swedish Wikipedia.
– Min resa till Indien. 226 p. Stockholm1946; Brytningstid i Orienten. 201 p. Stockholm 1952.
– Indisk ökenby. 132 p. Stockholm1956.
– Rang Mahal: the Swedish archaeological expedition to India 1952-1954. 7+217 p. 86 pl. Acta Archaeologica Lundensia 3. Lund 1959; short articles on the same.
Sources: Hj. Levin, Sv. biogr. lex. 31, 2000-02, 93; Wikipedia with photo (more details in Swedish version).
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