A necessary annotation to Gernot Tromnaus uncritical acclaim of Alfred Friedrich Wilhelm Rust (1900 - 1983)

Abstract

Alfred Rust, an archaeologist from Schleswig-Holstein / Germany, is held in a high public esteem in his former domain Ahrensburg. This respect stems from a combination of unique features which are centred on his scientific success, his excavations in Jabrud and Meiendorf as well as his adventurous journeys by bicycle as far as the Near East and Egypt. This picture has been questioned since the beginning of the reworking of his NS past in the 1980ies when a walking trail through the Ahrensburger Tunneltal was going to be dedicated to him. Later, the late director of the Kultur- und Stadthistorisches Museum Duisburg Gernot Tromnau spread the idea that A. Rust had managed to find his scientific niche during the NS regime due to his specific cleverness. This example of historical misinterpretation must be contradicted simply considering the present state of research. The article discusses and evaluates the assumptions of G. Tromnau.