Ejnar Dyggve and the royal monuments in Jelling, Denmark (original) (raw)
Related papers
Ejnar Dyggve, Jelling, and the Mediterranean
Vikings in the Mediterranean (Nei Price, Marianne Hem Eriksen & Carsten Jahnke eds), 2023
The Jelling Monuments associated with the royal couple King Gorm and Queen Thyra, and their son King Harald are well-known to scholars interested in the Christianization and consolidation of royal power in the Viking Age and early medieval period. The site has a long history of research going back to the late sixteenth century. Time and again new empirical evidence has come to light, most recently in the investigations of the National Museum Jelling Project, a collaboration with VejleMuseerne and the Universities of Aarhus and Copenhagen, which revealed that the known monuments – rune stones, ship setting and mounds – had been surrounded by an immense enclosure. The discovery rekindled interest in the work of the architect and archaeologist Ejnar Dyggve. After excavations in Jelling in the 1940s and drawing upon his experience from excavations in the eastern Mediterranean (at Thessaloniki among other sites), Dyggve presented the first comprehensive model of the spatial development of the complex and its transformation through time from a pagan memorial and sanctuary to a Christian monument with a church and Christian rune stone. Although in part accepted, his idea of a triangular, stone-set pagan sanctuary was subject to much critique and has since been abandoned. With it, other of Dyggve’s ideas concerning the purpose and architectural inspiration behind the Jelling monuments were also bypassed. However, with the new discoveries in mind it has proved fruitful to return to Dyggve’s visions to revaluate some of his ideas and look at Jelling as an architectural expression of power, governed by rituals and purposes which find parallels in monuments and traditions originating in the Mediterranean.
2023
This two-volume publication presents the joint efforts and inter-disciplinary approach of scholars from widely varying specialist fields, all of whom have contributed to the objectives of the research program of the Jelling Project. The project aimed to acquire more information about the Jelling monuments, their local preconditions, and the local and regional environments, and thus also a deeper understanding of the significance of the complex in the transformation processes that took place in Viking-Age Denmark. The publication is accordingly divided into five main parts which cover the different foci of the investigations, followed by a concluding chapter, in which the implications of the numerous results are examined and developed further. Specific analyses and catalogues are included in Appendices 1-6. The publication is available from Syddansk Universitetsforlag, Odense.
The Jelling Monuments ‒ a national Icon between Legend and Fact
Quo vadis? Status and Future Perspectives of Long-Term Excavations in Europe (ed. by Claus von Carnap-Bornheim), Schriften des archäologischen Landesmuseums Ergänzungsreihe Bd. 10, pp. 249-263, 2014
The Jelling Monuments are a significant testimony of the religious and political transformations that took place in 10th-century Denmark, and although Jelling never evolved to become a major centre, it retained its importance as a royal monument and memorial. Excavations since 2006 have revealed remains of a four-sided palisade defining an area of 12.5 hectares and buildings similar to those known from King Harald's cirkular fortresses. The results have extended the scale of the monument complex and further accentuated the transformation of the site over time, thus also challenging well-known and accepted narratives.
Offa´s Dyke Journal, 2019
Between 2010 and 2014, the State Archaeological Department of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany jointly undertook excavation work with the Danish Museum Sønderjylland – Arkæologi Haderslev on the linear earthwork monument, the Danevirke. These transnational excavations have led to important new findings, which include the discovery of the site of a gateway, where major transport routes converged for at least five hundred years. Furthermore, newly gained C14-dates indicate that the second main building phase of the Danevirke dates to around AD 500. Therefore, the dating of the first beginnings of the earthwork must be pushed back in time, making the Danevirke more than 200 years older than previously thought. Additionally, dendrochronological dates show that around the year AD 1200 substantial building activities took place, which reveal the intention of developing the Danevirke further. A project is currently ongoing, which aims to publish the results of the 2010−2014 excavations. This article outlines the synopsis of those results and current working hypotheses.
Jastorf and Jutland (On the northern extent of the so-called Jastorf Culture)
Das Jastorf-Konzept und die vorrömische Eisenzeit im nördlichen Mitteleuropa, 2014
The paper deals with the problem of establishing a "northern extend" of the Jastorf culture. The problem is reviewed historically showing a disagreement between German and Danish researchers on the problem. While German archaeology tends to include all of Jutland within the Jastorf culture Danish researchers either omit the discussion or tend to place the "border" as far south as possible. Though the disagreement may be rooted in 19th century politics the archaeological record it self clearly shows that the northern provinces of Jutland cannot be classified as "Jastorf culture". Further the meaning of "an archaeological culture" is discussed and it is argued that such cultures are first and foremost a system of classification, that should not without caution be taken as expression of historical social entities.