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Post-Medieval Archaeology in Denmark

Naum, Magdalena LU orcid (2026) In Oxford Handbooks p.16-37
Abstract
Excavating post-medieval sites has a long tradition in Denmark. It goes back to the 1940s and 1950s when sites such as Læsø Saltworks, Store Valby village, or Rømer tobacco pipe manufactory in Nørresundby were explored using approaches familiar to the contemporary practitioners of historical archaeology. From the 1970s onwards, post-medieval strata, which were previously removed without investigation, received proper analytical attention in urban archaeology. The establishment of an academic programme in historical archaeology at Aarhus University, coupled with museum-led excavations and research, including large projects such as the Metro Cityring in Copenhagen, strengthened the field and gave it a firm footing in a Danish archaeological... (More)
Excavating post-medieval sites has a long tradition in Denmark. It goes back to the 1940s and 1950s when sites such as Læsø Saltworks, Store Valby village, or Rømer tobacco pipe manufactory in Nørresundby were explored using approaches familiar to the contemporary practitioners of historical archaeology. From the 1970s onwards, post-medieval strata, which were previously removed without investigation, received proper analytical attention in urban archaeology. The establishment of an academic programme in historical archaeology at Aarhus University, coupled with museum-led excavations and research, including large projects such as the Metro Cityring in Copenhagen, strengthened the field and gave it a firm footing in a Danish archaeological context. Yet, the field remains rather fragmented and selective in terms of the investigated subjects, theoretical perspectives, and methods. These challenges and possibilities, as well as the general development of post-medieval archaeology in Denmark, are explored in this chapter. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Denmark, historical archaeology, urban archaeology, colonialism, industrial archaeology, museum
host publication
The Oxford Handbook of Post-Medieval Archaeology in the Nordic Countries
series title
Oxford Handbooks
editor
Lipkin, Sanna and Kallio-Seppä, Titta
pages
16 - 37
publisher
Oxford University Press
ISBN
9780197756690
DOI
10.1093/9780197756690.003.0002
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4c8d14fc-8586-4da3-9984-fa6f00eaef46
date added to LUP
2026-06-06 13:19:19
date last changed
2026-06-23 10:58:13
@inbook{4c8d14fc-8586-4da3-9984-fa6f00eaef46,
  abstract     = {{Excavating post-medieval sites has a long tradition in Denmark. It goes back to the 1940s and 1950s when sites such as Læsø Saltworks, Store Valby village, or Rømer tobacco pipe manufactory in Nørresundby were explored using approaches familiar to the contemporary practitioners of historical archaeology. From the 1970s onwards, post-medieval strata, which were previously removed without investigation, received proper analytical attention in urban archaeology. The establishment of an academic programme in historical archaeology at Aarhus University, coupled with museum-led excavations and research, including large projects such as the Metro Cityring in Copenhagen, strengthened the field and gave it a firm footing in a Danish archaeological context. Yet, the field remains rather fragmented and selective in terms of the investigated subjects, theoretical perspectives, and methods. These challenges and possibilities, as well as the general development of post-medieval archaeology in Denmark, are explored in this chapter.}},
  author       = {{Naum, Magdalena}},
  booktitle    = {{The Oxford Handbook of Post-Medieval Archaeology in the Nordic Countries}},
  editor       = {{Lipkin, Sanna and Kallio-Seppä, Titta}},
  isbn         = {{9780197756690}},
  keywords     = {{Denmark; historical archaeology; urban archaeology; colonialism; industrial archaeology; museum}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  pages        = {{16--37}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Oxford Handbooks}},
  title        = {{Post-Medieval Archaeology in Denmark}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/9780197756690.003.0002}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/9780197756690.003.0002}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}