Jelling before Jelling

In contrast with the scientific studies of the landscape, the historical and archaeological investigations in and around Jelling extend far back in time and have involved some of the ’fathers’ of Danish archaeology. It is apparent from their observations and descriptions of the antiquities of Jelling that there was a notable lack of objects dating to the Iron Age and early historical periods. As modern archaeology has moved from archive studies to field investigations, however, this imbalance has been rectified, and excavations undertaken since the 1980s have provided much new information on the Iron Age and the Viking Age, both at Jelling and in the local surroundings. Archaeological finds dating to the period after the birth of Christ are still rather limited, and the later periods of prehistory are primarily attested by excavated structures, such as buildings, farms and burials. In addition, due to the popularity of the metal detector amongst amateur archaeologists several objects dating to the periods up to and contemporary with the construction of the Viking-Age monuments at Jelling have come to light in recent years. It is therefore possible today to draw a much more comprehensive picture of the settlement at Jelling in the period before the establishment of the monument complex.