The rune stone investigations

The two rune stones raised by King Gorm and King Harald play a key role in the narratives and historical interpretations of the Jelling monument complex. They tie known historical individuals to a location which, despite the two great mounds, would otherwise have remained anonymous, and rather than being randomly (independently) placed, appear to have been integral elements of the overall plans for the site. It was never really questioned that King Harald’s rune stone was intended to stand midway between the two mounds. It was obvious, however, that the older, smaller rune stone raised by King Gorm no longer stood in its original position. The digging that was required in 2011 for protective case foundations, technical installations and the securing of the rune stones offered an opportunity to re-examine this central part of the monument area. The results of the investigations are presented in this chapter, after a summary of the observations previously made by Dyggve and Krogh.