A Palisade Fit for a King

Ideal Architecture in King Harald Bluetooth’s Jelling

Dados Bibliográficos

ID6095044
AutoresMads Dengsø Jessen (0000-0002-9310-3986, National Museum of Denmark, autor correspondente), Mads Kähler Holst (0000-0001-5402-5287, Aarhus University, autor correspondente), Charlotta Lindblom (0000-0001-8225-3236, Vejle Sygehus, autor correspondente), Niels Bonde (0000-0002-9395-0763, National Museum of Denmark, autor correspondente), Anne Pedersen (0000-0002-6523-3687, National Museum of Denmark, autor correspondente)
Ano2014
Volume47
Fascículo1
Páginas42-64
Data de publicação2014-01-02
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoNorwegian Archaeological Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0029-3652 • E-ISSN: 1502-7678
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00293652.2014.921239
OpenAlexW2072900934
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas9
Referências citadas4

The royal estate in Viking Age Jelling has long been a theme for both saga and research, but has, nonetheless, lived an elusive life as far as its archaeological remains are concerned. However, recent excavations have revealed the remains of a massive wooden palisade demarcating an area of c. 125,000 m2, encircling a series of buildings and monuments. The impressive structure follows a strict architectural regularity and demonstrates a rigid concept behind the laying out of the monumental parts. The current article focuses on the construction and geometrical principles behind this layout and discusses the detailed biography of the palisade. Furthermore, preserved wood was found during the excavation of a small wetland area, thus permitting a more precise dating of the structure by dendrochronology. The resulting dates firmly link the palisade and the individual monumental parts to the royal family named on the rune stones in Jelling and in particular to the reign of King Harald Bluetooth. In addition to the structure and date of the palisade, the article will present the tentative results from a series of analyses regarding the construction, composition, function and demolition of the palisade and discuss the contemporaneous political scene

Archaeology · Art · Art history · Estate · Porch · Theme (computing) · Visual arts · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Architecture · Computer Science · Historical and Archaeological Studies · History · Medieval Literature and History