Olaf Olsen 70 years

Abstract

Olaf Olsen 70 years

On the 7^th June 1998 Olaf Olsen celebrated his 70^th birthday. In honour of the occasion the Archaeological Society of Jutland (Jysk Arkæologisk Selskab) would like to pay tribute to the man who has for many years played a decisive role in Danish archaeology and left a pronounced mark on Jutland, too.

Olaf Olsen began his archaeological career as a student, taking part in the excavations of the Viking fortress of Aggersborg. Through his work as assistant keeper at the Danish National Museum he often had tasks in Jutland; the Viking fortress of Fyrkat and the many medieval village churches here attracted his particular interest. In 1971 he was appointed to Denmark's first chair of medieval archaeology at the University of Aarhus. He moved then to the small island of Alrø, which has been his home ever since.

During his ten years at the Department of Medieval Archaeology at Moesgård he established and developed the subject. He was an inspiring and popular teacher and an always well-prepared and diligent lecturer. He initiated large-scale training excavations, for instance at the monastery of Øm, and organised excursions both in Denmark and abroad, to England, Greenland, Russia and the Near East. During these years he also initiated the "The Medieval Town" -project which has been of far-reaching significance for Danish urban archaeology. He founded and developed a library which is today considered to be one of the best medieval archaeology reference libraries in Europe. He also made the time to publish a major work on the Fyrkat fortress.

In 1981 Olaf Olsen was appointed Keeper of National Antiquities and Director of the National Museum and moved back to Copenhagen. However, his links with the archaeology of Jutland were not severed. As Keeper of National Antiquities he was responsible for all archaeological excavations in Denmark, and this naturally brought him into close contact with the museums in this part of the country. He was also a member of the Board of Forhistorisk Museum Moesgård and remained a frequent lecturer at societies throughout Jutland. In 1995 he resigned from the position of Keeper of National Antiquities and Director of the National Museum, but he is still actively engaged in medieval archaeology and undertakes a large number of special assignments.

In the course of the years Olaf Olsen has been general editor of several large works of national importance and one of his characteristics is his ability to express himself in a clear and beautiful language -and to demand the same from others. Olaf Olsen's work has always been founded on a deep love of our ancient monuments and concern for their welfare. In addition, his work has reflected his conviction that a scholar has a moral responsibility to inform the public about all the exciting tasks in which he or she is involved. Danish archaeology is still benefitting from all this.

Hans Jørgen Madsen & Else Roesdahl