ABSTRACT
The Viking Age ring fortress Nonnebakken is located within and under the modern city of Odense in Denmark and is only visible to the informed or trained eye. The fortress has however been known for centuries from historical maps and excavations, and recent investigations in the form of excavations and non-destructive analysis have proven that its state of preservation is generally excellent. This new research has been the point of departure for a revitalisation of Nonnebakken in local consciousness. The paper presents the results of the recent research and offers new interpretations on the local, regional and national landscape context of the fortress. It also describes the strategies and methods that are being deployed to improve the visualisation of the fortress and its landscape setting and to help local people be more aware of it in terms of ownership and pride.
Acknowledgements
The research on Nonnebakken is part of two projects: ‘From Central Space to Urban Place’ funded by the Velux Foundation, and ‘The origins of Odense – New aspects of early urbanisation in southern Scandinavia’, funded by the Danish Ministry of Culture.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes on contributor
Mads Runge, PhD, is an archaeologist working in Odense City Museums. He is head of the research centre, CENTRUM (https://museum.odense.dk/centrum), which examines the relationship between the central and the decentralised in a broad chronological framework. Mads’ research interest cover urbanisation, the Viking Age, fortification and landscape archaeology.