The Aryan Vikings of Hedeby: Danish Archaeology in the Shadow of the Third Reich

Abstract:

Throughout the 1930s, Nazi-affiliated researchers gradually took over the academic field of Germanic prehistory in an attempt to provide pseudoscientific justifications for their racialized ideology. Assuming a supposed position of neutrality, Danish prehistorians and archaeologists chose to continue cooperating with their German colleagues, while ignoring their radical political views. This thesis examines the reception of Nazi pseudoscientific research in Denmark and the long-term effects of such scholarship on the academic field of Scandinavian prehistory. Moreover, it aims to challenge Danish national narratives, which have traditionally emphasized Danish policies of neutrality and the reluctance to cooperate with National Socialists. While previous scholarship has examined Nazi-sponsored archaeological expeditions from a German perspective, this project explores the Danish response to Nazi pseudoscience and the politicization of the Vikings. Through an examination of academic publications and correspondence, it identifies four main stages of archaeological politicization including 1) the early introduction of Nazi archaeology in Denmark; 2) international cooperation at the German site of Hedeby; 3) wartime misuses of archaeology and Viking cultural heritage; 4) the long-term effects of postwar denazification on Danish academia. Ultimately, a look at Nazi-era archaeology in Denmark challenges the country’s policy of neutrality towards the Third Reich and emphasizes the lack of clear distinctions between intentional collaboration and tacit participation.