Anne Pedersen, senior researcher at the National Museum, is this year honored with the Erik Westerby Prize for her extensive research on Jelling. This recognition, which is the most prestigious within Danish archaeology, is awarded to Ph.D. and senior researcher at the National Museum, Anne Pedersen, who has dedicated many years to studying the Jelling complex from the Viking Age. This was stated in a press release from the National Museum. Rane Willerslev, the director of the National Museum and chairman of the Erik Westerby Foundation, participated in the award ceremony. He emphasizes that Anne Pedersen’s research is of vital importance for understanding Denmark’s history. “Anne Pedersen has particularly contributed to uncovering Jelling, which is one of the most central places in Denmark. It is said that our country was born in Jelling,” he told Ritzau. This research plays a crucial role in understanding how Denmark has evolved into the country it is today, he added. In addition to the Erik Westerby Prize, Anne Pedersen also receives the National Museum’s bronze anniversary medal in recognition of her efforts. Her years of research have resulted in three major works on Jelling, which were published in April 2024. Anne Pedersen has been employed at the National Museum since 1991, where her focus has been on the Viking Age and specifically Jelling. She was involved in establishing the first exhibition at Kongernes Jelling in 2000. Around 2008, she succeeded in obtaining a grant for a major communication and research project on Jelling. “The goal was to gain new knowledge about the monument area, as Jelling is not the obvious place to erect monuments, as it has never been a market town,” explains Anne Pedersen. She has examined Jelling’s role in the Viking Age, including how power was communicated around the 9th century and what the monuments were meant to convey. According to Anne Pedersen, this research can help place Jelling in a broader context of the Viking Age in Denmark. From 2013 to 2015, Anne Pedersen was one of the leading curators of the National Museum’s international exhibition “Viking,” and in 2021, she contributed to the special exhibition “The Raid.” The Erik Westerby Foundation was established in memory of Erik Westerby, who lived from 1901 to 1981 and explored remnants from the oldest Stone Age in Denmark. The Foundation has awarded the prize almost every year since 1983. Last year, it was Pauline Asingh, an archaeologist and head of exhibition development at Moesgaard Museum, who received the prize for her significant contribution to the dissemination of archaeology.

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