Digitizing the Bronze Age (at The National Museum of Denmark)
Matthew J. Walsh, Samantha Reiter, Karin Margarita Frei, Susanne Klingenberg · Ministry of Culture Research Portal · 2019
The archaeological records archive at the National Museum of Denmark houses one of the most comprehensive national collections of original archaeological documents in the world. The Bronze Age archaeological reports therein date to the mid-19th century, with accession information collected and collated since 1806. In addition, the archive houses many iconic original artworks in the corpus of European Bronze Age literature. However, as they are still in paper form they are prompt to decay, and there remain some natural limitations with respect to access. Hence, the records remain in some aspects invisible to the public. We provide a brief overview of the archive and its significance to Danish and broader European cultural heritage. We present an ongoing strategy to systematically digitize the Bronze Age archaeological records collection at the National Museum of Denmark as well as efforts to make the archive’s records accessible online. We highlight the importance of these types of efforts in the contexts of the transfer and exchange of knowledge by museums, and describe how contemporary archaeological research is augmented by access to such legacy documents. Finally, we discuss these efforts as an integral responsibility of museums in the Digital Age and offer insights into implementation of the digitization undertaking thus far, with the aim to provide new insights into Nordic Bronze Age identity.