It all began with a lecture on war and the life that follows. At the beginning of April, former Balkan veteran Henrik Nielsen talked about his experiences from the mission, about the consequences – and about how the metal detector hobby has given him and other veterans new meaning in everyday life.

That lecture was the start of a national meeting for veterans on 5 April, organized by "Veterans in Archaeology" and "Vetektor Buddy" in collaboration with Veterancafé Lejre. The event took place at Nyvang Andelslandsby and was a great success.

The collaboration between Museum Vestsjælland and "Vetektor Buddy" is part of the research project "Veterans in Archaeology" at Aarhus University. The project examines how archaeology can function as a social and health-promoting activity for former soldiers – and the results are promising.

"We know from our research that archaeology can have a beneficial effect on injured veterans. At the same time, veterans are often very skilled amateur archaeologists with a strong sense of strategy, systematics and cooperation," says Minos Dobat, head of the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies.

The museum sees great perspectives in the collaboration. There is also great support for the project from the research side:

"We are experiencing a great interest in the project – both among veterans, but also in the health sector and among the municipalities. There is enormous potential in using archaeology as a health-promoting effort, and the archaeological museums in Denmark play a key role in this. Therefore, we would very much like to enter into more collaborations like the one we have now established with Vestsjællands Museum," says Minos Dobat.

The lecture that started it all was part of a new series of knowledge salons.

Read more about Veterans in Archaeology here.

Contact

Minos Dobat, Associate Professor
Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies
School of Culture and Society
Aarhus University
Mail: farkado@cas.au.dk
Mobile: +45 4111 8689