Aage Roussel

Who is Aage Roussel?

Dr. Aage Roussel, often Rousell, was a Danish architect, archaeologist and historian. He was best known for his archaeological work in Greenland in the 1920s and 1930s, especially for his work on Norse settlements in medieval Greenland. In 1926 he and Poul Nørlund unearthed 13 skeletons in Igaliku. In 1932 he returned to Greenland with Eigil Knuth on an archaeological dig to excavate old Norse sites on West Greenland's coast. Roussel, Knuth and Nørlund returned during the summer of 1934, excavating the old Norse ruins again at Igaliku. He returned again in the summer of 1937 with a Polish expedition to the Godthaab district. Roussel worked for the National Museum of Denmark and was often appointed to lead archaeological expeditions and exhibitions. He authored works such as Farms and Churches in the Mediaeval Norse Settlement of Greenland He was later a contributor to the Arctic Encyclopedia.

During the German occupation of Denmark, Roussel participated actively in the resistance movement. As a result, in 1957 he was appointed head of the newly established Denmark's Liberation Museum 1940-1945, a position he held until 1971 when his health began to fail.