Jan Bill

Jan Bill is Professor of Viking Age Archaeology at the University of Oslo's Department of Archaeology and curator of the Viking Ship Collection at the Museum of Cultural History since 2007. His academic trajectory includes leadership roles at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde (2003-2007) and the Centre for Maritime Archaeology at Denmark's National Museum (1997-2003), where he progressed from PhD researcher to deputy director.

His research centers on Viking Age and medieval archaeology, specializing in seafaring, burial practices, and scientific methodologies. Key investigations focus on Norwegian ship burials (Oseberg, Gokstad) to decode power representation through funerary rituals, and seafaring's role in societal complexity. His interdisciplinary approach integrates archaeology with genetics, geochemistry, and digital humanities.

Recent publications reveal dominant trends in Viking Age genomics, ship burial reinterpretation, and geoarchaeological analysis of settlements. Major themes include population migrations, ancient pathogens, trade networks, and landscape reconstruction, often through large-scale collaborations like the Population Genomics of the Vikings project.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Aage Rothenborgs Endowment (2017) for contributions to early medieval Scandinavian maritime culture

Bill currently supervises two PhD candidates and leads significant grants including the Gokstad revitalised research project, Saving Oseberg Project, and Gjellestad excavation. His grant portfolio emphasizes interdisciplinary Viking Age studies combining archaeology with DNA analysis and geophysical surveying.

He directs the Centre for Viking-Age Studies (ViS) and contributes to INTER-Action research group. Critical institutional work involves developing the new Museum of the Viking Age and steering major conservation initiatives like the ADED project for archaeological digital documentation.