Jens Jacob Asmussen Worsaae

Jens Jacob Asmussen Worsaae ( born March 14, 1821 in Vejle, Denmark, † August 15, 1885 in Copenhagen) was a Danish archaeologist and prehistorians. He is one of the pioneers of prehistoric archeology. Worsaae was a student of Christian Jurgensen Thomsen.

Worsaae was the son of a Danish higher government officials. He first studied law, broke it after the death of his father from but to devote himself entirely to the study of the early history. The Danish King Frederick VII, who privately very concerned with archeology, summoned him to submission of its first publications in 1848 on the specially created for him post of Inspector of Antiquities. In 1854 he was appointed professor; 1858 ordered the king Worsaae curator of his personal collection of antiquities. Worsaae was at the time of the first prehistorians who moved into a salary for his work.

Worsaae 1850 was a member of a commission of inquiry to the Danish Government to explore the Køkkenmøddinger and contributed significantly to their characterization as settlements of early prehistoric humans.

He was a corresponding member of the Berlin Society for Anthropology, Ethnology and Prehistory.