Worsaae, Jens Jacob Asmussen (1821-1885)

Danish archaeologist. He pioneered the adoption in Europe of the archaeologist Christian Thomsen's Three Age System which divided prehistory into the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Age, and added further subdivisions within each age.

Worsaae was a careful excavator and pioneer of palaeobotany, collecting evidence from barrows, bogs, peat mosses, and from Danish kitchen middens.

One of the first professional archaeologists, Worsaae was inspector of antiquities and lecturer in archaeology at the University of Copenhagen, and succeeded Christian Thomsen as curator of the National Museum (originally the Museum of Northern Antiquities) in Copenhagen 1865.

His publications include Danmarks Oldtid/The Primeval Antiquities of Denmark 1848.