In 1797 the first discovery of Scandinavian Bronze Age horns, the so called lurs, was made in Denmark. Naturally, a great deal of attention has been devoted to these impressive instruments, which are approximately three thousand years old. Up to the 1960s, these lurs were usually discussed in Scandinavian archaeological specialist literature as if they were the only preserved remnants of prehistoric music in Northern Europe. Several sporadic, pioneering studies of other sound-making instruments were also completed early on. However, it was not until the 1970s that a more systematic approach to research on music and other "cultural sounds" in Scandinavia's prehistory began, under the name "music archaeology". What had started with a handful of international individuals, including the author, soon grew into a group of researchers, which have laid the foundation for the field of music archaeology today. The history of the term "music archaeology" is summarised in an appendix.

• Music Archaeology in Scandinavia, 1800…1990 (page 5)
• A Grand Overture (page 7)
• The Sound of Archaeology (page 8)
• Historical Background Prior to the 1970s (page 9)
• Pioneers (page 9)
• The productive 1940s (page 11)
• The 1950s and 1960s (page 12)
• Summary (page 13)
• Music Archaeology: the Golden Era (page 14)
• Exhibition and National Inventory (page 14)
• International contacts: Berkeley 1977 and the Study Group ofthe International Council for Traditional Music (page 15)
• Musica Sveciae (page 16)
• Education of youth and adults (page 17)
• Music archaeology: an instrument for art and knowledge (page 17)
• Appendix: the Known History of the Term Music ArchaeologyŽ from an International Perspective (page 18)
• The use of terms before the 1980s (page 19)
• Use of the term in the 1980s (page 21)
• Bibliography (page 23)