Tønnesminde, Samsø
 Location of the site in Denmark
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| Location | Samsø, Denmark |
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| Coordinates | 55°48′36.122″N 10°37′25.337″E / 55.81003389°N 10.62370472°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | Early Neolithic (Funnel Beaker Culture) Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age Pre-Roman Iron Age Viking Age Present times (19th century to modern day) |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1999, 2014-2017 |
Tønnesminde is the site of an archaeological excavation ground and present day organic farm on the island of Samsø, Denmark. Archaeological evidence attests the area around Tønnesminde has a long history of human occupation, dating from approximately 4000 BC to present day. Recent excavations suggest that Tønnesminde contains settlements dating from the Funnelbeaker culture in the Early Neolithic period, Early Bronze Age, Pre-Roman Iron Age, and Viking Age.
Excavations began at Tønnesminde when the Danish National Museum investigated a 500 m² area northwest of the farm in preparation for sewage pipeline construction in 1999.Archaeologists excavated the remains of a house, four large pits, a fence, a cultural layer, and a few postholes. Finds included flint flakes, a fishing net anchor ("netsynk"), and ceramics.
Interest in the Tønnesminde area resumed in 2010 with a metal detector survey launched by Moesgaard Museum and Samsø Museum in the hopes of learning more about Viking Age military establishments on Samsø and finding sites for additional excavations. The survey has increased the number of metal artifacts from the island, changed the conception of Samsø's settlement history, particularly in regards to the Iron Age, and renewed interest in Tønnesminde.
After the rediscovery of the site by the metal detector campaign, excavations resumed at Tønnesminde in 2014 as a joint investigation between Moesgaard Museum and Harvard Summer School Viking Studies Program. A trial excavation composed of five trial trenches began at Tønnesminde on March 24, 2014 and revealed remains from Pre-Roman Iron Age and Viking Age settlements.In June and July 2014, archaeologists from Moesgaard Museum and Aarhus University as well as students from Harvard excavated three separate trenches, totaling an area of 1100 m², and examined four pit houses, one three-aisled long house, and numerous pits and postholes. Several of the postholes suggested the previous presence of a fence and a small structure. A fifth pit house was discovered but not excavated, and a trial trench suggested it could be the remains of a burnt house.
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