Ole Klindt-Jensen's book is interesting from several points of view. First of all, this is a solid work, written in a lively and figurative language, which reflects the dramatic and rich in vivid details of the archaic history of a small country in Northern Europe - a history brought by the author to its logical milestone - the beginning of the Viking Age. However, the content of the book and its significance significantly go beyond the scope of the topic stated in the title. It successfully combines a story about the brilliant finds that are the pride of Denmark and Danish science with a detailed and extremely imaginative recreation of the context in which these finds “lived” many centuries ago. We hope that the publication in Russian of a book by an outstanding Danish scientist will allow the domestic reader to satisfy the natural interest in the bright and original culture of archaic Denmark and the prehistoric past of Europe as a whole. CONTENTS: Preface to the Russian edition Introduction Chapter I. Paleolithic. Ice Age and the first huntersChapter II. Mesolithic. Forest periodChapter III. Neolithic. The beginning of agricultureChapter IV. Bronze AgeChapter V. Pre-Roman Iron AgeChapter VI. Roman Iron AgeChapter VII. Dark AgesChapter VIII. Prehistoric landscapeChapter IX. Danefe, excavations and collectionsBIBLIOGRAPHY