Peder Mortensen (7 May 1934 – 8 December 2022) was[1] a Danish archaeologist specialized in the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods of southwest Asia.
[4] He studied prehistoric archaeology at Aarhus University and graduated with an MA degree in 1960.
[5] He was a curator at the National Museum of Denmark from 1961–1968,[4] the director of the Moesgaard Museum from 1982–1996,[6] director for the Danish Institute in Damascus and cultural advisor to the Danish embassy in Damascus 1996–2001,[4] and then honorary professor in Middle Eastern studies at University of Copenhagen.
[4] Mortensen was a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters[7] and a member of the Academia Europea.
[8] In 2004, he was honored by the festschrift From handaxe to Khan : essays presented to Peder Mortensen on the occasion of his 70th birthday.