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Medieval Meals is an ongoing research project aiming at investigating diet during the Medieval an... more Medieval Meals is an ongoing research project aiming at investigating diet during the Medieval and Renaissance periods in Denmark. This is undertaken mainly through the analysis of plant remains and pollen from 10 latrines from Zealand and Funen. This poster presents preliminary results from these analyses as well as animal bone and parasite egg analysis of one latrine from Copenhagen. Edible plants Analyses of plant remains and pollen show that a considerable component of the samples consisted of bran from cereals used for bread or porridge. A large variety of fruits, herbs, spices and nuts were also found. Many taxa were observed both as macrofossils and pollen, while other taxa were observed as only one or the other. It was found, therefore, that analyses of plant remains and pollen complement each other very well in a plant-economic analysis of latrines and a combination of these should be used in future studies.

Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark. Vol. 70, 2022

Studies of macrofossils indicate that the vegetation near Regstrup in northwest Sjaelland, Denmar... more Studies of macrofossils indicate that the vegetation near Regstrup in northwest Sjaelland, Denmark, from c. 13 600 to 13 500 cal. years BP was dominated by dwarfshrub heaths. Betula pubescens (downy birch) arrived at c. 13 500 cal. years BP and became common after c. 13 200 cal. years BP. Open forests with B. pubescens and Populus tremula (aspen) dominated until c. 12 500 cal. years BP, indicating that an Allerød-type environment persisted for c. 350 years after the cooling at the onset of the Younger Dryas, which is dated to c. 12 850 years BP in ice cores from Greenland. Betula nana was common after c. 12 500 cal. years BP, indicating a return to a tundra-like landscape with dwarf-shrub heaths. The fauna included Rangifer tarandus (reindeer), Castor fiber (Eurasian beaver) and possibly Lemmus lemmus (Norway lemming). The lake deposits contain remains of many species of aquatic plants and animals, including three species of fish. The flora and fauna indicate that the lake water was fairly nutrient-rich and alkaline.

Bulletin of The Geological Society of Denmark, Mar 30, 2022

Vertebral centra are some of the most common fossils from ichthyosaurs and thus valuable for unde... more Vertebral centra are some of the most common fossils from ichthyosaurs and thus valuable for understanding these marine reptiles. This study sets out to provide further information on the dimensional ratios of centra and how these might be used to obtain more information about an assemblage of Late Jurassic disarticulated centra found at Kingofjeldet on Kuhn Ø in NorthEast Greenland in 2017. The centra are used to test whether vertebral ratios (H:W and H:L) can be used to assign disarticulated and possibly weathered centra to a region in the vertebral column. In order to evaluate this, the ratios of the centra from Greenland were compared with those of five articulated and well-known ophthalmosaurid specimens, as well as classical traits based on morphology. Assigning the correct position in the vertebral column from ratios is, however, not straightforward. Firstly, comparing different ichthyosaur taxa gives different possible positions for the disarticulated centra. Secondly, centra from different vertebral regions commonly display similar ratios. Thirdly, ratios are sensitive to alteration by taphonomic processes. The ratios of the centra hints towards an ichthyosaur with a more regionalised vertebral column being present in the Late Jurassic sea of NorthEast Greenland. Further studies are needed to improve our understanding of the significance of the degree of regionalisation of the vertebral column among ichthyosaurs.

Danish Journal of Archaeology, 2021

A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holo... more A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holocene, ca., 4700 cal B.C. Reindeer was an important component of the Lateglacial fauna in Denmark, and the species survived for ca. 1400 years into the Holocene. However, we consider it highly unlikely that this species inhabited Denmark during the Mid-Holocene, when dense forests characterized the vegetation and summer temperatures were somewhat higher than at present. We suggest that the reindeer antler came to Sjælland from Norway or Sweden as a result of trade, perhaps involving flint.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020

Danish Journal of Archaeology, 2021

A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holo... more A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holocene, ca., 4700 cal B.C. Reindeer was an important component of the Lateglacial fauna in Denmark, and the species survived for ca. 1400 years into the Holocene. However, we consider it highly unlikely that this species inhabited Denmark during the Mid-Holocene, when dense forests characterized the vegetation and summer temperatures were somewhat higher than at present. We suggest that the reindeer antler came to Sjælland from Norway or Sweden as a result of trade, perhaps involving flint.

Danish Journal of Archaeology

A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holo... more A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holocene, ca., 4700 cal B.C. Reindeer was an important component of the Lateglacial fauna in Denmark, and the species survived for ca. 1400 years into the Holocene. However, we consider it highly unlikely that this species inhabited Denmark during the Mid-Holocene, when dense forests characterized the vegetation and summer temperatures were somewhat higher than at present. We suggest that the reindeer antler came to Sjælland from Norway or Sweden as a result of trade, perhaps involving flint.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020

A series of latrines from Denmark, spanning the periods Viking Age to Renaissance (800s-1680s AD)... more A series of latrines from Denmark, spanning the periods Viking Age to Renaissance (800s-1680s AD), have been analysed for their contents of macroscopic plant remains, pollen, and animal bones. Here we present the results and discuss the findings in relation to ancient meals. The latrines cover a period of roughly 900 years, enabling us to trace the introduction of certain types of food and the disappearance of others over time. Some plant foods have been observed archaeologically for the first time in Denmark, including cucumber and rhubarb, while two other new plants from the assemblage, citrus and cloves, have previously been reported on. Our study shows how analyses of the different organic components in a latrine complement each other, leading to new information being gained on aspects of daily life such as diet, health and culinary practices.

The combined analyses of grains, seeds, fruits, pollen, animal bones and parasite eggs from a lat... more The combined analyses of grains, seeds, fruits, pollen, animal bones and parasite eggs from a latrine dating from the late 1680s provides us with a detailed view of the diet in a Renaissance neighbourhood in Copenhagen. Analyses show that the residents had access to a varied diet of primarily fish, bread/porridge, and a range of fruits, nuts and herbs, including exotic products deriving from a global trade network. This study also shows that combining strands of evidence in a multi-proxy analysis of latrine deposits leads to much more nuanced results than with single-evidence analysis. Botanical evidence from seeds and pollen is combined here with results from previously published DNA analysis of plastids (Søe et al., 2018). Pollen of myrtle family, possibly cloves, as well as that of citrus family, have been observed, neither of which have been recorded archaeologically in Denmark before. Also, human tapeworm is recorded here for the first time in a Danish archaeological context.

Medieval Meals is an ongoing research project aiming at investigating diet during the Medieval an... more Medieval Meals is an ongoing research project aiming at investigating diet during the Medieval and Renaissance periods in Denmark. This is undertaken mainly through the analysis of plant remains and pollen from 10 latrines from Zealand and Funen. This poster presents preliminary results from these analyses as well as animal bone and parasite egg analysis of one latrine from Copenhagen. Edible plants Analyses of plant remains and pollen show that a considerable component of the samples consisted of bran from cereals used for bread or porridge. A large variety of fruits, herbs, spices and nuts were also found. Many taxa were observed both as macrofossils and pollen, while other taxa were observed as only one or the other. It was found, therefore, that analyses of plant remains and pollen complement each other very well in a plant-economic analysis of latrines and a combination of these should be used in future studies.

Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark. Vol. 70, 2022

Studies of macrofossils indicate that the vegetation near Regstrup in northwest Sjaelland, Denmar... more Studies of macrofossils indicate that the vegetation near Regstrup in northwest Sjaelland, Denmark, from c. 13 600 to 13 500 cal. years BP was dominated by dwarfshrub heaths. Betula pubescens (downy birch) arrived at c. 13 500 cal. years BP and became common after c. 13 200 cal. years BP. Open forests with B. pubescens and Populus tremula (aspen) dominated until c. 12 500 cal. years BP, indicating that an Allerød-type environment persisted for c. 350 years after the cooling at the onset of the Younger Dryas, which is dated to c. 12 850 years BP in ice cores from Greenland. Betula nana was common after c. 12 500 cal. years BP, indicating a return to a tundra-like landscape with dwarf-shrub heaths. The fauna included Rangifer tarandus (reindeer), Castor fiber (Eurasian beaver) and possibly Lemmus lemmus (Norway lemming). The lake deposits contain remains of many species of aquatic plants and animals, including three species of fish. The flora and fauna indicate that the lake water was fairly nutrient-rich and alkaline.

Bulletin of The Geological Society of Denmark, Mar 30, 2022

Vertebral centra are some of the most common fossils from ichthyosaurs and thus valuable for unde... more Vertebral centra are some of the most common fossils from ichthyosaurs and thus valuable for understanding these marine reptiles. This study sets out to provide further information on the dimensional ratios of centra and how these might be used to obtain more information about an assemblage of Late Jurassic disarticulated centra found at Kingofjeldet on Kuhn Ø in NorthEast Greenland in 2017. The centra are used to test whether vertebral ratios (H:W and H:L) can be used to assign disarticulated and possibly weathered centra to a region in the vertebral column. In order to evaluate this, the ratios of the centra from Greenland were compared with those of five articulated and well-known ophthalmosaurid specimens, as well as classical traits based on morphology. Assigning the correct position in the vertebral column from ratios is, however, not straightforward. Firstly, comparing different ichthyosaur taxa gives different possible positions for the disarticulated centra. Secondly, centra from different vertebral regions commonly display similar ratios. Thirdly, ratios are sensitive to alteration by taphonomic processes. The ratios of the centra hints towards an ichthyosaur with a more regionalised vertebral column being present in the Late Jurassic sea of NorthEast Greenland. Further studies are needed to improve our understanding of the significance of the degree of regionalisation of the vertebral column among ichthyosaurs.

Danish Journal of Archaeology, 2021

A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holo... more A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holocene, ca., 4700 cal B.C. Reindeer was an important component of the Lateglacial fauna in Denmark, and the species survived for ca. 1400 years into the Holocene. However, we consider it highly unlikely that this species inhabited Denmark during the Mid-Holocene, when dense forests characterized the vegetation and summer temperatures were somewhat higher than at present. We suggest that the reindeer antler came to Sjælland from Norway or Sweden as a result of trade, perhaps involving flint.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020

Danish Journal of Archaeology, 2021

A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holo... more A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holocene, ca., 4700 cal B.C. Reindeer was an important component of the Lateglacial fauna in Denmark, and the species survived for ca. 1400 years into the Holocene. However, we consider it highly unlikely that this species inhabited Denmark during the Mid-Holocene, when dense forests characterized the vegetation and summer temperatures were somewhat higher than at present. We suggest that the reindeer antler came to Sjælland from Norway or Sweden as a result of trade, perhaps involving flint.

Danish Journal of Archaeology

A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holo... more A small, shed antler fragment of a reindeer from Sjælland, Denmark has been dated to the Mid-Holocene, ca., 4700 cal B.C. Reindeer was an important component of the Lateglacial fauna in Denmark, and the species survived for ca. 1400 years into the Holocene. However, we consider it highly unlikely that this species inhabited Denmark during the Mid-Holocene, when dense forests characterized the vegetation and summer temperatures were somewhat higher than at present. We suggest that the reindeer antler came to Sjælland from Norway or Sweden as a result of trade, perhaps involving flint.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020

A series of latrines from Denmark, spanning the periods Viking Age to Renaissance (800s-1680s AD)... more A series of latrines from Denmark, spanning the periods Viking Age to Renaissance (800s-1680s AD), have been analysed for their contents of macroscopic plant remains, pollen, and animal bones. Here we present the results and discuss the findings in relation to ancient meals. The latrines cover a period of roughly 900 years, enabling us to trace the introduction of certain types of food and the disappearance of others over time. Some plant foods have been observed archaeologically for the first time in Denmark, including cucumber and rhubarb, while two other new plants from the assemblage, citrus and cloves, have previously been reported on. Our study shows how analyses of the different organic components in a latrine complement each other, leading to new information being gained on aspects of daily life such as diet, health and culinary practices.

The combined analyses of grains, seeds, fruits, pollen, animal bones and parasite eggs from a lat... more The combined analyses of grains, seeds, fruits, pollen, animal bones and parasite eggs from a latrine dating from the late 1680s provides us with a detailed view of the diet in a Renaissance neighbourhood in Copenhagen. Analyses show that the residents had access to a varied diet of primarily fish, bread/porridge, and a range of fruits, nuts and herbs, including exotic products deriving from a global trade network. This study also shows that combining strands of evidence in a multi-proxy analysis of latrine deposits leads to much more nuanced results than with single-evidence analysis. Botanical evidence from seeds and pollen is combined here with results from previously published DNA analysis of plastids (Søe et al., 2018). Pollen of myrtle family, possibly cloves, as well as that of citrus family, have been observed, neither of which have been recorded archaeologically in Denmark before. Also, human tapeworm is recorded here for the first time in a Danish archaeological context.