Hein B. Bjerck - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Hein B. Bjerck
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2024
Reverend Thomas Bridges' Yagan-English dictionary (1879) has hitherto been little explored outsid... more Reverend Thomas Bridges' Yagan-English dictionary (1879) has hitherto been little explored outside of linguistics but is highly valuable as a complementary source to archaeological, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic records in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina and Chile). The dictionary contains 22,800 entries and yields rich information concerning the marine lifeways of the Yagan and their and intimate knowledge about Fuegian seascapes. The idea behind this paper is that environments have strong bearings on linguistic vocabularies. Treating words as archaeological objects that map onto landscapes, we identify important landforms for Yagan marine foragers and Norwegian fisher-farmers in a comparative study of word frequencies in Bridges' dictionary and Ivar Aasen's Norwegian dictionary (1850). Moreover, we explore in detail how marine lifestyles and Fuegian seascapes emerge in Bridges' dictionary and discuss the dictionary's relevance for historical archaeology in Tierra del Fuego.
Archaeological Prospection, 2023
LiDAR has become fairly integrated into archaeological practice at a global scale. This has gradu... more LiDAR has become fairly integrated into archaeological practice at a global scale. This has gradually evolved to include UAV LiDAR. Nevertheless, considerable biases remain, including with regard to geographical regions, chronological periods, feature types and environments. At present, few studies of coastal environments exist, despite the fact that LiDAR-and UAV LiDAR in particular-has the obvious advantages of flexibility and time efficiency in such archaeologically rich but logistically challenging environments. In this paper, we compare the results of UAV LiDAR surveys with records from previous ground surveys in two case studies from coastal environments on opposite sides of the globe. Case Study I of shell middens located within approximately 3 km 2 around Cambaceres Bay involved the first collection of LiDAR data from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Case Study II covered approximately 3 km 2 of the island of Vega, Northern Norway, and is among the pioneering LiDAR studies of Mesolithic house pits. The detection success rate was fairly good for Cambaceres-69% of 1240 recorded structures were identified on LiDAR-and above expected for Vega, with 81% of 51 recorded house pits identified on LiDAR. In Cambaceres, the main challenges were dense and low vegetation and identifying small middens. Possible new identifications of archaeological features were made in both areas: subtle depressions interpreted as dwelling foundations in Cambaceres and house pits on Vega. We conclude that UAV LiDAR can contribute to coastal archaeology and that it has added values besides making new identifications, being both flexible and time efficient. An example pertains to the possible identification of a practice that has not previously been proved archaeologically in Tierra del Fuegomore thorough site preparation prior to the construction of the dwellings-which in turn raises new questions.
Journal of Lithic Studies, 2016
Environmental Archaeology, 2019
‘Climate’ is rarely experienced directly – contrary to day-to-day ‘weather’ and ‘seasons’ that ma... more ‘Climate’ is rarely experienced directly – contrary to day-to-day ‘weather’ and ‘seasons’ that manifest in landscapes (‘weather-worlds’). This paper elaborates the role of sea ice and sea ice hunting outside the lateglacial Doggerland beaches. The winter–spring sea ice was a seasonal extension of the continental plains, and a potential meeting ground for the human hunters of the plains and the mammals of the sea. Here, the hunters could observe and experience that seals were easy prey and that seals were similar to the familiar terrestrial megafauna; providing meat and blood, bone, skin, bladders and sinews, and ample supplies of fat (blubber) that also could heat dwellings. Seals on the ice could be hunted with similar methods and equipment as terrestrial animals – without the need of boats and the risks of cold, open sea. The Doggerland sea ice was a meeting ground of land and sea that could have been imperative in the development of marine foraging and the subsequent colonisation of Scandinavian seascapes. Levi Bryant’s ‘Machine Oriented Ontology’ may be instrumental to envision the sea ice and its potential for the lateglacial hunters in Northwest Europe.
The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, Jun 15, 2016
After Discourse - Things, Affects, Ethics (Olsen, Burström, DeSilvey & Þóra Pétursdóttir, eds.) Routledge., 2021
The Norwegian cave paintings are all found in a c. 1000 km coastal stretch in North Norway. At pr... more The Norwegian cave paintings are all found in a c. 1000 km coastal stretch in North Norway. At present, paintings are found in 12 caves. The images are probably painted during a short period within the Bronze Age, the majority of motifs are strikingly similar anthropomorphic figures (‘stick men’) painted in red, suggesting a relation to a communal ritual tradition. This paper is making explicit the conspicuous sensory world of the caves, and discusses the phenomenological implications of cavescapes. Very likely, embodied experiences were imperative in images’ cultural context. The familiar human world of life, light, motion, colours, sounds and odours are absent in caves. Most caves lack definite endings, they merely restrict the reach of human bodies, and nourish a notion of caves as corridors to realms beyond. All caves seem to lead to the same – a world out of the day, time, and life – thus, cavescapes are ‘evidence’ of an ever present and everywhere world below us – the Underworld.
Bearbeidelser - 22. juli i ord og bilder. Universitetsforlaget, 2020
Det sier mye om tingenes kraft, de autentiske sporene etter alvorlige traumer, at de nesten allti... more Det sier mye om tingenes kraft, de autentiske sporene etter alvorlige traumer, at de nesten alltid blir hastig fjernet. Hendelsene gjenoppstår gjerne som representasjoner, minnesteder og kunstneriske bearbeidelser, temmet til et smertenivå vi kan tåle. Avismonteren utenfor VGs redaksjon var et gripende vitnesbyrd etter 22. juli-angrepet i Regjeringskvartalet: Siste avis før terroren, bak det krakelerte glasset etter bomben – et vindu til en verden som var. Monteren sto klippefast, nøyaktig der den tok slaget, og ble etter hvert et av de siste urørte minnene etter ugjerningen. Monteren fikk stå en stund, men ble i 2013 flyttet til et uvirksomt busskur like over gaten i kunsthandlingen «Relocating the Past». Men kraften i det urørte fulgte ikke med på flyttelasset.
SPOR 1/2019, 2019
Arkeologer fra NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet har gjennom mange år fokusert på det sørlige Sør-Amerika. Ba... more Arkeologer fra NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet har gjennom mange år fokusert på det sørlige Sør-Amerika. Bakgrunnen for denne interessen er skjærgården langs den sørligste Stillehavskysten i Chile og Argentina, som rekker helt til Tierra del Fuego (Ildlandet). Som i Skandinavia er skjærgården her blitt formet av is-erosjon under kanskje så mange som femti istider gjennom tre millioner år i løpet av Pleistocene, istidenes tidsalder. Skjærgården er et beskyttende belte av skjær og holmer, øyer og sund som skiller storhav fra fjorder og fastland. Her fi nnes et yrende dyreliv både over og under vann, og det skjermede farvannet minsker farene under sjøferdsel, fi ske og fangst. Begge disse kystene er dermed ideelle for sjøfangst, og i begge områdene er det lange og rike tradisjoner med denne levemåten.
Under studieoppholdet i 2019 ble det gjort 3D opptak fra drone som en forberedelse til en omfattende laser scanning (ALS) vi arbeider med å finansiere. Det ble dessuten gravd en prøverute i Casa Grande Imiwaia, en spesielt omfangsrik skjellmødding (ca 600m2 i utstrekning, 1,5m tykk), som rommer en uvanlig stor hyttestruktur med gulvflate på rundt 80m2, i.e. mer enn fem ganger større enn de mange bolighyttene. Funnene styrket at dette var et sted utenfor hverdagen. Tydeligvis var dette en samlingsplass for mange der store mengder av skjell var konsumert. Dateringene var overraskende – størsteparten av skjellmøddingen ser ut til å vare fra en kort periode like før 6000 BP.
Bayley & Spikins (eds) Mesolithic Europe, 2010
An overview of the Mesolithic period in Norway, published in Bayley, G. & P. Spikins 2010 (2008),... more An overview of the Mesolithic period in Norway, published in Bayley, G. & P. Spikins 2010 (2008), Mesolithic Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ Press.
(References are combined in a large, common list for the whole volume.)
Environmental Archaeology. The J. of Human Paeleoecology, 2021
‘Climate’ is rarely experienced directly – contrary to day-to-day ‘weather’ and ‘seasons’ that ma... more ‘Climate’ is rarely experienced directly – contrary to day-to-day ‘weather’ and ‘seasons’ that manifest in landscapes (‘weather-worlds’). This paper elaborates the role of sea ice and sea ice hunting outside the lateglacial Doggerland beaches. The winter–spring sea ice was a seasonal extension of the continental plains, and a potential meeting ground for the human hunters of the plains and the mammals of the sea. Here, the hunters could observe and experience that seals were easy prey and that seals were similar to the familiar terrestrial megafauna; providing meat and blood, bone, skin, bladders and sinews, and ample supplies of fat (blubber) that also could heat dwellings. Seals on the ice could be hunted with similar methods and equipment as terrestrial animals – without the need of boats and the risks of cold, open sea. The Doggerland sea ice was a meeting ground of land and sea that could have been imperative in the development of marine foraging and the subsequent colonisation of Scandinavian seascapes. Levi Bryant’s ‘Machine Oriented Ontology’ may be instrumental to envision the sea ice and its potential for the lateglacial hunters in Northwest Europe.
SPOR, 2018
Uten tvil – dagens mennesker benytter seg av langt flere og helt andre ting enn man gjorde i stei... more Uten tvil – dagens mennesker benytter seg av langt flere og helt andre ting enn man gjorde i steinalderen. Men heller ikke den gang våknet man naken i lyngen om morgenen, og måtte bygge verden fra bunnen av. Menneskene var like avhengige av sine materielle hjelpere da som nå, og derfor er tingene en viktig kilde for arkeologene. Men dette handler ikke bare om fjern fortid; tingene er også vesentlige vitnesbyrd om vår egen tid.
![Research paper thumbnail of [Zangrando, Bjerck, Piana, Breivik, Tivoli & Negre] Spatial patterning and occupation dynamics during the Early Holocene in an archaeological site from the south coast of Tierra del Fuego: Binushmuka I](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/59184262/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Estudios Atacameños.Arqueología y Antropología Surandinas., 2017
We explore the implications of the spatial structure of the artifact assemblages at the Binushmuk... more We explore the implications of the spatial structure of the artifact assemblages at the Binushmuka I site, located in the north coast of the Beagle Channel (Tierra del Fuego). The information corresponding to the stratigraphy, chronology and composition of the archaeological assemblages of this site is described. We focus on the spatial distribution of artifacts, which mainly depend on the number and duration of the occupations and the size of the group, to evaluate the temporal structure of the assemblages. For assessing pattern mobility, we also consider the spatial consistency of the location of the site in relation to features of the paleogeography and the archaeological landscape.
The confined size of the assemblages (~7-8 m2) are likely to represent occupations by small sized groups. The spatial consistency between early Holocene occupations and marine hunter-gatherer assemblages observed at a regional level suggests that groups with similar mobility and foraging strategies could have occupied the site.
Keywords: coastal site, early Holocene, early coastal foragers, lithic technology, spatial analysis.
Asle Bruen Olsen died suddenly this summer - an excellent archaeologist and a dear friend was los... more Asle Bruen Olsen died suddenly this summer - an excellent archaeologist and a dear friend was lost. These words are in memory of Asle.
His scholarly contribution ranges from Mesolithic to the Viking period. Fieldwork and information from recent excavations is pivotal in his publications – from his dissertation about the diabase quarry that supplied the production of stone adzes during the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, the hunter-gatherer traditions and early farming during Neolithic times, to his studies of Viking Age courtyard sites, craft production sites and graves with smithing tools.
Marine Ventures: Archaeological Perspectives on Human–Sea Relations, 2016
Pinnipeds (or seals) were probably important pull factors for the earliest marine foragers in the... more Pinnipeds (or seals) were probably important pull factors for the earliest marine foragers in the seascapes of Patagonia and Scandinavia in the early Holocene. Important reasons for this may be that 1) pinnipeds could be hunted on shores (or sea-ice) with more or less the same
methods and equipment as terrestrial animals, 2) pinnipeds represented a similar resource as the terrestrial mega-fauna, with a familiar combination of meat, bone, skin, blood, sinews, and fat, and 3) the characteristics pinnipeds evoluted for a life in the water left them quite vulnerable on land. Their senses and locomotion are inferior to terrestrial animals—a weakness that human predators are always ready to exploit.
In this paper we will explore the nature of pinnipeds, their habitats and behavior, and discuss how pinnipeds might have related to and influenced the early development of marine foraging systems—technology, logistics, and settlement structure. The
timing, circumstances, cultural dynamics and species of pinnipeds involved in the Scandinavian and the Patagonian case differ. However, the two processes towards marine adaptation also have instructive parallels.
… sad news from Cork are spreading in our little Mesolithic community; we have just learned that ... more … sad news from Cork are spreading in our little Mesolithic community; we have just learned that our dear colleague and friend Peter Woodman has passed away. Our thoughts go to this closest family and friends, he was not old enough to be abandoned by life, too precious, we wanted him to become as old as the things he studied.
Nevertheless, this is also the moment to recall all the good things he meant to us. I have had the pleasure to meet Peter a number of times, and each time a new place … in Trondheim, where I met this fascinating and good-humoured Irishman that had so much interesting to tell back in 1986. In Bodø, then Cork, and soon after near Stockholm. Belfast, the big MESO conference in 2005. Minding the gap in Cork, 2006. The 2008 Vancouver Venture with Doug Price, and next year all the way to the Europe Price, his well-earned award from the Prehistoric Society and the venue in York. It turned out that I just missed him in Tierra del Fuego, but surely not in Santander and Belgrade. Where there are Mesolithic things in the ground, Peter have trodden the surface.
Peter was a traveling man. But not just a swift and shiny traveller on a one-way show-off tour to disseminate all the stuff he already knew. Peter also took his time. He stayed to study things, traditions, archaeologists, archives, landscapes, sites. Time to talk and to tell, but mostly to listen and learn … to draw lines, compare, combine, enhance, and falsify. Peter’s ability to combine solid knowledge with an open mind left a wake of love and respect wherever he travelled.
We are many that already miss his good-humoured comments and anecdotes, the sound of his hearty laughter, his mellow and pleasant voice. Even the male part of friends and colleagues will surely understand (and perhaps agree with) what a female student revealed to me in a pub in the midst of the big Belfast conference:
- I love the voice of Peter Woodman. I dream of marrying him. To sit in the corner of his arm, in the couch in front of the fire-place, listening to him reading Harry Potter for me.
I salute your memory, Peter, you made a difference to the Mesolithic community, the past, as well as the present.
"Fire station in the rear mirror. Archaeological reflections during the abandonment of the Trondh... more "Fire station in the rear mirror. Archaeological reflections during the abandonment of the Trondheim Central Fire Station"
In May 2015, after almost 70 years of service to the town, the Central Fire Station in Trondheim was abandoned. The fire and rescue service was relocated to a series of more modern stations circling the city center.
The process of abandonment opened the fire station for closer insights – as part of an art project. The fire station is a telling example of what Bruno Latour (1999) labels a “blackbox”, collectives of humans and things “made invisible by their own success”. Normally, it is the fire squad’s loud and flashing response to an emergency calls, firefighting and rescue operations that gets the attention. The fire station itself is a building among others in the town; a garage for the fire trucks, a place for firefighters between operations. The endoscopic journey in the station revealed a delicate, complex and highly targeted machinery of humans and things that circles around stealing time; moving seconds and minutes to where they are the most needed, where they make up the difference between life and death, fire and inferno. Down to the smallest details, this human-thing collective, is designed for readiness, speedy movement of personnel, myriads of well-maintained things carefully arranged for a rapid response to all kinds of misery that can happen to the town and its inhabitants.
The station is now rebuilt for new functions, an institution for contemporary art, a “house of literature” and an office complex. Important architectonical characteristics (façade, the marble staircase, Fire Chief’s office) are still part of the building, but all things that point to the imperative function of the fire station are removed, no rear mirrors to all material memories of the station’s long and faithful service for the town, and with it all other remains from past fire stations at the same spot. “Our present day world is made up of materials from the past” (Olivier 2004) – this also goes for visual arts and literature. The Trondheim Central Fire Station case advocates the need of broader and more reflexive, interdisciplinary and multivocal perspectives in the management of the cultural heritage of our recent past. “Archaeology – the discipline of things” (Olsen et al. 2012) have potential to make a difference.
The presence of permanent dwellings are among the most commonly used indicators of decreased resi... more The presence of permanent dwellings are among the most commonly used indicators of decreased residential mobility in prehistoric societies , but, unless we understand the factors involved in the dwelling constructions, or the formation processes of the dwelling remains, misinterpretations of settlement patterns are likely to occur. We explore traditions of dwelling reoccupation and settlement stability among marine foragers in Aukra, Central Norway by a comparison with two other coastal areas with abundant and well documented sites, and very different long-term dwelling and settlement histories: The Beagle Channel in Tierra del Fuego and Varanger in North Norway.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2024
Reverend Thomas Bridges' Yagan-English dictionary (1879) has hitherto been little explored outsid... more Reverend Thomas Bridges' Yagan-English dictionary (1879) has hitherto been little explored outside of linguistics but is highly valuable as a complementary source to archaeological, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic records in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina and Chile). The dictionary contains 22,800 entries and yields rich information concerning the marine lifeways of the Yagan and their and intimate knowledge about Fuegian seascapes. The idea behind this paper is that environments have strong bearings on linguistic vocabularies. Treating words as archaeological objects that map onto landscapes, we identify important landforms for Yagan marine foragers and Norwegian fisher-farmers in a comparative study of word frequencies in Bridges' dictionary and Ivar Aasen's Norwegian dictionary (1850). Moreover, we explore in detail how marine lifestyles and Fuegian seascapes emerge in Bridges' dictionary and discuss the dictionary's relevance for historical archaeology in Tierra del Fuego.
Archaeological Prospection, 2023
LiDAR has become fairly integrated into archaeological practice at a global scale. This has gradu... more LiDAR has become fairly integrated into archaeological practice at a global scale. This has gradually evolved to include UAV LiDAR. Nevertheless, considerable biases remain, including with regard to geographical regions, chronological periods, feature types and environments. At present, few studies of coastal environments exist, despite the fact that LiDAR-and UAV LiDAR in particular-has the obvious advantages of flexibility and time efficiency in such archaeologically rich but logistically challenging environments. In this paper, we compare the results of UAV LiDAR surveys with records from previous ground surveys in two case studies from coastal environments on opposite sides of the globe. Case Study I of shell middens located within approximately 3 km 2 around Cambaceres Bay involved the first collection of LiDAR data from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Case Study II covered approximately 3 km 2 of the island of Vega, Northern Norway, and is among the pioneering LiDAR studies of Mesolithic house pits. The detection success rate was fairly good for Cambaceres-69% of 1240 recorded structures were identified on LiDAR-and above expected for Vega, with 81% of 51 recorded house pits identified on LiDAR. In Cambaceres, the main challenges were dense and low vegetation and identifying small middens. Possible new identifications of archaeological features were made in both areas: subtle depressions interpreted as dwelling foundations in Cambaceres and house pits on Vega. We conclude that UAV LiDAR can contribute to coastal archaeology and that it has added values besides making new identifications, being both flexible and time efficient. An example pertains to the possible identification of a practice that has not previously been proved archaeologically in Tierra del Fuegomore thorough site preparation prior to the construction of the dwellings-which in turn raises new questions.
Journal of Lithic Studies, 2016
Environmental Archaeology, 2019
‘Climate’ is rarely experienced directly – contrary to day-to-day ‘weather’ and ‘seasons’ that ma... more ‘Climate’ is rarely experienced directly – contrary to day-to-day ‘weather’ and ‘seasons’ that manifest in landscapes (‘weather-worlds’). This paper elaborates the role of sea ice and sea ice hunting outside the lateglacial Doggerland beaches. The winter–spring sea ice was a seasonal extension of the continental plains, and a potential meeting ground for the human hunters of the plains and the mammals of the sea. Here, the hunters could observe and experience that seals were easy prey and that seals were similar to the familiar terrestrial megafauna; providing meat and blood, bone, skin, bladders and sinews, and ample supplies of fat (blubber) that also could heat dwellings. Seals on the ice could be hunted with similar methods and equipment as terrestrial animals – without the need of boats and the risks of cold, open sea. The Doggerland sea ice was a meeting ground of land and sea that could have been imperative in the development of marine foraging and the subsequent colonisation of Scandinavian seascapes. Levi Bryant’s ‘Machine Oriented Ontology’ may be instrumental to envision the sea ice and its potential for the lateglacial hunters in Northwest Europe.
The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, Jun 15, 2016
After Discourse - Things, Affects, Ethics (Olsen, Burström, DeSilvey & Þóra Pétursdóttir, eds.) Routledge., 2021
The Norwegian cave paintings are all found in a c. 1000 km coastal stretch in North Norway. At pr... more The Norwegian cave paintings are all found in a c. 1000 km coastal stretch in North Norway. At present, paintings are found in 12 caves. The images are probably painted during a short period within the Bronze Age, the majority of motifs are strikingly similar anthropomorphic figures (‘stick men’) painted in red, suggesting a relation to a communal ritual tradition. This paper is making explicit the conspicuous sensory world of the caves, and discusses the phenomenological implications of cavescapes. Very likely, embodied experiences were imperative in images’ cultural context. The familiar human world of life, light, motion, colours, sounds and odours are absent in caves. Most caves lack definite endings, they merely restrict the reach of human bodies, and nourish a notion of caves as corridors to realms beyond. All caves seem to lead to the same – a world out of the day, time, and life – thus, cavescapes are ‘evidence’ of an ever present and everywhere world below us – the Underworld.
Bearbeidelser - 22. juli i ord og bilder. Universitetsforlaget, 2020
Det sier mye om tingenes kraft, de autentiske sporene etter alvorlige traumer, at de nesten allti... more Det sier mye om tingenes kraft, de autentiske sporene etter alvorlige traumer, at de nesten alltid blir hastig fjernet. Hendelsene gjenoppstår gjerne som representasjoner, minnesteder og kunstneriske bearbeidelser, temmet til et smertenivå vi kan tåle. Avismonteren utenfor VGs redaksjon var et gripende vitnesbyrd etter 22. juli-angrepet i Regjeringskvartalet: Siste avis før terroren, bak det krakelerte glasset etter bomben – et vindu til en verden som var. Monteren sto klippefast, nøyaktig der den tok slaget, og ble etter hvert et av de siste urørte minnene etter ugjerningen. Monteren fikk stå en stund, men ble i 2013 flyttet til et uvirksomt busskur like over gaten i kunsthandlingen «Relocating the Past». Men kraften i det urørte fulgte ikke med på flyttelasset.
SPOR 1/2019, 2019
Arkeologer fra NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet har gjennom mange år fokusert på det sørlige Sør-Amerika. Ba... more Arkeologer fra NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet har gjennom mange år fokusert på det sørlige Sør-Amerika. Bakgrunnen for denne interessen er skjærgården langs den sørligste Stillehavskysten i Chile og Argentina, som rekker helt til Tierra del Fuego (Ildlandet). Som i Skandinavia er skjærgården her blitt formet av is-erosjon under kanskje så mange som femti istider gjennom tre millioner år i løpet av Pleistocene, istidenes tidsalder. Skjærgården er et beskyttende belte av skjær og holmer, øyer og sund som skiller storhav fra fjorder og fastland. Her fi nnes et yrende dyreliv både over og under vann, og det skjermede farvannet minsker farene under sjøferdsel, fi ske og fangst. Begge disse kystene er dermed ideelle for sjøfangst, og i begge områdene er det lange og rike tradisjoner med denne levemåten.
Under studieoppholdet i 2019 ble det gjort 3D opptak fra drone som en forberedelse til en omfattende laser scanning (ALS) vi arbeider med å finansiere. Det ble dessuten gravd en prøverute i Casa Grande Imiwaia, en spesielt omfangsrik skjellmødding (ca 600m2 i utstrekning, 1,5m tykk), som rommer en uvanlig stor hyttestruktur med gulvflate på rundt 80m2, i.e. mer enn fem ganger større enn de mange bolighyttene. Funnene styrket at dette var et sted utenfor hverdagen. Tydeligvis var dette en samlingsplass for mange der store mengder av skjell var konsumert. Dateringene var overraskende – størsteparten av skjellmøddingen ser ut til å vare fra en kort periode like før 6000 BP.
Bayley & Spikins (eds) Mesolithic Europe, 2010
An overview of the Mesolithic period in Norway, published in Bayley, G. & P. Spikins 2010 (2008),... more An overview of the Mesolithic period in Norway, published in Bayley, G. & P. Spikins 2010 (2008), Mesolithic Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ Press.
(References are combined in a large, common list for the whole volume.)
Environmental Archaeology. The J. of Human Paeleoecology, 2021
‘Climate’ is rarely experienced directly – contrary to day-to-day ‘weather’ and ‘seasons’ that ma... more ‘Climate’ is rarely experienced directly – contrary to day-to-day ‘weather’ and ‘seasons’ that manifest in landscapes (‘weather-worlds’). This paper elaborates the role of sea ice and sea ice hunting outside the lateglacial Doggerland beaches. The winter–spring sea ice was a seasonal extension of the continental plains, and a potential meeting ground for the human hunters of the plains and the mammals of the sea. Here, the hunters could observe and experience that seals were easy prey and that seals were similar to the familiar terrestrial megafauna; providing meat and blood, bone, skin, bladders and sinews, and ample supplies of fat (blubber) that also could heat dwellings. Seals on the ice could be hunted with similar methods and equipment as terrestrial animals – without the need of boats and the risks of cold, open sea. The Doggerland sea ice was a meeting ground of land and sea that could have been imperative in the development of marine foraging and the subsequent colonisation of Scandinavian seascapes. Levi Bryant’s ‘Machine Oriented Ontology’ may be instrumental to envision the sea ice and its potential for the lateglacial hunters in Northwest Europe.
SPOR, 2018
Uten tvil – dagens mennesker benytter seg av langt flere og helt andre ting enn man gjorde i stei... more Uten tvil – dagens mennesker benytter seg av langt flere og helt andre ting enn man gjorde i steinalderen. Men heller ikke den gang våknet man naken i lyngen om morgenen, og måtte bygge verden fra bunnen av. Menneskene var like avhengige av sine materielle hjelpere da som nå, og derfor er tingene en viktig kilde for arkeologene. Men dette handler ikke bare om fjern fortid; tingene er også vesentlige vitnesbyrd om vår egen tid.
Estudios Atacameños.Arqueología y Antropología Surandinas., 2017
We explore the implications of the spatial structure of the artifact assemblages at the Binushmuk... more We explore the implications of the spatial structure of the artifact assemblages at the Binushmuka I site, located in the north coast of the Beagle Channel (Tierra del Fuego). The information corresponding to the stratigraphy, chronology and composition of the archaeological assemblages of this site is described. We focus on the spatial distribution of artifacts, which mainly depend on the number and duration of the occupations and the size of the group, to evaluate the temporal structure of the assemblages. For assessing pattern mobility, we also consider the spatial consistency of the location of the site in relation to features of the paleogeography and the archaeological landscape.
The confined size of the assemblages (~7-8 m2) are likely to represent occupations by small sized groups. The spatial consistency between early Holocene occupations and marine hunter-gatherer assemblages observed at a regional level suggests that groups with similar mobility and foraging strategies could have occupied the site.
Keywords: coastal site, early Holocene, early coastal foragers, lithic technology, spatial analysis.
Asle Bruen Olsen died suddenly this summer - an excellent archaeologist and a dear friend was los... more Asle Bruen Olsen died suddenly this summer - an excellent archaeologist and a dear friend was lost. These words are in memory of Asle.
His scholarly contribution ranges from Mesolithic to the Viking period. Fieldwork and information from recent excavations is pivotal in his publications – from his dissertation about the diabase quarry that supplied the production of stone adzes during the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, the hunter-gatherer traditions and early farming during Neolithic times, to his studies of Viking Age courtyard sites, craft production sites and graves with smithing tools.
Marine Ventures: Archaeological Perspectives on Human–Sea Relations, 2016
Pinnipeds (or seals) were probably important pull factors for the earliest marine foragers in the... more Pinnipeds (or seals) were probably important pull factors for the earliest marine foragers in the seascapes of Patagonia and Scandinavia in the early Holocene. Important reasons for this may be that 1) pinnipeds could be hunted on shores (or sea-ice) with more or less the same
methods and equipment as terrestrial animals, 2) pinnipeds represented a similar resource as the terrestrial mega-fauna, with a familiar combination of meat, bone, skin, blood, sinews, and fat, and 3) the characteristics pinnipeds evoluted for a life in the water left them quite vulnerable on land. Their senses and locomotion are inferior to terrestrial animals—a weakness that human predators are always ready to exploit.
In this paper we will explore the nature of pinnipeds, their habitats and behavior, and discuss how pinnipeds might have related to and influenced the early development of marine foraging systems—technology, logistics, and settlement structure. The
timing, circumstances, cultural dynamics and species of pinnipeds involved in the Scandinavian and the Patagonian case differ. However, the two processes towards marine adaptation also have instructive parallels.
… sad news from Cork are spreading in our little Mesolithic community; we have just learned that ... more … sad news from Cork are spreading in our little Mesolithic community; we have just learned that our dear colleague and friend Peter Woodman has passed away. Our thoughts go to this closest family and friends, he was not old enough to be abandoned by life, too precious, we wanted him to become as old as the things he studied.
Nevertheless, this is also the moment to recall all the good things he meant to us. I have had the pleasure to meet Peter a number of times, and each time a new place … in Trondheim, where I met this fascinating and good-humoured Irishman that had so much interesting to tell back in 1986. In Bodø, then Cork, and soon after near Stockholm. Belfast, the big MESO conference in 2005. Minding the gap in Cork, 2006. The 2008 Vancouver Venture with Doug Price, and next year all the way to the Europe Price, his well-earned award from the Prehistoric Society and the venue in York. It turned out that I just missed him in Tierra del Fuego, but surely not in Santander and Belgrade. Where there are Mesolithic things in the ground, Peter have trodden the surface.
Peter was a traveling man. But not just a swift and shiny traveller on a one-way show-off tour to disseminate all the stuff he already knew. Peter also took his time. He stayed to study things, traditions, archaeologists, archives, landscapes, sites. Time to talk and to tell, but mostly to listen and learn … to draw lines, compare, combine, enhance, and falsify. Peter’s ability to combine solid knowledge with an open mind left a wake of love and respect wherever he travelled.
We are many that already miss his good-humoured comments and anecdotes, the sound of his hearty laughter, his mellow and pleasant voice. Even the male part of friends and colleagues will surely understand (and perhaps agree with) what a female student revealed to me in a pub in the midst of the big Belfast conference:
- I love the voice of Peter Woodman. I dream of marrying him. To sit in the corner of his arm, in the couch in front of the fire-place, listening to him reading Harry Potter for me.
I salute your memory, Peter, you made a difference to the Mesolithic community, the past, as well as the present.
"Fire station in the rear mirror. Archaeological reflections during the abandonment of the Trondh... more "Fire station in the rear mirror. Archaeological reflections during the abandonment of the Trondheim Central Fire Station"
In May 2015, after almost 70 years of service to the town, the Central Fire Station in Trondheim was abandoned. The fire and rescue service was relocated to a series of more modern stations circling the city center.
The process of abandonment opened the fire station for closer insights – as part of an art project. The fire station is a telling example of what Bruno Latour (1999) labels a “blackbox”, collectives of humans and things “made invisible by their own success”. Normally, it is the fire squad’s loud and flashing response to an emergency calls, firefighting and rescue operations that gets the attention. The fire station itself is a building among others in the town; a garage for the fire trucks, a place for firefighters between operations. The endoscopic journey in the station revealed a delicate, complex and highly targeted machinery of humans and things that circles around stealing time; moving seconds and minutes to where they are the most needed, where they make up the difference between life and death, fire and inferno. Down to the smallest details, this human-thing collective, is designed for readiness, speedy movement of personnel, myriads of well-maintained things carefully arranged for a rapid response to all kinds of misery that can happen to the town and its inhabitants.
The station is now rebuilt for new functions, an institution for contemporary art, a “house of literature” and an office complex. Important architectonical characteristics (façade, the marble staircase, Fire Chief’s office) are still part of the building, but all things that point to the imperative function of the fire station are removed, no rear mirrors to all material memories of the station’s long and faithful service for the town, and with it all other remains from past fire stations at the same spot. “Our present day world is made up of materials from the past” (Olivier 2004) – this also goes for visual arts and literature. The Trondheim Central Fire Station case advocates the need of broader and more reflexive, interdisciplinary and multivocal perspectives in the management of the cultural heritage of our recent past. “Archaeology – the discipline of things” (Olsen et al. 2012) have potential to make a difference.
The presence of permanent dwellings are among the most commonly used indicators of decreased resi... more The presence of permanent dwellings are among the most commonly used indicators of decreased residential mobility in prehistoric societies , but, unless we understand the factors involved in the dwelling constructions, or the formation processes of the dwelling remains, misinterpretations of settlement patterns are likely to occur. We explore traditions of dwelling reoccupation and settlement stability among marine foragers in Aukra, Central Norway by a comparison with two other coastal areas with abundant and well documented sites, and very different long-term dwelling and settlement histories: The Beagle Channel in Tierra del Fuego and Varanger in North Norway.
Archaeology at Homa - Notes on Things, Life and Time, 2022
‘Archaeology at Home’ takes a deep dive into the entanglements between humans and their things. I... more ‘Archaeology at Home’ takes a deep dive into the entanglements between humans and their things. It explores the notion that things themselves “remember” when left by “their” people, and illustrates how the integration of humans and things involves connections running from deep time all the way into the present day.
Combining methods from contemporary and deep-time archaeology, and balancing scholarly archaeology with personal narrative, ‘Archaeology at Home’ presents three case studies of homes known intimately to him — the home of his father after his abrupt passing, the home of his uncle, which was lost in a fire, and a Stone Age home he excavated many years ago.
This evocative approach to archaeologies of memory will be appreciated by professional archaeologists, and by general readers who are drawn to the study of the past and the things that connect us to it.
“A majestic work, full of experiment and sensuous detail. Equally haunting, melancholic, and amusing: a narrative tour-de-force. Hein Bjerck writes with a unique voice, evoking place, people, and emotion with affect seldom, if ever, found in archaeological or historic text. Part love-letter to his father, uncle, and his own past, part meditation on objects, things, memory, humanity, relationships, and the passage of time, Archaeology at Home exceeds the boundaries of any one discipline. An instant classic.”
Professor Doug Bailey, Department of Anthropology, San Francisco State University
“A book that causes us to stop and think, to re-evaluate our practice and approach both collectively and individually, a book that challenges archaeologists to do what we do better. In a masterful blend of contemporary archaeology and early prehistory, Bjerck breathes life into the past and its fragments of humankind. ”
Marion Dowd, Lecturer in Prehistoric Archaeology, Institute of Technology Sligo
“In a unique and highly readable account, the author reveals what all archaeologists know but others may not – that archaeologists make the best story-tellers and that our stories will be contemporary and they can be deeply intimate. And aren’t those stories always the best?!”
Professor John Schofield, Archaeology, University of York, UK
Persistent memories. Pyramiden - a Soviet mining town in the High Arctic. Tapir/Fagbokforlaget, 2010
In 1998 the Russian Arctic Coal Company decided to end its more than 50 years of continuous activ... more In 1998 the Russian Arctic Coal Company decided to end its more than 50 years of continuous activity in Pyramiden in the High Arctic archipelago of Norwegian Svalbard. A remarkably abrupt abandonment left behind a mining town devoid of humans but still filled with all stuff constituting a modern industrial settlement.
Today the well-equipped Pyramiden survives as a conspicuous Soviet-era ghost town in pristine Arctic nature. Based on fieldwork conducted in 2006, this book explores what things left behind can tell us about how people lived and coped in this marginal town. It is also concerned with Pyramiden's post-human biography and the way the site provokes more general reflections on things, heritage and memory.
Challenging the traditional scholarly hierarchy of text over images, this book stands out by using art photography as a means to address these issues and to mediate the contemporary archaeology of Pyramiden.
Popular account of Norwegian history of fisheries and coastal settlements, Late Mesolithic, Neoli... more Popular account of Norwegian history of fisheries and coastal settlements, Late Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age.
A popular and illustrated account for the colonisation of the Scandinavian seascapes, which also ... more A popular and illustrated account for the colonisation of the Scandinavian seascapes, which also account for the onset of marine foraging in coastal Northwest Europe. Published in "Norwegian History of Fisheries and Coastal Settlement I".
Bjerck, H.B., Zangrando, A.F.J., Breivik, H.M., Piana, E. and Negre, J. 2016: NTNU Vitenskapsmuse... more Bjerck, H.B., Zangrando, A.F.J., Breivik, H.M., Piana, E. and Negre, J. 2016: NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet arkeologisk rapport 2016:15. Marine Ventures: The Cambaceres Surveys, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
This report is part of the Marine Ventures project, and describes field surveys in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina – The Cambaceres Surveys. This is a detailed survey of the settlements in a 4km2 large area in Cambaceres, located in the eastern part of the Beagle Channel, Argentinean Tierra del Fuego at the far south of South America. The survey mainly concentrated on shell midden formations, both larger and smaller, and the characteristic house pit formations where shell refuse is arranged in a protective “wall” around the dwelling. While previous surveys are mainly about larger settlements as a whole, our survey is more detailed, and encompasses individual GPS mapping of single structures. This gives the opportunity to see settlement structures more clearly and investigate how simple structures aggregate in larger settlements.
The survey includes 1251 structures, of which 804 are dwelling pits, 432 are shell midden domes, and 15 are other sites – ranging from around 7500 BP (uncal.) to the recent past. The Cambaceres Surveys also includes a targeted test pit survey aimed at locating older settlements without preserved organic material, defined as Early Coastal Forager (ECF) sites. The discovery of the large Binushmuka I settlement is an important result. At this site, two ECF lithic concentrations were discovered, dated to 7300–7500 BP. Details from excavations at Binushmuka is described in a separate report (Zangrando et al. in progress). The test pit survey also includes a number of other localities where ECF settlements could be expected, but with negative results.
For more details about the project, see the Marine Ventures website:
(https://www.ntnu.no/web/vitenskapsmuseet/marine-ventures)
Key words: settlements – shell middens and dwelling pits – marine foraging – survey methods – Tierra del Fuego – Yámana Indians
Human-sea relations are important factors in past and present human evolution. Discussions about ... more Human-sea relations are important factors in past and present human evolution. Discussions about these relations have ranged from shellfish gathering at beaches to the elaboration of technological, social and cognitive systems for marine foraging. The role of the marine environment is now seen as a primary factor in the understanding of social complexity. Archaeological data and methods are uniquely placed to produce interesting perspectives about human adaptations to the sea through global and local dimensions, geological, archaeological and ethnographic timescales, and empirical studies of cultural practice. This volume brings together an international collection of papers in which human-sea relations are analyzed through various temporal and spatial scales. The themes covered include initial developments and further elaboration of marine foraging, technological and logistical implications of travelling by sea, interrelations between social and cognitive systems, settlement patterns and subsistence of marine hunter-gatherers, landscape archaeology and palaeogeographic models and the role of marine resources in human-sea relations. This volume will be of interest to students, archaeologists and researchers from related disciplines.
https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/marine-ventures/
Vitenskapsmuseet arkeologisk rapport, 15, Dec 2016
This report is related to the Marine Ventures project, and describes field surveys in Tierra del ... more This report is related to the Marine Ventures project, and describes field surveys in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina – The Cambaceres Surveys. This is a detailed survey of the settlements in a 4km2 large area in Cambaceres, located in the eastern part of the Beagle Channel, Argentinean Tierra del Fuego at the far south of South America. The survey mainly concentrated on shell midden formations, both larger and smaller, and the characteristic house pit formations where shell refuse is arranged in a protective “wall” around the dwelling. While previous surveys are mainly about larger settlements as a whole, our survey is more detailed, and encompasses individual GPS mapping of single structures. This gives the opportunity to see settlement structures more clearly and investigate how simple structures aggregate in larger settlements.
The survey includes a total of 1251 structures, of which 804 are dwelling pits, 432 are shell midden domes, and 15 are other sites – ranging from around 7500 BP (uncal.) to the recent past. The Cambaceres Surveys also includes a targeted test pit survey aimed at locating older settlements without preserved organic material, defined as Early Coastal Forager (ECF) sites. The discovery of the large Binushmuka I settlement is an important result. At this site, two ECF lithic concentrations were discovered, dated to 7300–7500 BP. Details from excavations at Binushmuka is described in a separate report (Zangrando et al. in progress). The test pit survey also includes a number of other localities where ECF settlements could be expected, but with negative results.
For more details about the project, see the Marine Ventures website:
(https://www.ntnu.no/web/vitenskapsmuseet/marine-ventures)
Norwegian Archaeological Review , 2023
Journal of Contemporary Archaeology, 2023
From Rachel Kiddey’s Review of Archaeology At Home: Notes on Things, Life, and Time. Equinox. She... more From Rachel Kiddey’s Review of Archaeology At Home: Notes on Things, Life, and Time. Equinox. Sheffield and Bristol. (2022)
"When does the past begin? Where does the "human" end and "nature" begin? These two questions form the basis of Hein Bjartmann Bjerck's book Archaeology At Home: Notes on Things, Life, and Time, in which he blends personal narrative and intimate contemporary archaeologies with reflections on the practice of archaeology in relation to more traditional temporalities. Books that have "Notes on…" in the title may reasonably be expected to ......"
Norwegian Archaeological Review, 2020
This book is a remarkable selection of human–sea related themes, it encompasses a wide-ranging va... more This book is a remarkable selection of human–sea related themes, it encompasses a wide-ranging variety in time, space and scholarly disciplines. The book is rooted in the 2009 meeting of European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA), where scholars gathered to discuss ‘Anthropological and Archaeological Imaginations: past, present and future’.
(...)
At Home on the Waves is a book of interesting cases to illustrate the seemingly endless variability and nuances of human-sea relations that I do not hesitate to recommend, a bouquet of eye-opening reflections on the vast complexity of what the wet realm is in the world for terrestrial human beings