Trond Lødøen | University of Bergen (original) (raw)
Papers by Trond Lødøen
Primitive tider, Dec 1, 2014
Wits University Press eBooks, Aug 25, 2018
Les Nouvelles de l'archéologie
espanolEscandinavia tiene una gran abundancia de sitios con arte rupestre y una larga tradicion d... more espanolEscandinavia tiene una gran abundancia de sitios con arte rupestre y una larga tradicion de estudios sobre el mismo. Muchos enclaves se encuentran en areas todavia relativamente libres de la accion del ser humano. El hecho de que esta parte de Europa se encuentre escasamente poblada tambien supone que hay menos infraestructuras modernas en muchas regiones, lo que ha contribuido a proteger y preservar estos sitios de modo mas autentico. Una porcion de ellos solo son conocidos por una pequena parte de la comunidad internacional de investigadores del arte rupestre, ya que han sido descritos y publicados principalmente en lenguas escandinavas. No obstante, esta situacion esta cambiando gradualmente, conforme mas enclaves entran a formar parte del discurso arqueologico y a ser publicados en ingles. Sin embargo, esta zona esta lejos de ser una �utopia� rupestre, dado que muchos de los registros graficos han sido afectados de un modo u otro por factores modernos, y especialmente por el desgaste natural. Como ocurre en otras partes del mundo, algunos enclaves tienen cualidades que los hacen destacar y que los hacen especialmente importantes para centrarse en ellos con mayor detalle en el futuro. EnglishScandinavia has an abundance of rock art sites and a lengthy tradition of rock art studies, with many sites still located in relatively untouched areas. As a scantly populated part of Europe, there are less modern infrastructures in many regions, which has helped to protect the sites and keep them more authentic. Only a few of them are known to a small part of the international rock art community, as they have mainly been published in Scandinavian languages. However, this situation is gradually changing, as more of these sites become part of the archaeological discourse and are frequently published in English. Nevertheless, the area is far from being some kind of rock art �utopia�, as many of the ancient images have been influenced in one way or another by modern factors, and especially by weathering. As occurs in other parts of the world, some sites have qualities that set them apart and which are particularly important in terms of focusing on them in greater detail in the future.
The paper questions the still predominant tendency to categorize Scandinavian prehistoric rock ar... more The paper questions the still predominant tendency to categorize Scandinavian prehistoric rock art into just two traditions, associated with hunting societies on the one hand and farming societies on the other. More than a century ago, the iconography from this part of Europe was separated into ‘South Scandinavian’ and ‘North Scandinavian’ rock art. Later on, the terms hunters’ and agrarian rock art came into use, together with other variants, before these were reconceptualised into the ‘Northern and Southern Traditions’ in the 1930s. Despite the fact that hundreds of sites have been rediscovered since the first categorization, we are still left with just two major groups of rock art in Scandinavia. Researchers have also argued in favor of merging the two traditions and even of interaction between them, but this has often been challenged by the widely-separated dating of the supposed traditions. This paper, which takes its point of departure in the Norwegian material, discusses a number of aspects associated with this categorization, questions both the background for the separation exclusively into these two traditions as well as the possible interaction between them, and argues in favor of a much more developed and nuanced classification of the still expanding bulk of rock art. This will be thoroughly problematized, as it will be argued that some of the sites normally labelled within the Northern Tradition, at least in Western Norway, share a number of features and elements with rock art of the Atlantic tradition of Central and southern Europe, thus indicating a potential interaction between Scandinavia and southern Europe at the end of the Late Mesolithic. This adds to other supposed influences from north-eastern and eastern Europe, thereby challenging the background for both the Southern and the Northern Traditions as clearly defined and consistent traditions. Key words: Cup and Ring Tradition, Rock art, traditions, dating, contemporaneity, Northern and Southern Tradition, Atlantic and Megalithic art.
espanolUna reciente iniciativa ha sido tomada por el ayuntamiento de Bremanger en el condado de S... more espanolUna reciente iniciativa ha sido tomada por el ayuntamiento de Bremanger en el condado de Sogn de Fjordane, en Noruega occidental, para proponer el arte rupestre del enclave de Vingen y el paisaje que lo circuanda como candidato a la lista tentativa de Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO. Situado en la costa en un area con infraestructuras modernas limitadas, el lugar se localiza en un entorno que no ha cambiado demasiado desde que el arte rupestre comenzo a realizarse, lo que supone que conserva un elevado numero de cualidades autenticas. Representa tambien uno de los mayores concentraciones de arte rupestre en el norte de Europa. EnglishA recent initiative has been taken by the municipality of Bremanger in the County of Sogn of Fjordane in Western Norway to nominate the rock art site of Vingen and its surrounding landscape as a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. Situated on the coast in an area with limited modern infrastructures, the site is located in an e...
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2019
Substantial amounts of archaeological material have been found intermixed with beach pebbles and ... more Substantial amounts of archaeological material have been found intermixed with beach pebbles and cobbles on the Tapes beach ridge at Longva on the island Flemsøya/Skuløya in Western Norway. The artefacts show that the beach ridge was settled in the Late Mesolithic. The most significant remains are fireplaces, birch bark from the floor of a tent/hut, fish sinkers and middens containing numerous waste flakes and lithic tools. Radiocarbon dating, mainly of burnt hazelnut shells, shows two periods of occupation. The older and longer period is dated to between 7600 and 6800 cal yr BP, and the younger phase to between 6200 and 5900 cal yr BP. Pollen analysis revealed open vegetation at the beach ridge during the occupation periods. Based on the beach ridge deposits and radiocarbon dates, we reconstructed the Tapes transgression maximum high tide sea level to 8.2e9.0 m between 7600 and 5600 cal yr BP. We conclude that the late Mesolithic inhabitants at Longva occupied the beach ridge while it was growing. During the largest storm surges e most likely to have been in the winter months e the sea would have washed over their settlements and deposited pebbles and cobbles on top of their remains. We suggest that the inhabitants abandoned the settlement before each stormy season, but returned and restored the site the following spring or summer.
Dating of the Vingen Rock Art The paper discusses the dating of the rock art of the Northern Trad... more Dating of the Vingen Rock Art The paper discusses the dating of the rock art of the Northern Tradition from the Vingen site in western Norway, for which a number of different suggestions have been proposed during the last century. Rock art is difficult to date, and in particular rock art of the Northern Tradition. The general approach for most sites has been based on shoreline displacements and the assumption that the rock art was produced on clean surfaces close to the contemporary shoreline in the past. However, this method suffers from numerous weaknesses, and the distances chosen in the past for the selected images, due to factors such as wave action or sea splash, may have led to variations in the levels chosen. Consequently, the dating of even contemporary figures and images may vary by hundreds and thousands of years. Based on evidence from a number of archaeological excavations, surveys and explorations carried out over the last couple of decades, a new chronological framewo...
International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 2012
Natural and cultural heritage management is dependent on knowledge about present species and habi... more Natural and cultural heritage management is dependent on knowledge about present species and habitats and presence of cultural heritage sites, respectively. Knowledge about long-term development helps to identify factors explaining both biodiversity and cultural heritage and to predict future changes based on changes in, for example, climate or grazing regimes. In the present interdisciplinary study, vegetation surveys, pollen analysis from a bog and soil profiles within archaeological localities, archaeological test-excavations and historical data have been combined to elucidate cultural landscape development in an upland landscape of Erdalen in Stryn, western Norway. Activity in what is now the summer farm area started in the Bronze Age, followed by clearance and grazing in the Early Iron Age. After a period of reduced activity, most of the valley seems to have been utilised for summer farming in the Late Iron Age and first part of the Medieval Period. A regression period, probably related to the Black Death, is followed by new activity with extensive woodland clearings from the seventeenth century, whereas recent changes have resulted in increased tree cover. The investigations show a close relationship between land-use practices, presence of grassland species and vascular plant species richness. They also show the importance of continued management for existence of semi-natural habitats in the future, and for the visibility of archaeological sites.
The first part of the paper discusses the dating of the rock art site Ausevik in Flora, Sogn og F... more The first part of the paper discusses the dating of the rock art site Ausevik in Flora, Sogn og Fjordane, and evaluates previous suggestions from the last approximately 80 years, based primarily on stylistic comparisons and to some extent shore line displacements. On the basis of new evidence from excavations at the site it is argued that the rock art should be dated to the Late Mesolithic, and that its iconography, use and expression is simultaneous with the more renown Vingen site a short distance further north. This opens for a much better understanding of the similarities of images and the organisation and expression of the narratives at the two sites. In the second part of the paper it is argued that both these sites are related to mortuary practises at the term of the Late Mesolithic period in Western Norway. It seems also to address important ideological issues in the relation between animal images and what seem to be representations of skeletons. The iconography also hints a...
Quaternary Science Reviews
ABSTRACT This paper addresses the religious, mythological and ideological importance of certain a... more ABSTRACT This paper addresses the religious, mythological and ideological importance of certain animals for Stone Age societies. The point of departure is the rock art site of Vingen, on the western coast of Norway, where more than 2000 figures have been pecked into bedrock panels or boulders. Over recent years several excavations have been undertaken in this area in order to try to contextualize and date the rock art. Results from both radiocarbon datings and archaeological material have strongly indicated that the basic activity at the site dates to a limited time span of the Late Mesolithic, predating the transition to the Neolithic. At the same time the spatial distribution of rock art on rock panels, with its many interpreted narratives, provides us with a valuable insight into Late Mesolithic religion and beliefs.
Rapporten utgis som nr. 1 i en ny skriftserie for Verdensarvsenter for bergkunst – Alta Museum (V... more Rapporten utgis som nr. 1 i en ny skriftserie for Verdensarvsenter for bergkunst – Alta Museum (VAM): «BERGKUNST». I denne skriftserien skal det etter planen utgis både vitenskapelige arbeid, artikkelsamlinger og dokumentasjons- og seminarrapporter. Redaktørene for rapporten har vært tre medlemmer av Bergkunstnettverkets arbeidsutvalg: Trond Lødøen, Bergen Museum, Universitetet i Bergen; Helle Vangen Stuedal, Stiklestad Nasjonale Kultursenter og Bergkunstmuseet og Hans Christian Søborg, Verdensarvsenter for bergkunst - Alta Museum.
The paper discusses aspects of rock amongst Late Mesolithic societies of western Norway. It addre... more The paper discusses aspects of rock amongst Late Mesolithic societies of western Norway. It addresses the importance of rock in rock art contexts, tool production, and quarrying activity, and discusses several relational aspects of the use of rock, thus adding new perspectives to our understanding of prehistoric societies’ beliefs associated with rock. While a number of researchers in recent years have pointed at the lack of research on material culture, and addressed the importance of materiality, this paper deals first and foremost with the immateriality of rocks. Keywords: Rock Art, Stone, Rock, Membrane, Quarries, Cosmology, Votive, Late Mesolithic.
Quarternary Science Reviews, 2019
Substantial amounts of archaeological material have been found intermixed with beach pebbles and ... more Substantial amounts of archaeological material have been found intermixed with beach pebbles and cobbles on the Tapes beach ridge at Longva on the island Flemsøya/Skuløya in Western Norway. The artefacts show that the beach ridge was settled in the Late Mesolithic. The most significant remains are fireplaces, birch bark from the floor of a tent/hut, fish sinkers and middens containing numerous waste flakes and lithic tools. Radiocarbon dating, mainly of burnt hazelnut shells, shows two periods of occupation. The older and longer period is dated to between 7600 and 6800 cal yr BP, and the younger phase to between 6200 and 5900 cal yr BP. Pollen analysis revealed open vegetation at the beach ridge during the occupation periods. Based on the beach ridge deposits and radiocarbon dates, we reconstructed the Tapes transgression maximum high tide sea level to 8.2e9.0 m between 7600 and 5600 cal yr BP. We conclude that the late Mesolithic inhabitants at Longva occupied the beach ridge while it was growing. During the largest storm surges e most likely to have been in the winter months e the sea would have washed over their settlements and deposited pebbles and cobbles on top of their remains. We suggest that the inhabitants abandoned the settlement before each stormy season, but returned and restored the site the following spring or summer.
Whale on the Rock, 2017
The Northern Tradition rock art of Norway features ane of the largest concentrations of whale i m... more The Northern Tradition rock art of Norway features ane of the largest concentrations of whale i mages in the world. Their representations vary greatly from north to south, with a high concentration in the more central regions of Norway. The different types of whales may have represented specific clans, tri bes or groups in the past, or it is possible that each of the different types had their own specific meaning or ro les in the past. This article will attempt to provide further insight into the character of the whale i mages in the prehistorie rock art record of Norway. It is especially striking to note the association or close connection between land animals and whales in their different representations. At many sites, the whale i mages are positioned on the different panels in a way that may indicate a transformation from whale i mages into different types of deer i mages, and then possibly back to whale i mages aga in, a facet that will be discussed later on in this pa per. It will also be argued that the Northern Tradition rock art was related to mortuary practices, and that the wild animals that are shown - including the whales - were associated with beliefs about death, and that the rock i mages potentially helped to assist the transfer of sou Is that were being regenerated. The pa per also discusses aspects of past world views, and will tentatively provide a number of suggestions regarding the potential mythological and religious significance of these whales.
Årbok 2017 - Haram Kulturhistoriske Lag, 2017
Parallelt med at utgravningene ved Austnes gikk mot slutten i 2014, startet arkeologene fra Unive... more Parallelt med at utgravningene ved Austnes gikk mot slutten i 2014, startet arkeologene fra Universitetsmuseet i Bergen opp nye undersøkelser på Longva. Sistnevnte område er det andre av foreløpig to steder hvor det er bestemt at den nye fastlandsforbindelsen fv. 659 Nordøyvegen kommer inn med full tyngde, og hvor det var kjent at det fantes forhistoriske kulturspor som måtte sikres før veiutbyggingen. Formålet med utgravingene var her som på Austnes å dokumentere og samle inn de viktigste sporene etter fordums virke før veiutbyggingen fjerner alle spor som ligger i traséen til det nye veisambandet. De arkeologiske utgravningene på Longva avdekket omfattende bosetningsspor etter en fang-stbosetning som har holdt til her i ulike perioder av hovedsaklig eldre og yngre steinalder. På senvinteren 2015 ble både utstyr og brakkerigg flyttet fra Austnes på Haramsøy, og over til Flemsøya/Skuløya i den hensikt å starte undersøkelsene på Longva. Fra veikrysset ovenfor Gunnabuda, langs Longvafjordveien og frem til bedehuset lengre øst på Longva ble det undersøkt tilsammen 5 forhistoriske lokaliteter. Disse ble i all hovedsak datert til steinalderen, men flere av lokalitetene har også funnmateriale og avsetninger som viser til bruk i både bronse- og jernalder (Fig 1). Noen av dem later til å ha vært i bruk mer sammenhengende, trolig gjennom flere hundre år, men vi vet likevel ikke om dette var helårlig bosetning eller bare sesongmessig. Typisk for alle lokalitetene er at de er plassert oppå strandvollen som strekker seg parallelt med strandlinja i 8-11 meters høyde over havet. Langsetter den samme strandvollen har også den nåvaerende Longvafjordveien blitt anlagt, noe som har bidratt til å ødelegge en del av de forhistoriske sporene. På den samme vollen planlegges det også at den frem-tidige fv. 659 Nordøyvegen skal etableres. Den forholdsvis intense oppdyrkingen som har funnet sted på Longva har bidratt til å viske ut og fjerne mange av de opprinnelige sporene, men vi har likevel lykkes i å få frem mye kunnskap om hva slags menneskelig aktivitet som foregikk i området for mange tusen år siden.
North Meets South, 2017
The paper questions the still predominant tendency to categorize Scandinavian prehistoric rock ar... more The paper questions the still predominant tendency to categorize Scandinavian prehistoric rock art into just two traditions, associated with hunting societies on the one hand and farming societies on the other. More than a century ago, the iconography from this part of Europe was separated into ‘South Scandinavian’ and ‘North Scandinavian’ rock art. Later on, the terms hunters’ and agrarian rock art came into use, together with other variants, before these were reconceptualised into the ‘Northern and Southern Traditions’ in the 1930s. Despite the fact that hundreds of sites have been rediscovered since the first categorization, we are still left with just two major groups of rock art in Scandinavia. Researchers have also argued in favor of merging the two traditions and even of interaction between them, but this has often been challenged by the widely-separated dating of the supposed traditions. This paper, which takes its point of departure in the Norwegian material, discusses a number of aspects associated with this categorization, questions both the background for the separation exclusively into these two traditions as well as the possible interaction between them, and argues in favor of a much more developed and nuanced classification of the still expanding bulk of rock art. This will be thoroughly problematized, as it will be argued that some of the sites normally labelled within the Northern Tradition, at least in Western Norway, share a number of features and elements with rock art of the Atlantic tradition of Central and southern Europe, thus indicating a potential interaction between Scandinavia and southern Europe at the end of the Late Mesolithic. This adds to other supposed influences from north-eastern and eastern Europe, thereby challenging the background for both the Southern and the Northern Traditions as clearly defined and consistent traditions.
Key words: Cup and Ring Tradition, Rock art, traditions, dating, contemporaneity, Northern and Southern Tradition, Atlantic and Megalithic art.
Primitive tider, Dec 1, 2014
Wits University Press eBooks, Aug 25, 2018
Les Nouvelles de l'archéologie
espanolEscandinavia tiene una gran abundancia de sitios con arte rupestre y una larga tradicion d... more espanolEscandinavia tiene una gran abundancia de sitios con arte rupestre y una larga tradicion de estudios sobre el mismo. Muchos enclaves se encuentran en areas todavia relativamente libres de la accion del ser humano. El hecho de que esta parte de Europa se encuentre escasamente poblada tambien supone que hay menos infraestructuras modernas en muchas regiones, lo que ha contribuido a proteger y preservar estos sitios de modo mas autentico. Una porcion de ellos solo son conocidos por una pequena parte de la comunidad internacional de investigadores del arte rupestre, ya que han sido descritos y publicados principalmente en lenguas escandinavas. No obstante, esta situacion esta cambiando gradualmente, conforme mas enclaves entran a formar parte del discurso arqueologico y a ser publicados en ingles. Sin embargo, esta zona esta lejos de ser una �utopia� rupestre, dado que muchos de los registros graficos han sido afectados de un modo u otro por factores modernos, y especialmente por el desgaste natural. Como ocurre en otras partes del mundo, algunos enclaves tienen cualidades que los hacen destacar y que los hacen especialmente importantes para centrarse en ellos con mayor detalle en el futuro. EnglishScandinavia has an abundance of rock art sites and a lengthy tradition of rock art studies, with many sites still located in relatively untouched areas. As a scantly populated part of Europe, there are less modern infrastructures in many regions, which has helped to protect the sites and keep them more authentic. Only a few of them are known to a small part of the international rock art community, as they have mainly been published in Scandinavian languages. However, this situation is gradually changing, as more of these sites become part of the archaeological discourse and are frequently published in English. Nevertheless, the area is far from being some kind of rock art �utopia�, as many of the ancient images have been influenced in one way or another by modern factors, and especially by weathering. As occurs in other parts of the world, some sites have qualities that set them apart and which are particularly important in terms of focusing on them in greater detail in the future.
The paper questions the still predominant tendency to categorize Scandinavian prehistoric rock ar... more The paper questions the still predominant tendency to categorize Scandinavian prehistoric rock art into just two traditions, associated with hunting societies on the one hand and farming societies on the other. More than a century ago, the iconography from this part of Europe was separated into ‘South Scandinavian’ and ‘North Scandinavian’ rock art. Later on, the terms hunters’ and agrarian rock art came into use, together with other variants, before these were reconceptualised into the ‘Northern and Southern Traditions’ in the 1930s. Despite the fact that hundreds of sites have been rediscovered since the first categorization, we are still left with just two major groups of rock art in Scandinavia. Researchers have also argued in favor of merging the two traditions and even of interaction between them, but this has often been challenged by the widely-separated dating of the supposed traditions. This paper, which takes its point of departure in the Norwegian material, discusses a number of aspects associated with this categorization, questions both the background for the separation exclusively into these two traditions as well as the possible interaction between them, and argues in favor of a much more developed and nuanced classification of the still expanding bulk of rock art. This will be thoroughly problematized, as it will be argued that some of the sites normally labelled within the Northern Tradition, at least in Western Norway, share a number of features and elements with rock art of the Atlantic tradition of Central and southern Europe, thus indicating a potential interaction between Scandinavia and southern Europe at the end of the Late Mesolithic. This adds to other supposed influences from north-eastern and eastern Europe, thereby challenging the background for both the Southern and the Northern Traditions as clearly defined and consistent traditions. Key words: Cup and Ring Tradition, Rock art, traditions, dating, contemporaneity, Northern and Southern Tradition, Atlantic and Megalithic art.
espanolUna reciente iniciativa ha sido tomada por el ayuntamiento de Bremanger en el condado de S... more espanolUna reciente iniciativa ha sido tomada por el ayuntamiento de Bremanger en el condado de Sogn de Fjordane, en Noruega occidental, para proponer el arte rupestre del enclave de Vingen y el paisaje que lo circuanda como candidato a la lista tentativa de Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO. Situado en la costa en un area con infraestructuras modernas limitadas, el lugar se localiza en un entorno que no ha cambiado demasiado desde que el arte rupestre comenzo a realizarse, lo que supone que conserva un elevado numero de cualidades autenticas. Representa tambien uno de los mayores concentraciones de arte rupestre en el norte de Europa. EnglishA recent initiative has been taken by the municipality of Bremanger in the County of Sogn of Fjordane in Western Norway to nominate the rock art site of Vingen and its surrounding landscape as a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. Situated on the coast in an area with limited modern infrastructures, the site is located in an e...
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2019
Substantial amounts of archaeological material have been found intermixed with beach pebbles and ... more Substantial amounts of archaeological material have been found intermixed with beach pebbles and cobbles on the Tapes beach ridge at Longva on the island Flemsøya/Skuløya in Western Norway. The artefacts show that the beach ridge was settled in the Late Mesolithic. The most significant remains are fireplaces, birch bark from the floor of a tent/hut, fish sinkers and middens containing numerous waste flakes and lithic tools. Radiocarbon dating, mainly of burnt hazelnut shells, shows two periods of occupation. The older and longer period is dated to between 7600 and 6800 cal yr BP, and the younger phase to between 6200 and 5900 cal yr BP. Pollen analysis revealed open vegetation at the beach ridge during the occupation periods. Based on the beach ridge deposits and radiocarbon dates, we reconstructed the Tapes transgression maximum high tide sea level to 8.2e9.0 m between 7600 and 5600 cal yr BP. We conclude that the late Mesolithic inhabitants at Longva occupied the beach ridge while it was growing. During the largest storm surges e most likely to have been in the winter months e the sea would have washed over their settlements and deposited pebbles and cobbles on top of their remains. We suggest that the inhabitants abandoned the settlement before each stormy season, but returned and restored the site the following spring or summer.
Dating of the Vingen Rock Art The paper discusses the dating of the rock art of the Northern Trad... more Dating of the Vingen Rock Art The paper discusses the dating of the rock art of the Northern Tradition from the Vingen site in western Norway, for which a number of different suggestions have been proposed during the last century. Rock art is difficult to date, and in particular rock art of the Northern Tradition. The general approach for most sites has been based on shoreline displacements and the assumption that the rock art was produced on clean surfaces close to the contemporary shoreline in the past. However, this method suffers from numerous weaknesses, and the distances chosen in the past for the selected images, due to factors such as wave action or sea splash, may have led to variations in the levels chosen. Consequently, the dating of even contemporary figures and images may vary by hundreds and thousands of years. Based on evidence from a number of archaeological excavations, surveys and explorations carried out over the last couple of decades, a new chronological framewo...
International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 2012
Natural and cultural heritage management is dependent on knowledge about present species and habi... more Natural and cultural heritage management is dependent on knowledge about present species and habitats and presence of cultural heritage sites, respectively. Knowledge about long-term development helps to identify factors explaining both biodiversity and cultural heritage and to predict future changes based on changes in, for example, climate or grazing regimes. In the present interdisciplinary study, vegetation surveys, pollen analysis from a bog and soil profiles within archaeological localities, archaeological test-excavations and historical data have been combined to elucidate cultural landscape development in an upland landscape of Erdalen in Stryn, western Norway. Activity in what is now the summer farm area started in the Bronze Age, followed by clearance and grazing in the Early Iron Age. After a period of reduced activity, most of the valley seems to have been utilised for summer farming in the Late Iron Age and first part of the Medieval Period. A regression period, probably related to the Black Death, is followed by new activity with extensive woodland clearings from the seventeenth century, whereas recent changes have resulted in increased tree cover. The investigations show a close relationship between land-use practices, presence of grassland species and vascular plant species richness. They also show the importance of continued management for existence of semi-natural habitats in the future, and for the visibility of archaeological sites.
The first part of the paper discusses the dating of the rock art site Ausevik in Flora, Sogn og F... more The first part of the paper discusses the dating of the rock art site Ausevik in Flora, Sogn og Fjordane, and evaluates previous suggestions from the last approximately 80 years, based primarily on stylistic comparisons and to some extent shore line displacements. On the basis of new evidence from excavations at the site it is argued that the rock art should be dated to the Late Mesolithic, and that its iconography, use and expression is simultaneous with the more renown Vingen site a short distance further north. This opens for a much better understanding of the similarities of images and the organisation and expression of the narratives at the two sites. In the second part of the paper it is argued that both these sites are related to mortuary practises at the term of the Late Mesolithic period in Western Norway. It seems also to address important ideological issues in the relation between animal images and what seem to be representations of skeletons. The iconography also hints a...
Quaternary Science Reviews
ABSTRACT This paper addresses the religious, mythological and ideological importance of certain a... more ABSTRACT This paper addresses the religious, mythological and ideological importance of certain animals for Stone Age societies. The point of departure is the rock art site of Vingen, on the western coast of Norway, where more than 2000 figures have been pecked into bedrock panels or boulders. Over recent years several excavations have been undertaken in this area in order to try to contextualize and date the rock art. Results from both radiocarbon datings and archaeological material have strongly indicated that the basic activity at the site dates to a limited time span of the Late Mesolithic, predating the transition to the Neolithic. At the same time the spatial distribution of rock art on rock panels, with its many interpreted narratives, provides us with a valuable insight into Late Mesolithic religion and beliefs.
Rapporten utgis som nr. 1 i en ny skriftserie for Verdensarvsenter for bergkunst – Alta Museum (V... more Rapporten utgis som nr. 1 i en ny skriftserie for Verdensarvsenter for bergkunst – Alta Museum (VAM): «BERGKUNST». I denne skriftserien skal det etter planen utgis både vitenskapelige arbeid, artikkelsamlinger og dokumentasjons- og seminarrapporter. Redaktørene for rapporten har vært tre medlemmer av Bergkunstnettverkets arbeidsutvalg: Trond Lødøen, Bergen Museum, Universitetet i Bergen; Helle Vangen Stuedal, Stiklestad Nasjonale Kultursenter og Bergkunstmuseet og Hans Christian Søborg, Verdensarvsenter for bergkunst - Alta Museum.
The paper discusses aspects of rock amongst Late Mesolithic societies of western Norway. It addre... more The paper discusses aspects of rock amongst Late Mesolithic societies of western Norway. It addresses the importance of rock in rock art contexts, tool production, and quarrying activity, and discusses several relational aspects of the use of rock, thus adding new perspectives to our understanding of prehistoric societies’ beliefs associated with rock. While a number of researchers in recent years have pointed at the lack of research on material culture, and addressed the importance of materiality, this paper deals first and foremost with the immateriality of rocks. Keywords: Rock Art, Stone, Rock, Membrane, Quarries, Cosmology, Votive, Late Mesolithic.
Quarternary Science Reviews, 2019
Substantial amounts of archaeological material have been found intermixed with beach pebbles and ... more Substantial amounts of archaeological material have been found intermixed with beach pebbles and cobbles on the Tapes beach ridge at Longva on the island Flemsøya/Skuløya in Western Norway. The artefacts show that the beach ridge was settled in the Late Mesolithic. The most significant remains are fireplaces, birch bark from the floor of a tent/hut, fish sinkers and middens containing numerous waste flakes and lithic tools. Radiocarbon dating, mainly of burnt hazelnut shells, shows two periods of occupation. The older and longer period is dated to between 7600 and 6800 cal yr BP, and the younger phase to between 6200 and 5900 cal yr BP. Pollen analysis revealed open vegetation at the beach ridge during the occupation periods. Based on the beach ridge deposits and radiocarbon dates, we reconstructed the Tapes transgression maximum high tide sea level to 8.2e9.0 m between 7600 and 5600 cal yr BP. We conclude that the late Mesolithic inhabitants at Longva occupied the beach ridge while it was growing. During the largest storm surges e most likely to have been in the winter months e the sea would have washed over their settlements and deposited pebbles and cobbles on top of their remains. We suggest that the inhabitants abandoned the settlement before each stormy season, but returned and restored the site the following spring or summer.
Whale on the Rock, 2017
The Northern Tradition rock art of Norway features ane of the largest concentrations of whale i m... more The Northern Tradition rock art of Norway features ane of the largest concentrations of whale i mages in the world. Their representations vary greatly from north to south, with a high concentration in the more central regions of Norway. The different types of whales may have represented specific clans, tri bes or groups in the past, or it is possible that each of the different types had their own specific meaning or ro les in the past. This article will attempt to provide further insight into the character of the whale i mages in the prehistorie rock art record of Norway. It is especially striking to note the association or close connection between land animals and whales in their different representations. At many sites, the whale i mages are positioned on the different panels in a way that may indicate a transformation from whale i mages into different types of deer i mages, and then possibly back to whale i mages aga in, a facet that will be discussed later on in this pa per. It will also be argued that the Northern Tradition rock art was related to mortuary practices, and that the wild animals that are shown - including the whales - were associated with beliefs about death, and that the rock i mages potentially helped to assist the transfer of sou Is that were being regenerated. The pa per also discusses aspects of past world views, and will tentatively provide a number of suggestions regarding the potential mythological and religious significance of these whales.
Årbok 2017 - Haram Kulturhistoriske Lag, 2017
Parallelt med at utgravningene ved Austnes gikk mot slutten i 2014, startet arkeologene fra Unive... more Parallelt med at utgravningene ved Austnes gikk mot slutten i 2014, startet arkeologene fra Universitetsmuseet i Bergen opp nye undersøkelser på Longva. Sistnevnte område er det andre av foreløpig to steder hvor det er bestemt at den nye fastlandsforbindelsen fv. 659 Nordøyvegen kommer inn med full tyngde, og hvor det var kjent at det fantes forhistoriske kulturspor som måtte sikres før veiutbyggingen. Formålet med utgravingene var her som på Austnes å dokumentere og samle inn de viktigste sporene etter fordums virke før veiutbyggingen fjerner alle spor som ligger i traséen til det nye veisambandet. De arkeologiske utgravningene på Longva avdekket omfattende bosetningsspor etter en fang-stbosetning som har holdt til her i ulike perioder av hovedsaklig eldre og yngre steinalder. På senvinteren 2015 ble både utstyr og brakkerigg flyttet fra Austnes på Haramsøy, og over til Flemsøya/Skuløya i den hensikt å starte undersøkelsene på Longva. Fra veikrysset ovenfor Gunnabuda, langs Longvafjordveien og frem til bedehuset lengre øst på Longva ble det undersøkt tilsammen 5 forhistoriske lokaliteter. Disse ble i all hovedsak datert til steinalderen, men flere av lokalitetene har også funnmateriale og avsetninger som viser til bruk i både bronse- og jernalder (Fig 1). Noen av dem later til å ha vært i bruk mer sammenhengende, trolig gjennom flere hundre år, men vi vet likevel ikke om dette var helårlig bosetning eller bare sesongmessig. Typisk for alle lokalitetene er at de er plassert oppå strandvollen som strekker seg parallelt med strandlinja i 8-11 meters høyde over havet. Langsetter den samme strandvollen har også den nåvaerende Longvafjordveien blitt anlagt, noe som har bidratt til å ødelegge en del av de forhistoriske sporene. På den samme vollen planlegges det også at den frem-tidige fv. 659 Nordøyvegen skal etableres. Den forholdsvis intense oppdyrkingen som har funnet sted på Longva har bidratt til å viske ut og fjerne mange av de opprinnelige sporene, men vi har likevel lykkes i å få frem mye kunnskap om hva slags menneskelig aktivitet som foregikk i området for mange tusen år siden.
North Meets South, 2017
The paper questions the still predominant tendency to categorize Scandinavian prehistoric rock ar... more The paper questions the still predominant tendency to categorize Scandinavian prehistoric rock art into just two traditions, associated with hunting societies on the one hand and farming societies on the other. More than a century ago, the iconography from this part of Europe was separated into ‘South Scandinavian’ and ‘North Scandinavian’ rock art. Later on, the terms hunters’ and agrarian rock art came into use, together with other variants, before these were reconceptualised into the ‘Northern and Southern Traditions’ in the 1930s. Despite the fact that hundreds of sites have been rediscovered since the first categorization, we are still left with just two major groups of rock art in Scandinavia. Researchers have also argued in favor of merging the two traditions and even of interaction between them, but this has often been challenged by the widely-separated dating of the supposed traditions. This paper, which takes its point of departure in the Norwegian material, discusses a number of aspects associated with this categorization, questions both the background for the separation exclusively into these two traditions as well as the possible interaction between them, and argues in favor of a much more developed and nuanced classification of the still expanding bulk of rock art. This will be thoroughly problematized, as it will be argued that some of the sites normally labelled within the Northern Tradition, at least in Western Norway, share a number of features and elements with rock art of the Atlantic tradition of Central and southern Europe, thus indicating a potential interaction between Scandinavia and southern Europe at the end of the Late Mesolithic. This adds to other supposed influences from north-eastern and eastern Europe, thereby challenging the background for both the Southern and the Northern Traditions as clearly defined and consistent traditions.
Key words: Cup and Ring Tradition, Rock art, traditions, dating, contemporaneity, Northern and Southern Tradition, Atlantic and Megalithic art.
Poster, 2017
Målsettingen for prosjektet er å lage en tredimensjonal interaktiv virtuell versjon av helleristn... more Målsettingen for prosjektet er å lage en tredimensjonal interaktiv virtuell versjon av helleristningslokaliteten Vingen i Bremanger, Sogn & Fjordane. I den kan man bevege seg fritt i det virtuelle landskapet og utforske de enkelte ristningsfeltene, med interaktiv tilgang til historikk, informasjon, bilder, video etc. I tillegg skal man kunne virtuelt oppleve Vingen i steinalderen.
Within the objectives of the Norwegian rock art project initiated by the Directorate for Cultural... more Within the objectives of the Norwegian rock art project initiated by the Directorate for Cultural Heritage for the preservation and documentation of a number of sites, interdisciplinary research into processes that combine to break down rock art panels was carried out in Vingen, Bremanger municipality, and to a lesser extent also associated with the World Heritage rock art area at Hjemmeluft, Alta municipality. The project has been underway since 1997, and was scheduled to last until 2005. In addition to the research on weathering processes, various remedial measures to alleviate or prevent damage to rock art have been implemented and tested. In both Vingen and Hjemmeluft, the species used for rock carvings consists of metasandstone, but in several different states of composition. Both sites are situated near the sea, but in different climatic zones. A comparison of the results from Vingen and Hjemmeluft will make it possible to determine the significance of rock species and climate...
Sommeren 2015 ble fem steinalderlokaliteter på Longva, Flemsøy undersøkt av Universitetsmuseet i ... more Sommeren 2015 ble fem steinalderlokaliteter på Longva, Flemsøy undersøkt av Universitetsmuseet i Bergen. Utgravingene avdekket omfattende kulturlagsavsetninger. Aktiviteten har vært klart størst i
senmesolitikum, men alle deler av neolitikum er også representert.
Under utgravningene av Lok 65 Longva på Flemsøy, Haram, Møre og Romsdal i 2015, ble det påvist fl... more Under utgravningene av Lok 65 Longva på Flemsøy, Haram, Møre og Romsdal i 2015, ble det påvist flere remser og pletter med velbevart bjørkenever, datert til senmesolitikum. Neverlagene dukket opp under undersøkelser av kulturlagsforekomster, som dekker det meste av tidsrommet 5900-5200 f.Kr, og kan knyttes til fastere eller langvarig sesongbasert bosetning.
LATE MESOLITHIC HABITATION UNEARTHED AT FLEMSØY IN NORTH WESTERN NORWAY. The process of building ... more LATE MESOLITHIC HABITATION UNEARTHED AT FLEMSØY IN NORTH WESTERN NORWAY. The process of building mainland road links for a number of exposed islands on the Coast of Møre og Romsdal in North Western Norway has led to massive rescue excavations and a arger archaeological project - FV 659 Nordøyvegen