Books by Vibeke Vandrup Martens
This paper presents a single artefact, a base sherd from a storage jar. The pot is dark grey ston... more This paper presents a single artefact, a base sherd from a storage jar. The pot is dark grey stoneware with a thick, light grey-green celadon glaze. The inside is slipcovered with a thin layer of beige-brown clay and has distinct turning marks. The original theory was that this might be Chinese Dusun Ware, a type of storage jars which were widely exported from East Asia to the Middle East during the 8 th-10 th Centuries CE. Such an artefact would have been sensational to find as far north as Oslo, Norway, although the sturdy pots were widely reused and have been known to travel to NorthWestern Europe. To check its provenance, ICP analyses were carried out-and thus a completely different story could be written, one of Western Europeans copying the much sought-after East Asian pottery in the Late Medieval and Renaissance periods. So how did this convincing Chinese copy arrive in Oslo, who could have brought it, and when did it arrive on these shores? Importantly, what can a Chinese copy tell us about relations and connections between Europe and China? We were intrigued, and wonder how many other examples of this may be found in the Nordic countries?
Heritage 2022, 5, 2210–2240. Academic Editor: Nicola Masini Received: 29 June 2022 Accepted: 5 August 2022 Published: 13 August 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licen..., 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/
Varia 70, Kulturhistorisk museum. Universitetet i Oslo., 2008
Sammendrag
Rv2-prosjektet er et eksternt finansiert utgravningsprosjekt ved Kulturhistorisk museu... more Sammendrag
Rv2-prosjektet er et eksternt finansiert utgravningsprosjekt ved Kulturhistorisk museum med Statens Vegvesen som tiltakshaver. I løpet av 3 måneders feltsesong ble 6 lokaliteter undersøkt innenfor en strekning på ca. en mil. Totalt er det avdekket et areal på ca. 22 400 m² i dyrket mark. Hus og gård er et eget satsingsområde for Kulturhistorisk museum, og da med vekt på å frembringe kunnskap fra så mange boplasslokaliteter som mulig. Hovedmålsetningen med Rv2-prosjektet var derfor å undersøke den forhistoriske bebyggelsen på leirjordene i de berørte områdene. Kunnskapspotensialet ved en undersøkelse av de registrerte lokalitetene ble tidlig vurdert som stort. Resultatene ble bedre enn forventet: minst fem forhistoriske hustomter, en hulvei, en overpløyd gravhaug, en hel gård fra 16–1700- tallet og flere kokegropfelt. Undersøkelsene langs Rv2 har bidratt til ny kunnskap når det gjelder hustyper og kronologi, samt romlig organisering av boplasser og kokegropfelt. Et uventet resultat er at undersøkelsene også har kunnet belyse tekstilfremstilling ved røyting av hamp i middelalderen. Bruk av GIS som integrert del av feltvirksomheten, er også et satsingsområde ved museet. Dette ble derfor prioritert høyt ved undersøkelsene.
Since the adoption of the Malta Convention (Council of Europe 1992), the strategy of cultural her... more Since the adoption of the Malta Convention (Council of Europe 1992), the strategy of cultural heritage management in many countries has changed from ex situ to in situ preservation of archaeological remains. The question is whether this change in strategy increases the protection or the risk of losing the undocumented heritage it was meant to protect? The strategy puts a large responsibility on present and future generations, as the concept of in situ preservation implies that the heritage sites remain unchanged ‘forever’. To ensure that in situ preservation may be considered a possibility, knowledge about the present state of preservation as well as the physical and chemical conditions for future preservation capacity is necessary. This accumulated knowledge is called environmental monitoring. The alternatives to in situ preservation are to simply let sites deteriorate and eventually disappear, or to preserve through detailed archaeological investigation and documentation, also called ex situ preservation or preservation by record. The possibilities, limitations and consequences of in situ site preservation are main topics of this work.
The focus of this thesis is on three complex topics; in situ preservation of unsaturated archaeological deposits (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), rural medieval archaeology (discussed in chapters 3, 4, 6 and 7) and effects of climate change on archaeological remains (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), all within the context of Norwegian Cultural Heritage management and research.
Chapter 1, Outline and Scope of this Thesis, introduces the central questions and problems, study methods, case sites, project framework and project partners, the legal and management framework and conventions. Specific aims of the present study are;
• To which extent is archaeological contextual readability retained in rural archaeological deposits at different stages of degradation?
• Which are the possible effects of the rates of degradation on their contextual readability?
• Is it possible to define threshold levels in the archaeological deposits?
• When archaeological observations are coupled with environmental parameters, can one define which parameters most affect the present conservation state and conditions for future in situ preservation of archaeological deposits in the unsaturated zone?
• What may be the effects of climate change on these parameters?
• How can studies of artefact preservation and microscopic and macroscopic subfossils contribute to evaluations of state of preservation?
• Can degradation processes be curbed or mitigated? If so, which mitigation strategies may be required for the investigated sites?
• How may this contribute to a decision support system for cultural heritage management?
Chapter 2, General Introduction, briefly discusses the background for evaluations of in situ preservation of archaeological sites, includes an introduction to rural medieval archaeology in Norway, the North Norwegian farm mounds as archaeological monuments, and discusses their role compared to that of the medieval towns. Modern Norwegian cultural heritage management adheres at least partly to the Malta Convention, though within the set time frames of the Norwegian Heritage Act, meaning that the intention is to preserve as many archaeological sites and as much of each individual site as possible in situ. Heritage evaluation and climate change is also discussed, with a brief overview of predicted climate change for the study area of Northern Norway. The chapter includes suggestions for threshold levels and some possible mitigating actions.
Chapter 3, North Norwegian Farm Mounds - landscape conditions and assumed agrarian technologies required for their existence, is a paper on farm mounds as an archaeological object. It puts the farm mounds into a research context and discusses the parameters that have affected their existence over time.
Chapter 4, The Magnate Farm of Åker. Past, present and future of a farm with central functions, presents a south Norwegian farm mound as comparative material to those in northern Norway. This particular farm mound has played an important role as a central place in southern Norway for centuries, and it has been exposed to severe infringement and changes from modern infrastructure projects. Probes monitoring temperature and moisture were installed at the site in 2007, and the monitoring has continued since then, with a few breaks because of battery failure.
Chapter 5, In situ site preservation in the unsaturated zone: case Avaldsnes, gives a thorough description of the methods and equipment used in the monitoring projects, and an explanation of the methods and requirements advocated by the Norwegian Standard concerning deposit monitoring, and potential problems following that. This is another type of comparative site on the west coast of Norway with preserved rural archaeological deposits, in a climate that differs from the ones presented in chapters three and four, and gives some insight into how archaeological remains are preserved in a wet and wild climate.
Chapter 6, Research and monitoring on conservation state and preservation conditions in unsaturated archaeological deposits of a medieval farm mound in Troms and a late Stone Age midden in Finnmark, Northern Norway, contains the results from farm mounds and high north investigations, archaeological, geophysical, and geochemical and palaeobotanic analyses written with InSituFarms project partners. It also includes laboratory experiments on preservation of deposits in different temperature and moisture scenarios to give input to possible climate change effects, tying together the theories and heritage management aspects.
Chapter 7, Synthesis; Implications for archaeological heritage management, discusses the lessons learned from the thesis work and the InSituFarms research project. It is structured in accordance with the research questions posed in Chapter 1, on how climate changes may affect the studied objects (through decay studies and climate predictions), aspects of preservation, and ultimately the implications for archaeological heritage management of these sites and all rural archaeological sites with preserved deposits, independent of site type or dating. This chapter exemplifies definitions of threshold levels for different types of threats to continued preservation and suggests an improvement to the national heritage database including these considerations.
Chapter 8, Conclusion and Further Perspectives. This final chapter gathers the findings of the previous ones and points to future work. The results of the research presented here have demonstrated that it is possible to define parameters that most affect preservation of archaeological sites and it is possible to see effects of climate change on these parameters. That accentuates the importance of preparing strategies to deal with the effects of climate change on the preservation of cultural heritage sites. Focus for future research should be on refining these threshold levels and corresponding mitigating actions to enable defining a point when one should go from in situ to ex situ preservation. The threshold levels suggested in this thesis should be tested further through laboratory and on site experiments. This work advocates the necessity for the development of sustainable mitigating actions for a number of different threat situations as exemplified in the threshold levels, and to evaluate the scientific potential of sites chosen for in situ preservation.
Geoarchaeological and Bioarchaeological Studies 16
Since the adoption of the Malta Convention (... more Geoarchaeological and Bioarchaeological Studies 16
Since the adoption of the Malta Convention (Council of Europe 1992), the strategy of cultural heritage management in many countries has changed from ex situ to in situ preservation of archaeological remains. The question is whether this change in strategy increases the protection or the risk of losing the undocumented heritage it was meant to protect? The strategy puts a large responsibility on present and future generations, as the concept of in situ preservation implies that the heritage sites remain unchanged ‘forever’. To ensure that in situ preservation may be considered a possibility, knowledge about the present state of preservation as well as the physical and chemical conditions for future preservation capacity is necessary. This accumulated knowledge is called environmental monitoring. The alternatives to in situ preservation are to simply let sites deteriorate and eventually disappear, or to preserve through detailed archaeological investigation and documentation, also called ex situ preservation or preservation by record. The possibilities, limitations and consequences of in situ site preservation are main topics of this work.
The focus of this thesis is on three complex topics; in situ preservation of unsaturated archaeological deposits (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), rural medieval archaeology (discussed in chapters 3, 4, 6 and 7) and effects of climate change on archaeological remains (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), all within the context of Norwegian Cultural Heritage management and research.
Chapter 1, Outline and Scope of this Thesis, introduces the central questions and problems, study methods, case sites, project framework and project partners, the legal and management framework and conventions. Specific aims of the present study are;
• To which extent is archaeological contextual readability retained in rural archaeological deposits at different stages of degradation?
• Which are the possible effects of the rates of degradation on their contextual readability?
• Is it possible to define threshold levels in the archaeological deposits?
• When archaeological observations are coupled with environmental parameters, can one define which parameters most affect the present conservation state and conditions for future in situ preservation of archaeological deposits in the unsaturated zone?
• What may be the effects of climate change on these parameters?
• How can studies of artefact preservation and microscopic and macroscopic subfossils contribute to evaluations of state of preservation?
• Can degradation processes be curbed or mitigated? If so, which mitigation strategies may be required for the investigated sites?
• How may this contribute to a decision support system for cultural heritage management?
Chapter 2, General Introduction, briefly discusses the background for evaluations of in situ preservation of archaeological sites, includes an introduction to rural medieval archaeology in Norway, the North Norwegian farm mounds as archaeological monuments, and discusses their role compared to that of the medieval towns. Modern Norwegian cultural heritage management adheres at least partly to the Malta Convention, though within the set time frames of the Norwegian Heritage Act, meaning that the intention is to preserve as many archaeological sites and as much of each individual site as possible in situ. Heritage evaluation and climate change is also discussed, with a brief overview of predicted climate change for the study area of Northern Norway. The chapter includes suggestions for threshold levels and some possible mitigating actions.
Chapter 3, North Norwegian Farm Mounds - landscape conditions and assumed agrarian technologies required for their existence, is a paper on farm mounds as an archaeological object. It puts the farm mounds into a research context and discusses the parameters that have affected their existence over time.
Chapter 4, The Magnate Farm of Åker. Past, present and future of a farm with central functions, presents a south Norwegian farm mound as comparative material to those in northern Norway. This particular farm mound has played an important role as a central place in southern Norway for centuries, and it has been exposed to severe infringement and changes from modern infrastructure projects. Probes monitoring temperature and moisture were installed at the site in 2007, and the monitoring has continued since then, with a few breaks because of battery failure.
Chapter 5, In situ site preservation in the unsaturated zone: case Avaldsnes, gives a thorough description of the methods and equipment used in the monitoring projects, and an explanation of the methods and requirements advocated by the Norwegian Standard concerning deposit monitoring, and potential problems following that. This is another type of comparative site on the west coast of Norway with preserved rural archaeological deposits, in a climate that differs from the ones presented in chapters three and four, and gives some insight into how archaeological remains are preserved in a wet and wild climate.
Chapter 6, Research and monitoring on conservation state and preservation conditions in unsaturated archaeological deposits of a medieval farm mound in Troms and a late Stone Age midden in Finnmark, Northern Norway, contains the results from farm mounds and high north investigations, archaeological, geophysical, and geochemical and palaeobotanic analyses written with InSituFarms project partners. It also includes laboratory experiments on preservation of deposits in different temperature and moisture scenarios to give input to possible climate change effects, tying together the theories and heritage management aspects.
Chapter 7, Synthesis; Implications for archaeological heritage management, discusses the lessons learned from the thesis work and the InSituFarms research project. It is structured in accordance with the research questions posed in Chapter 1, on how climate changes may affect the studied objects (through decay studies and climate predictions), aspects of preservation, and ultimately the implications for archaeological heritage management of these sites and all rural archaeological sites with preserved deposits, independent of site type or dating. This chapter exemplifies definitions of threshold levels for different types of threats to continued preservation and suggests an improvement to the national heritage database including these considerations.
Chapter 8, Conclusion and Further Perspectives. This final chapter gathers the findings of the previous ones and points to future work. The results of the research presented here have demonstrated that it is possible to define parameters that most affect preservation of archaeological sites and it is possible to see effects of climate change on these parameters. That accentuates the importance of preparing strategies to deal with the effects of climate change on the preservation of cultural heritage sites. Focus for future research should be on refining these threshold levels and corresponding mitigating actions to enable defining a point when one should go from in situ to ex situ preservation. The threshold levels suggested in this thesis should be tested further through laboratory and on site experiments. This work advocates the necessity for the development of sustainable mitigating actions for a number of different threat situations as exemplified in the threshold levels, and to evaluate the scientific potential of sites chosen for in situ preservation.
Papers by Vibeke Vandrup Martens
META historiskarkeologiskt tidskrift, 2024
This paper presents a single artefact, a base sherd from a storage jar. The pot is dark grey ston... more This paper presents a single artefact, a base sherd from a storage jar. The pot is dark grey stoneware with a thick, light grey-green celadon glaze. The inside is slipcovered with a thin layer of beige-brown clay and has distinct turning marks. The original theory was that this might be Chinese Dusun Ware, a type of storage jars which were widely exported from East Asia to the Middle East during the 8 th-10 th Centuries CE. Such an artefact would have been sensational to find as far north as Oslo, Norway, although the sturdy pots were widely reused and have been known to travel to NorthWestern Europe. To check its provenance, ICP analyses were carried out-and thus a completely different story could be written, one of Western Europeans copying the much sought-after East Asian pottery in the Late Medieval and Renaissance periods. So how did this convincing Chinese copy arrive in Oslo, who could have brought it, and when did it arrive on these shores? Importantly, what can a Chinese copy tell us about relations
Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, Jul 2, 2016
This paper presents archaeological observations and results of palaeoecological and geo-chemical ... more This paper presents archaeological observations and results of palaeoecological and geo-chemical analyses of archaeological deposits from two rural sites in
Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, Nov 1, 2012
Archaeological, biological, and geochemical investigations of soil sample series from a section a... more Archaeological, biological, and geochemical investigations of soil sample series from a section and fi ve boreholes have been studied to evaluate the state of preservation at the time of investigation and the preservation conditions of urban archaeological deposits from medieval Oslo, Norway. Focus has been put on the most fragile deposits in the unsaturated and fl uctuation zones. Even with limited investigations, it is possible to assess the archaeological conservation state and the preservation conditions. Further work should focus on interpreting measured results and on mitigation strategies. keywords medieval, Norway, in situ preservation, unsaturated zone, fl uctuation zone, saturated zone Fe 2+ Fe 3+
Varia 62 Arkeologiske undersøkelser 2001-2002, 2007
Reneissance building remains found at Onsøy vicarage, Østfold county, Norway
Antiquity, Jun 1, 2018
The cold, wet climate of the Arctic has led to the extraordinary preservation of archaeological s... more The cold, wet climate of the Arctic has led to the extraordinary preservation of archaeological sites and materials that offer important contributions to the understanding of our common cultural and ecological history. This potential, however, is quickly disappearing due to climaterelated variables, including the intensification of permafrost thaw and coastal erosion, which are damaging and destroying a wide range of cultural and environmental archives around the Arctic. In providing an overview of the most important effects of climate change in this region and on archaeological sites, the authors propose the next generation of research and response strategies, and suggest how to capitalise on existing successful connections among research communities and between researchers and the public.
Frontiers in Earth Science, Sep 15, 2022
The CULTCOAST research project has installed environmental monitoring equipment at two cultural h... more The CULTCOAST research project has installed environmental monitoring equipment at two cultural heritage sites in northern Norway: one at the coal mine site of Hiorthhamn on Svalbard, one at the settlement mound site Sjåberget on Andøya in Nordland County. Both these coastal heritage sites are situated north of the Arctic circle, in the areas most impacted by climate change. Whereas the global temperature increase since 1970 is just above 1°C, in Svalbard the increase is now 4°C. This is the first example of using this specific type of sensors to monitor the ongoing changes and their possible impacts on preservation of heritage sites.
Dyrkningsspor. Ramsum, 77/3, 8, Grytingen, 79/1, 4, 9,10,13 og Lund, 83/1, 3, 4,10, Stokke kommune, Vestfold I forbindelse med reguleringsplan for nytt byggefelt på Lundskogen-Grytingen (Ramsum 77/3, 8, Gry... more I forbindelse med reguleringsplan for nytt byggefelt på Lundskogen-Grytingen (Ramsum 77/3, 8, Grytingen 79/1, 4, 9,10,13, og Lund 83/1, 3, 4,10), Stokke kommune, Vestfold, ble det i 2001 foretatt registrering for kulturminner i området. Oppdraget ble utført av fylkeskommunen. Man påviste da 23 rydningsrøyser og andre fossile dyrkningsspor. Etter registreringen ble en del av de registrerte kultuminner foreslått bevart i et samlet område SØ i reguleringsplanen. I desember 2002 anbefalte UKM at Riksantikvaren fattet vedtak om arkeologiske undersøkelser på de områder som søktes frigitt for bebyggelse (sak F 066/02). Tiltakshaver er Rasmussen & Skjelbred as., Storgata 16, 3160 Stokke. Tiltakshaver har betalt for undersøkelsen
Kaupangregistreringen høst 2005. Bosetningsspor og gravfelt. Bjønnes, 1031/2, Kaupang søndre, 1012/1, Kaupang nordre, 1029, 1, 4, 5, Lamøya, 1030/1, Larvik kommune, Vestfold Denne rapport foreligger som en tilleggsrapport til rapporten av Steinar Kristensen (2005) om reg... more Denne rapport foreligger som en tilleggsrapport til rapporten av Steinar Kristensen (2005) om registreringene i samme område våren 2005. Registreringene på Kaupangområdet høsten 2005 i form av maskinell sjakting var svært omfattende. Til sammen ble det gravd 227 sjakter og avdekket totalt 17225m2. Det utgjør omtrent 29 % av den del av undersøkelsesområdet som skulle sjaktes, noe som må anses for å være en høy undersøkelsesgrad på registreringsnivå. Det er registrert i alt 52 anlegg fordelt på minst to hus (28 stolpehull), 8 kokegroper, samt 10 sikre og 2 mulige gravminner (hvorav 8 sikre og 2 mulige fotgrøfter, 1 flatmarksgrav og 1 overpløyd gravrøys). Det er således registrert i alt 10 nye automatisk fredete lokaliteter; 2 områder med bosetningsspor med blant annet hustomter, 2 felt med kokegroper hvorav et trolig kan knyttes til et slettet gravfelt, 2 enkeltliggende kokegroper, 3 områder med ovepløyde/utpløyde graver som ligger inntil to områder med bevarte gravhauger, samt 1 muli...
Heritage
This article is based on the project undertaken by NIKU for, and financed by, the Nordic Council ... more This article is based on the project undertaken by NIKU for, and financed by, the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021, with supplementary literature and the expertise of the authors added to the report findings. The main aim of the project was to find out how climate-related adaptation and mitigation measures impact the Nordic cultural heritage. In this article we present examples of the different adaptation and mitigation measures that impact the cultural heritage. This article has a Nordic focus, which is transferable to other countries. The methodology involves an analysis of qualitative data collected in 2021 through text review, interviews, and workshops. The results can be divided into three relevant themes where there are major challenges: interdisciplinary work, need for more knowledge and use of culture-nature based solutions, and new energy supply systems. We conclude with recommendations on what we believe should be prioritized in the continued work of reducing the risk o...
Universitetets kulturhistoriske museer (UKM) foretok i periodene 3.-5. juni, 19.-26. juni, 28. ju... more Universitetets kulturhistoriske museer (UKM) foretok i periodene 3.-5. juni, 19.-26. juni, 28. juli-11.september samt 22.-23. september 2003 en arkeologisk undersøkelse på Fyldpå 12/1. Undersøkelsen inngår i E18-prosjektet, som er et forvaltningsinitiert utgravningsprosjekt. Bakgrunnen er at Statens Vegvesen planlegger bygging av ny E18 i Vestfold. Lokaliteten viser spor fra flere forskjellige dyrkningsmetoder fra jemalder og middelalder. Man har røyser, dyrkningsterasser, gjerder og utstrekningen for en komplett høyrygget åker av middelaldertype. Fokus for undersøkelsen var det middelalderske jordbrukslandskap, og relasjonen mellom dyrkningssporene og det tidligere utgravde middelalderske boplassområde. Utgangspunktet var syv røyser som lå samlet på ca 2 mål lengst i nordvest på lokaliteten (ID:001560). Ved den nye registrering ble antallet anlegg seksdoblet, undersøkelsesarealet økte til ca 25 mål, og det tilkom seks helt nye typer anlegg. Alle var mer kompliserte og tidskrevende ...
En undersøkelse av 3 ulike profiler samt en rekke utvalgte enkeltstrukturer fra Avaldsnes, Karmøy... more En undersøkelse av 3 ulike profiler samt en rekke utvalgte enkeltstrukturer fra Avaldsnes, Karmøy, Rogaland er undersøkt. Alle undersøkte arkeologiske kontekster viste middels, dårlig eller elendig bevaringstilstand og dårlige og elendige bevaringsforhold. Det skal dog påpekes at dette er en første delrapportering, og målinger skal pågå i 5 år
Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i OsloFornminneseksjonen, 2008
Uploads
Books by Vibeke Vandrup Martens
Rv2-prosjektet er et eksternt finansiert utgravningsprosjekt ved Kulturhistorisk museum med Statens Vegvesen som tiltakshaver. I løpet av 3 måneders feltsesong ble 6 lokaliteter undersøkt innenfor en strekning på ca. en mil. Totalt er det avdekket et areal på ca. 22 400 m² i dyrket mark. Hus og gård er et eget satsingsområde for Kulturhistorisk museum, og da med vekt på å frembringe kunnskap fra så mange boplasslokaliteter som mulig. Hovedmålsetningen med Rv2-prosjektet var derfor å undersøke den forhistoriske bebyggelsen på leirjordene i de berørte områdene. Kunnskapspotensialet ved en undersøkelse av de registrerte lokalitetene ble tidlig vurdert som stort. Resultatene ble bedre enn forventet: minst fem forhistoriske hustomter, en hulvei, en overpløyd gravhaug, en hel gård fra 16–1700- tallet og flere kokegropfelt. Undersøkelsene langs Rv2 har bidratt til ny kunnskap når det gjelder hustyper og kronologi, samt romlig organisering av boplasser og kokegropfelt. Et uventet resultat er at undersøkelsene også har kunnet belyse tekstilfremstilling ved røyting av hamp i middelalderen. Bruk av GIS som integrert del av feltvirksomheten, er også et satsingsområde ved museet. Dette ble derfor prioritert høyt ved undersøkelsene.
The focus of this thesis is on three complex topics; in situ preservation of unsaturated archaeological deposits (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), rural medieval archaeology (discussed in chapters 3, 4, 6 and 7) and effects of climate change on archaeological remains (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), all within the context of Norwegian Cultural Heritage management and research.
Chapter 1, Outline and Scope of this Thesis, introduces the central questions and problems, study methods, case sites, project framework and project partners, the legal and management framework and conventions. Specific aims of the present study are;
• To which extent is archaeological contextual readability retained in rural archaeological deposits at different stages of degradation?
• Which are the possible effects of the rates of degradation on their contextual readability?
• Is it possible to define threshold levels in the archaeological deposits?
• When archaeological observations are coupled with environmental parameters, can one define which parameters most affect the present conservation state and conditions for future in situ preservation of archaeological deposits in the unsaturated zone?
• What may be the effects of climate change on these parameters?
• How can studies of artefact preservation and microscopic and macroscopic subfossils contribute to evaluations of state of preservation?
• Can degradation processes be curbed or mitigated? If so, which mitigation strategies may be required for the investigated sites?
• How may this contribute to a decision support system for cultural heritage management?
Chapter 2, General Introduction, briefly discusses the background for evaluations of in situ preservation of archaeological sites, includes an introduction to rural medieval archaeology in Norway, the North Norwegian farm mounds as archaeological monuments, and discusses their role compared to that of the medieval towns. Modern Norwegian cultural heritage management adheres at least partly to the Malta Convention, though within the set time frames of the Norwegian Heritage Act, meaning that the intention is to preserve as many archaeological sites and as much of each individual site as possible in situ. Heritage evaluation and climate change is also discussed, with a brief overview of predicted climate change for the study area of Northern Norway. The chapter includes suggestions for threshold levels and some possible mitigating actions.
Chapter 3, North Norwegian Farm Mounds - landscape conditions and assumed agrarian technologies required for their existence, is a paper on farm mounds as an archaeological object. It puts the farm mounds into a research context and discusses the parameters that have affected their existence over time.
Chapter 4, The Magnate Farm of Åker. Past, present and future of a farm with central functions, presents a south Norwegian farm mound as comparative material to those in northern Norway. This particular farm mound has played an important role as a central place in southern Norway for centuries, and it has been exposed to severe infringement and changes from modern infrastructure projects. Probes monitoring temperature and moisture were installed at the site in 2007, and the monitoring has continued since then, with a few breaks because of battery failure.
Chapter 5, In situ site preservation in the unsaturated zone: case Avaldsnes, gives a thorough description of the methods and equipment used in the monitoring projects, and an explanation of the methods and requirements advocated by the Norwegian Standard concerning deposit monitoring, and potential problems following that. This is another type of comparative site on the west coast of Norway with preserved rural archaeological deposits, in a climate that differs from the ones presented in chapters three and four, and gives some insight into how archaeological remains are preserved in a wet and wild climate.
Chapter 6, Research and monitoring on conservation state and preservation conditions in unsaturated archaeological deposits of a medieval farm mound in Troms and a late Stone Age midden in Finnmark, Northern Norway, contains the results from farm mounds and high north investigations, archaeological, geophysical, and geochemical and palaeobotanic analyses written with InSituFarms project partners. It also includes laboratory experiments on preservation of deposits in different temperature and moisture scenarios to give input to possible climate change effects, tying together the theories and heritage management aspects.
Chapter 7, Synthesis; Implications for archaeological heritage management, discusses the lessons learned from the thesis work and the InSituFarms research project. It is structured in accordance with the research questions posed in Chapter 1, on how climate changes may affect the studied objects (through decay studies and climate predictions), aspects of preservation, and ultimately the implications for archaeological heritage management of these sites and all rural archaeological sites with preserved deposits, independent of site type or dating. This chapter exemplifies definitions of threshold levels for different types of threats to continued preservation and suggests an improvement to the national heritage database including these considerations.
Chapter 8, Conclusion and Further Perspectives. This final chapter gathers the findings of the previous ones and points to future work. The results of the research presented here have demonstrated that it is possible to define parameters that most affect preservation of archaeological sites and it is possible to see effects of climate change on these parameters. That accentuates the importance of preparing strategies to deal with the effects of climate change on the preservation of cultural heritage sites. Focus for future research should be on refining these threshold levels and corresponding mitigating actions to enable defining a point when one should go from in situ to ex situ preservation. The threshold levels suggested in this thesis should be tested further through laboratory and on site experiments. This work advocates the necessity for the development of sustainable mitigating actions for a number of different threat situations as exemplified in the threshold levels, and to evaluate the scientific potential of sites chosen for in situ preservation.
Since the adoption of the Malta Convention (Council of Europe 1992), the strategy of cultural heritage management in many countries has changed from ex situ to in situ preservation of archaeological remains. The question is whether this change in strategy increases the protection or the risk of losing the undocumented heritage it was meant to protect? The strategy puts a large responsibility on present and future generations, as the concept of in situ preservation implies that the heritage sites remain unchanged ‘forever’. To ensure that in situ preservation may be considered a possibility, knowledge about the present state of preservation as well as the physical and chemical conditions for future preservation capacity is necessary. This accumulated knowledge is called environmental monitoring. The alternatives to in situ preservation are to simply let sites deteriorate and eventually disappear, or to preserve through detailed archaeological investigation and documentation, also called ex situ preservation or preservation by record. The possibilities, limitations and consequences of in situ site preservation are main topics of this work.
The focus of this thesis is on three complex topics; in situ preservation of unsaturated archaeological deposits (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), rural medieval archaeology (discussed in chapters 3, 4, 6 and 7) and effects of climate change on archaeological remains (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), all within the context of Norwegian Cultural Heritage management and research.
Chapter 1, Outline and Scope of this Thesis, introduces the central questions and problems, study methods, case sites, project framework and project partners, the legal and management framework and conventions. Specific aims of the present study are;
• To which extent is archaeological contextual readability retained in rural archaeological deposits at different stages of degradation?
• Which are the possible effects of the rates of degradation on their contextual readability?
• Is it possible to define threshold levels in the archaeological deposits?
• When archaeological observations are coupled with environmental parameters, can one define which parameters most affect the present conservation state and conditions for future in situ preservation of archaeological deposits in the unsaturated zone?
• What may be the effects of climate change on these parameters?
• How can studies of artefact preservation and microscopic and macroscopic subfossils contribute to evaluations of state of preservation?
• Can degradation processes be curbed or mitigated? If so, which mitigation strategies may be required for the investigated sites?
• How may this contribute to a decision support system for cultural heritage management?
Chapter 2, General Introduction, briefly discusses the background for evaluations of in situ preservation of archaeological sites, includes an introduction to rural medieval archaeology in Norway, the North Norwegian farm mounds as archaeological monuments, and discusses their role compared to that of the medieval towns. Modern Norwegian cultural heritage management adheres at least partly to the Malta Convention, though within the set time frames of the Norwegian Heritage Act, meaning that the intention is to preserve as many archaeological sites and as much of each individual site as possible in situ. Heritage evaluation and climate change is also discussed, with a brief overview of predicted climate change for the study area of Northern Norway. The chapter includes suggestions for threshold levels and some possible mitigating actions.
Chapter 3, North Norwegian Farm Mounds - landscape conditions and assumed agrarian technologies required for their existence, is a paper on farm mounds as an archaeological object. It puts the farm mounds into a research context and discusses the parameters that have affected their existence over time.
Chapter 4, The Magnate Farm of Åker. Past, present and future of a farm with central functions, presents a south Norwegian farm mound as comparative material to those in northern Norway. This particular farm mound has played an important role as a central place in southern Norway for centuries, and it has been exposed to severe infringement and changes from modern infrastructure projects. Probes monitoring temperature and moisture were installed at the site in 2007, and the monitoring has continued since then, with a few breaks because of battery failure.
Chapter 5, In situ site preservation in the unsaturated zone: case Avaldsnes, gives a thorough description of the methods and equipment used in the monitoring projects, and an explanation of the methods and requirements advocated by the Norwegian Standard concerning deposit monitoring, and potential problems following that. This is another type of comparative site on the west coast of Norway with preserved rural archaeological deposits, in a climate that differs from the ones presented in chapters three and four, and gives some insight into how archaeological remains are preserved in a wet and wild climate.
Chapter 6, Research and monitoring on conservation state and preservation conditions in unsaturated archaeological deposits of a medieval farm mound in Troms and a late Stone Age midden in Finnmark, Northern Norway, contains the results from farm mounds and high north investigations, archaeological, geophysical, and geochemical and palaeobotanic analyses written with InSituFarms project partners. It also includes laboratory experiments on preservation of deposits in different temperature and moisture scenarios to give input to possible climate change effects, tying together the theories and heritage management aspects.
Chapter 7, Synthesis; Implications for archaeological heritage management, discusses the lessons learned from the thesis work and the InSituFarms research project. It is structured in accordance with the research questions posed in Chapter 1, on how climate changes may affect the studied objects (through decay studies and climate predictions), aspects of preservation, and ultimately the implications for archaeological heritage management of these sites and all rural archaeological sites with preserved deposits, independent of site type or dating. This chapter exemplifies definitions of threshold levels for different types of threats to continued preservation and suggests an improvement to the national heritage database including these considerations.
Chapter 8, Conclusion and Further Perspectives. This final chapter gathers the findings of the previous ones and points to future work. The results of the research presented here have demonstrated that it is possible to define parameters that most affect preservation of archaeological sites and it is possible to see effects of climate change on these parameters. That accentuates the importance of preparing strategies to deal with the effects of climate change on the preservation of cultural heritage sites. Focus for future research should be on refining these threshold levels and corresponding mitigating actions to enable defining a point when one should go from in situ to ex situ preservation. The threshold levels suggested in this thesis should be tested further through laboratory and on site experiments. This work advocates the necessity for the development of sustainable mitigating actions for a number of different threat situations as exemplified in the threshold levels, and to evaluate the scientific potential of sites chosen for in situ preservation.
Papers by Vibeke Vandrup Martens
Rv2-prosjektet er et eksternt finansiert utgravningsprosjekt ved Kulturhistorisk museum med Statens Vegvesen som tiltakshaver. I løpet av 3 måneders feltsesong ble 6 lokaliteter undersøkt innenfor en strekning på ca. en mil. Totalt er det avdekket et areal på ca. 22 400 m² i dyrket mark. Hus og gård er et eget satsingsområde for Kulturhistorisk museum, og da med vekt på å frembringe kunnskap fra så mange boplasslokaliteter som mulig. Hovedmålsetningen med Rv2-prosjektet var derfor å undersøke den forhistoriske bebyggelsen på leirjordene i de berørte områdene. Kunnskapspotensialet ved en undersøkelse av de registrerte lokalitetene ble tidlig vurdert som stort. Resultatene ble bedre enn forventet: minst fem forhistoriske hustomter, en hulvei, en overpløyd gravhaug, en hel gård fra 16–1700- tallet og flere kokegropfelt. Undersøkelsene langs Rv2 har bidratt til ny kunnskap når det gjelder hustyper og kronologi, samt romlig organisering av boplasser og kokegropfelt. Et uventet resultat er at undersøkelsene også har kunnet belyse tekstilfremstilling ved røyting av hamp i middelalderen. Bruk av GIS som integrert del av feltvirksomheten, er også et satsingsområde ved museet. Dette ble derfor prioritert høyt ved undersøkelsene.
The focus of this thesis is on three complex topics; in situ preservation of unsaturated archaeological deposits (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), rural medieval archaeology (discussed in chapters 3, 4, 6 and 7) and effects of climate change on archaeological remains (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), all within the context of Norwegian Cultural Heritage management and research.
Chapter 1, Outline and Scope of this Thesis, introduces the central questions and problems, study methods, case sites, project framework and project partners, the legal and management framework and conventions. Specific aims of the present study are;
• To which extent is archaeological contextual readability retained in rural archaeological deposits at different stages of degradation?
• Which are the possible effects of the rates of degradation on their contextual readability?
• Is it possible to define threshold levels in the archaeological deposits?
• When archaeological observations are coupled with environmental parameters, can one define which parameters most affect the present conservation state and conditions for future in situ preservation of archaeological deposits in the unsaturated zone?
• What may be the effects of climate change on these parameters?
• How can studies of artefact preservation and microscopic and macroscopic subfossils contribute to evaluations of state of preservation?
• Can degradation processes be curbed or mitigated? If so, which mitigation strategies may be required for the investigated sites?
• How may this contribute to a decision support system for cultural heritage management?
Chapter 2, General Introduction, briefly discusses the background for evaluations of in situ preservation of archaeological sites, includes an introduction to rural medieval archaeology in Norway, the North Norwegian farm mounds as archaeological monuments, and discusses their role compared to that of the medieval towns. Modern Norwegian cultural heritage management adheres at least partly to the Malta Convention, though within the set time frames of the Norwegian Heritage Act, meaning that the intention is to preserve as many archaeological sites and as much of each individual site as possible in situ. Heritage evaluation and climate change is also discussed, with a brief overview of predicted climate change for the study area of Northern Norway. The chapter includes suggestions for threshold levels and some possible mitigating actions.
Chapter 3, North Norwegian Farm Mounds - landscape conditions and assumed agrarian technologies required for their existence, is a paper on farm mounds as an archaeological object. It puts the farm mounds into a research context and discusses the parameters that have affected their existence over time.
Chapter 4, The Magnate Farm of Åker. Past, present and future of a farm with central functions, presents a south Norwegian farm mound as comparative material to those in northern Norway. This particular farm mound has played an important role as a central place in southern Norway for centuries, and it has been exposed to severe infringement and changes from modern infrastructure projects. Probes monitoring temperature and moisture were installed at the site in 2007, and the monitoring has continued since then, with a few breaks because of battery failure.
Chapter 5, In situ site preservation in the unsaturated zone: case Avaldsnes, gives a thorough description of the methods and equipment used in the monitoring projects, and an explanation of the methods and requirements advocated by the Norwegian Standard concerning deposit monitoring, and potential problems following that. This is another type of comparative site on the west coast of Norway with preserved rural archaeological deposits, in a climate that differs from the ones presented in chapters three and four, and gives some insight into how archaeological remains are preserved in a wet and wild climate.
Chapter 6, Research and monitoring on conservation state and preservation conditions in unsaturated archaeological deposits of a medieval farm mound in Troms and a late Stone Age midden in Finnmark, Northern Norway, contains the results from farm mounds and high north investigations, archaeological, geophysical, and geochemical and palaeobotanic analyses written with InSituFarms project partners. It also includes laboratory experiments on preservation of deposits in different temperature and moisture scenarios to give input to possible climate change effects, tying together the theories and heritage management aspects.
Chapter 7, Synthesis; Implications for archaeological heritage management, discusses the lessons learned from the thesis work and the InSituFarms research project. It is structured in accordance with the research questions posed in Chapter 1, on how climate changes may affect the studied objects (through decay studies and climate predictions), aspects of preservation, and ultimately the implications for archaeological heritage management of these sites and all rural archaeological sites with preserved deposits, independent of site type or dating. This chapter exemplifies definitions of threshold levels for different types of threats to continued preservation and suggests an improvement to the national heritage database including these considerations.
Chapter 8, Conclusion and Further Perspectives. This final chapter gathers the findings of the previous ones and points to future work. The results of the research presented here have demonstrated that it is possible to define parameters that most affect preservation of archaeological sites and it is possible to see effects of climate change on these parameters. That accentuates the importance of preparing strategies to deal with the effects of climate change on the preservation of cultural heritage sites. Focus for future research should be on refining these threshold levels and corresponding mitigating actions to enable defining a point when one should go from in situ to ex situ preservation. The threshold levels suggested in this thesis should be tested further through laboratory and on site experiments. This work advocates the necessity for the development of sustainable mitigating actions for a number of different threat situations as exemplified in the threshold levels, and to evaluate the scientific potential of sites chosen for in situ preservation.
Since the adoption of the Malta Convention (Council of Europe 1992), the strategy of cultural heritage management in many countries has changed from ex situ to in situ preservation of archaeological remains. The question is whether this change in strategy increases the protection or the risk of losing the undocumented heritage it was meant to protect? The strategy puts a large responsibility on present and future generations, as the concept of in situ preservation implies that the heritage sites remain unchanged ‘forever’. To ensure that in situ preservation may be considered a possibility, knowledge about the present state of preservation as well as the physical and chemical conditions for future preservation capacity is necessary. This accumulated knowledge is called environmental monitoring. The alternatives to in situ preservation are to simply let sites deteriorate and eventually disappear, or to preserve through detailed archaeological investigation and documentation, also called ex situ preservation or preservation by record. The possibilities, limitations and consequences of in situ site preservation are main topics of this work.
The focus of this thesis is on three complex topics; in situ preservation of unsaturated archaeological deposits (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), rural medieval archaeology (discussed in chapters 3, 4, 6 and 7) and effects of climate change on archaeological remains (discussed in chapters 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), all within the context of Norwegian Cultural Heritage management and research.
Chapter 1, Outline and Scope of this Thesis, introduces the central questions and problems, study methods, case sites, project framework and project partners, the legal and management framework and conventions. Specific aims of the present study are;
• To which extent is archaeological contextual readability retained in rural archaeological deposits at different stages of degradation?
• Which are the possible effects of the rates of degradation on their contextual readability?
• Is it possible to define threshold levels in the archaeological deposits?
• When archaeological observations are coupled with environmental parameters, can one define which parameters most affect the present conservation state and conditions for future in situ preservation of archaeological deposits in the unsaturated zone?
• What may be the effects of climate change on these parameters?
• How can studies of artefact preservation and microscopic and macroscopic subfossils contribute to evaluations of state of preservation?
• Can degradation processes be curbed or mitigated? If so, which mitigation strategies may be required for the investigated sites?
• How may this contribute to a decision support system for cultural heritage management?
Chapter 2, General Introduction, briefly discusses the background for evaluations of in situ preservation of archaeological sites, includes an introduction to rural medieval archaeology in Norway, the North Norwegian farm mounds as archaeological monuments, and discusses their role compared to that of the medieval towns. Modern Norwegian cultural heritage management adheres at least partly to the Malta Convention, though within the set time frames of the Norwegian Heritage Act, meaning that the intention is to preserve as many archaeological sites and as much of each individual site as possible in situ. Heritage evaluation and climate change is also discussed, with a brief overview of predicted climate change for the study area of Northern Norway. The chapter includes suggestions for threshold levels and some possible mitigating actions.
Chapter 3, North Norwegian Farm Mounds - landscape conditions and assumed agrarian technologies required for their existence, is a paper on farm mounds as an archaeological object. It puts the farm mounds into a research context and discusses the parameters that have affected their existence over time.
Chapter 4, The Magnate Farm of Åker. Past, present and future of a farm with central functions, presents a south Norwegian farm mound as comparative material to those in northern Norway. This particular farm mound has played an important role as a central place in southern Norway for centuries, and it has been exposed to severe infringement and changes from modern infrastructure projects. Probes monitoring temperature and moisture were installed at the site in 2007, and the monitoring has continued since then, with a few breaks because of battery failure.
Chapter 5, In situ site preservation in the unsaturated zone: case Avaldsnes, gives a thorough description of the methods and equipment used in the monitoring projects, and an explanation of the methods and requirements advocated by the Norwegian Standard concerning deposit monitoring, and potential problems following that. This is another type of comparative site on the west coast of Norway with preserved rural archaeological deposits, in a climate that differs from the ones presented in chapters three and four, and gives some insight into how archaeological remains are preserved in a wet and wild climate.
Chapter 6, Research and monitoring on conservation state and preservation conditions in unsaturated archaeological deposits of a medieval farm mound in Troms and a late Stone Age midden in Finnmark, Northern Norway, contains the results from farm mounds and high north investigations, archaeological, geophysical, and geochemical and palaeobotanic analyses written with InSituFarms project partners. It also includes laboratory experiments on preservation of deposits in different temperature and moisture scenarios to give input to possible climate change effects, tying together the theories and heritage management aspects.
Chapter 7, Synthesis; Implications for archaeological heritage management, discusses the lessons learned from the thesis work and the InSituFarms research project. It is structured in accordance with the research questions posed in Chapter 1, on how climate changes may affect the studied objects (through decay studies and climate predictions), aspects of preservation, and ultimately the implications for archaeological heritage management of these sites and all rural archaeological sites with preserved deposits, independent of site type or dating. This chapter exemplifies definitions of threshold levels for different types of threats to continued preservation and suggests an improvement to the national heritage database including these considerations.
Chapter 8, Conclusion and Further Perspectives. This final chapter gathers the findings of the previous ones and points to future work. The results of the research presented here have demonstrated that it is possible to define parameters that most affect preservation of archaeological sites and it is possible to see effects of climate change on these parameters. That accentuates the importance of preparing strategies to deal with the effects of climate change on the preservation of cultural heritage sites. Focus for future research should be on refining these threshold levels and corresponding mitigating actions to enable defining a point when one should go from in situ to ex situ preservation. The threshold levels suggested in this thesis should be tested further through laboratory and on site experiments. This work advocates the necessity for the development of sustainable mitigating actions for a number of different threat situations as exemplified in the threshold levels, and to evaluate the scientific potential of sites chosen for in situ preservation.