Books by Steinar Solheim
Telemarks steinalder har lenge vært et lite belyst tema i østnorsk arkeologi og forhistorie. I lø... more Telemarks steinalder har lenge vært et lite belyst tema i østnorsk arkeologi og forhistorie. I løpet av de seinere år har flere utgravninger kastet nytt lys over de rike kulturminnene fra den eldste delen av fylkets historie.
I årene 2013-2016 gjennomførte Kulturhistorisk museum arkeologiske undersøkelser av 34 lokaliteter i Bamble kommune. Undersøkelsene er ledd av utbyggingen av ny firefelts motorvei fra Rugtvedt til Dørdal i Bamble kommune.
Det er blitt utgravd 30 lokaliteter fra steinalderen. Lokalitetene er datert til eldre steinalder og overgangen til yngre steinalder, fra like etter 9000 f.Kr. frem til 3500 f.Kr. Lokalitetene fra jernalder omfatter to gravhauger fra yngre jernalder og et område med bosetningsspor fra eldre jernalder, samt to hulveisystemer fra jernalder/middelalder.
Resultatene fra de arkeologiske utgravningene langs E18 i Bamble bidrar til å belyse viktige hendelser i vår eldste historie, og da spesielt utviklingen av den rike kystkulturen i Sørøst-Norge. Dette er arkeologiske data av stor verdi, og som har kunnskapspotensial i internasjonal sammenheng.
The E18 project is a cultural heritage management excavation project initiated by The Norwegian P... more The E18 project is a cultural heritage management excavation project initiated by The Norwegian Public Road Administration’s construction of a new highway from Bommestad to Sky in Vestfold county, south-eastern Norway (chapter 1).
The project is organised by the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo. Two field seasons have been carried out, and a total of nine Middle Mesolithic (8300–6300 cal. BC) sites have been excavated.
The project has been organised with a project staff of five archaeologists working in the project for three years (chapter 1 and 2). Hege Damlien and Steinar Solheim have been in charge of the project. In total, 28 field archaeologists have been employed during the two field seasons. A project council consisting of four members have been appointed by the Museum of Cultural History’s director for quality insurance of the project’s administrative, economic, and archaeological operations and results. Representatives from the Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Vestfold County Council have functioned as observers.
AIMS
Since 2000, the Museum of Cultural History has carried out several large-scale excavation projects in the Oslofjord region. Sites dating from the very first occupation of the region throughout the Mesolithic and into the Neolithic have been investigated (c. 9000–2400 cal. BC).
Earlier projects have mainly excavated Early and Late Mesolithic coastal settlement. Very few coastal sites dated to the Middle Mesolithic period (8250–6350 cal. BC) have been investigated in Eastern Norway, making it the least known phase of the region’s Stone Age (chapter 3). In addition, as a consequence of Holocene transgressions only a few well-preserved sites dated to the period have been investigated in Southern Norway in general. The sites excavated by E18 Bommestad–Sky were thus expected to provide empirical data of high scientific value in a regional as well as national perspective. As all the sites could be shoreline dated to the first half of the Middle Mesolithic period, the Museum of Cultural History pointed out the following aims as important for the project to clarify (Glørstad 2011). The project should:
• Identify and analyse technological, typological, and chronological variations in the artefact assemblages. This also includes variations in raw materials.
• Identify and analyse site organisation by studying find distribution and structures such as hearths, cooking pits and dwellings.
• Discuss changes from mobile to more stable settlement patterns in light of the excavation results.
• Prepare empirical data for future research and large-scale analysis of the cultural history of the Oslofjord region.
SITES AND SETTLEMENT
Nine sites, all dated to the Middle Mesolithic period (8300–6300 cal. BC), have been excavated. The sites have produced empirical data and results that will be of interest in an international perspective (compare for example Sørensen et al. 2013). The sites are well preserved, as few modern disturbances (e.g. farming) have been identified at the sites. Due to the region’s acidic soil, the find assemblages con¬sist of lithic material but no organic remains.
The glacio-isostatic rebound in the Oslofjord region has led to permanent land uplift since the last Ice Age. Due to the geological situation, all Mesolithic and Neolithic sites have been situated on dry land from their time of use until today. In principal, the higher a site is situated above the present shoreline, the older the site is. Shoreline displacement curves and reconstructions of ancient shorelines are thus excellent tools for dating Stone Age sites and for outlining chronological site sequences. A situation like this is rather unique on a global scale as it allows studies of coastal settlement in a long time perspective.
The excavated sites can be dated between c. 8000–7400 cal. BC by shoreline dating and/or radiocarbon dating. The sites cover most of the first half of the Middle Mesolithic period. The narrow time frame within which the sites are dated provides a good opportunity to compare different societal and 305 material aspects within what can be considered an archaeologically contemporary time period.
In general, there are strong similarities in the archaeological assemblages found at the sites. Regarding the site’s layout and organisation, important variations can however be seen. Of importance is the discovery of a dwelling structure at the site Hovland 3 (chapter 15). A 35-cm thick lens consisting of a matrix of sand, charcoal, burned hazel nutshells, and lithic materials is interpreted as the remains of a pit house, c. 13 m2 large. Post holes are identified around the cultural layer, and hearths are seen inside and outside of the dwelling structure. In addition, cooking pits and a midden of fire-cracked rock are documented outside the dwelling. There are few signs of younger disturbances affecting the dwelling. The lithic assemblages are homogenous and typical for the Middle Mesolithic period, with a total number of 22 000 from the site. More than 4000 finds were retrieved from inside the dwelling. Hovland 3 is dated by 18 radiocarbon dates. Eight dates are from the dwelling, and ten dates are from associated structures. The site can be dated to c. 7600–7450 cal. BC.
While Hovland 3 shows signs of being used intensively and repeatedly, the other sites are of a more mobile character (chapter 18). The sites consist of a number of find concentrations of varying size and composition. Structures such as hearths and cooking pits are identified at several sites. In cases where hearths are preserved, the find distribu¬tion shows a relation to such structures.
In general, the find assemblages vary between 50 and 8000 lithic finds. The find’s character and the find composition indicate mobility and that the sites were parts of a larger settlement system. Raw materials and tools have been imported into and exported out of the sites, leaving varying stages of the tool-production process present at the sites.
The investigated time span is a period of change in material culture and lithic technology in Northern Europe. The excavation’s results have also provided us with indications of important changes in settlement patterns in the Mesolithic. The preceding Early Mesolithic period is understood as a highly mobile society, and the succeeding Late Mesolithic period has been interpreted as a period of stable and semi-sedentary societies. The results from E18 Bommestad–Sky do however indicate that settlement in the Middle Mesolithic period can be perceived as a more semi-sedentary society than previously assumed (e.g. Jaksland 2001). Thus, the society of this period shows more resemblances with Late Mesolithic than Early Mesolithic societies. As a consequence, discussions of important changes in coastal settlement in Scandinavia can be discussed in light of the data material generated by the project (chapter 19).
TECHNOLOGY AND TYPOLOGY
The artefact assemblages have primarily been classified according to morphological principles. Despite the chronological time span, the total lithic assemblage is homogenous and displays strong typological and technological similarities. Differences seem to be related to functional factors, like differences in activity and site types, rather than chronological variation. The artefact material from the excavated sites corresponds with other excavated Middle Mesolithic coastal sites in south-eastern Norway.
The dominating raw material used for tool pro¬duction is high-quality flint. The artefact assemblage is characterised by standardised blade production. Blades are produced from sub-conical and conical single-platform cores with regularly rejuvenated and facetted platforms with an angle close to 90 degrees. This lithic concept does, together with the high regularity of the blades, indicate the presence of pressure-blade technique as early as 8000–7900 cal. BC. Technological analysis of blade assemblages from the site Nordby 2 indicates that pressure technique was applied for the production of microblades and bladelets, in combination with indirect and direct techniques for the production of macroblades. Practically every stage of blade and blade-tool pro¬duction is recorded on the sites.
Among the recovered tools are triangular microliths, barbed points, bores, burins, burins on snapped blades (rulers), scrapers and knives dominantly made from blades. Microburin technique seems to be absent, and microliths are produced using snap-break techniques. The presence of both triangular microliths and barbed points conforms to a previous hypothesis that there is no chronological difference between the types. Flint-core axes and production waste are recorded at some of the sites. The use of non-flint raw materials is limited and seems pri¬marily to be connected with production and use of ground-pecked axes and hatchets made from local raw materials, like diabase, hornfels, and metarhy¬olite. Some waste material from axe production is recovered. This indicates production of non-flint axes as early as 8000–7900 cal. BC.
Papers by Steinar Solheim
Primitive tider, 2019
The archaeological field course is the forum where
many archaeology students meet and take part i... more The archaeological field course is the forum where
many archaeology students meet and take part in an
archaeological excavation for the first time. To excavate and
generate scientific data through excavations is at the core of
the archaeological discipline. For that reason, introducing
students for theoretical and practical knowledge about field
archaeology have been a central part of the discipline for
the last 150 years at Norwegian universities. In this paper,
we look closer at how the field course has developed at the
University of Oslo during the last half century. Based on a
compiled overview of field courses, we discuss how the field
course has developed and changed over time in relation to
the development in the discipline and higher education at
large. A central question is whether the field course succeed
in giving the students skills to perform an excavation and
document the process. A main find is that collegial knowledge
transfer run as a thread through the discipline's history as the
most important way of training new archaeologists.
SETTLEMENT CHANGE ACROSS MEDIEVAL EUROPE OLD PARADIGMS AND NEW VISTAS, 2019
AD 536 is a poignant date in European history and marks the advent of a series of documented envi... more AD 536 is a poignant date in European history and marks the advent of a series of documented environmental changes that affected societies across Europe in various ways. Sudden and severe climate deterioration led to vast crop failures and was followed by plague epidemics in the following decades. In this article, we examine the timing of the changes in human activity with a detailed investigation of 855 radiocarbon determinations from Vestfold, Norway. The modelled radiocarbon data show a decrease in activity concurrent with the climatic events and plague epidemics that took place in the mid-6th century, and provide another proxy for the significant changes that occurred during this time. The results may support the idea that fimbulvetr was the start of a long-lasting cooling period combined with severe population declines and a dramatic decrease in cultural activity. In the past and present, the investigated area represents a heartland of rural production and settlements in Scandinavia. The time span of the crises is fundamental to our academic understanding of the character and societal impacts of the crises, and this study examines it more precisely than previous work.
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2019
Available for download until 15. Jan. 2019.
In: Hans Peter Blankholm (ed.). Early Economy and Settlement in Northern Europe - Pioneering, Resource Use, Coping with Change (Volume 3). Equinox Publishing, United Kingdom. May 2018. ISBN 9781781795170., 2018
The pioneer settlement of eastern Norway has been the subject of a long research history. The Pos... more The pioneer settlement of eastern Norway has been the subject of a long research history. The Post-Glacial colonisation as a social process, and the long-term social implications related to settling in new landscapes, has, however, received sparse attention. During the last decade, new excavations have provided source material of high quality from both the early and late pioneering phase of eastern Norway, corresponding to the Early (10,000-9000 BP/9500-8250 cal. BC) and Middle Mesolithic (9000-7500 BP/8250-6350 cal. BC) periods. Both inland and coastal settlements have been excavated, giving us opportunity to investigate the colonisation process in two very different ecological and economic settings. Whereas the earliest evidence of human pioneer settlement in the coastal areas of eastern Norway can be dated to c. 9900-9800 BP (9400-9300 cal. BC), the inland areas first became habitable after the ice retreated c. 8850 BP (8000 cal. BC) and groups moving into the area can be characterized as the last pioneers of eastern Norway. In earlier models on Mesolithic inland-coastal relationship, the interior of eastern Norway has been treated as resource caches for a coastal population and peripheral to broader concerns of understanding change during the colonisation process (Boaz 1999). With the purpose of contributing to a better understanding of the adjustment to regional circumstances and traditions in the enculturation of new landscapes, we study raw material and technological strategies as well as settlement strategies at coastal sites from the Oslofjord region and interior sites along the Rena River/Gråfjell area, Hedmark County. By using a multilateral approach we will argue that stable settlement can be seen at the coast and in the inland c. 2000 years earlier than previously suggested, and that the development in the interior regions must be perceived as a parallel to the increased regionalisation and general social development in Scandinavia during the colonisation process.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018
In this paper we explore temporal variation in demography and settlement intensity in southeaster... more In this paper we explore temporal variation in demography and settlement intensity in southeastern Norway during the Early and mid-Holocene. In order to investigate the temporal variation in demography and settlement we have applied and compared two different proxies: Summed radiocarbon probability distributions and site count data of shoreline-dated sites. The proxies display similar patterns, and we suggest that they indicate stability in settlement in the coastal areas of southeastern Norway between 8500 cal. BCE and 2000 cal. BCE.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018
The study of the effects of human presence on vegetation in the Mesolithic has been controversial... more The study of the effects of human presence on vegetation in the Mesolithic has been controversial. It is often assumed that hunter-gatherers did not change or affect their environment in a way that can be detected by means of pollen analysis. In this paper, we explore potential human impact on the vegetation during the Mesolithic by comparing pollen data from a high-resolution sediment core from Lake Skogstjern with archaeological data obtained through extensive excavation and survey in Bamble, in the county of Telemark, southeastern Norway. The aim of this interdisciplinary approach is to reach a better understanding of the development and use of Mesolithic woodlands with regard to the availability of different resources, but also to put the question of human impact on Mesolithic vegetation on the agenda. Mesolithic settlement in southeastern Norway was to a very large degree shore bound, and the pollen analysis from Lake Skogstjern, situated in the coastal hinterland, allows for new perspectives on and interpretations of the use of the coastal wider landscape.
50 days free download: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1WKMu,rVDBK0Lw
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018
The flake axe is one of the most debated stone tools of the Scandinavian Mesolithic. Few analysis... more The flake axe is one of the most debated stone tools of the Scandinavian Mesolithic. Few analysis have however been carried out in order to investigate the actual function and use of the tool. In this paper we present the results from use-wear analysis of 42 flake axes from nine Early Mesolithic sites (9200–8400 cal. BC) from South-eastern Norway. This study demonstrates that the flake axe was a multi-tool used for several tasks and for working different raw materials. The results from the use-wear analysis are related to morphological variation among the analysed specimens. This suggests that there is no clear cut relation between morphological variation and function.
50 days free download: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1WFZO,rVDBJ-za
This paper explores environmental variations in time and space, adaptive strategies and possible ... more This paper explores environmental variations in time and space, adaptive strategies and possible cultural responses to climatic changes as manifested through archaeological data in terms of lithic tool technology, site density and settlement patterns. The objective is investigated by two case studies from Mesolithic Norway. The first case deals with the earliest settlement phase of Norway (c. 11,500-10,000 cal. BP), which climatically encompasses gradual changes from cold, arctic conditions, to a milder sub-arctic climate, as well as the rapid Preboreal Oscillation (PBO) cold event. The second case explores the 8200 cal. BP cold event and its effect on culture and settlement in Southeast Norway. The studies suggest that the coastal settlement, in terms of site density, was not affected by either the PBO or the 8200 cal. BP event. Changes in site location patterns seem to have occurred gradually and on a long-term scale. Shifts in lithic technology are detected within the Mesolithic periods, but a correlation between abrupt climatic alterations and cultural changes are yet to be proved. We argue, therefore, that in these northern, coastal environments, declining temperatures may have had less impact than on the Continental Plains, and may in fact have improved the living conditions for a range of marine species. Also, the Mesolithic populations seemed to have employed a generalized lithic toolkit and a flexible mobility system e adaptive strategies that was able to withstand environmental variations in time and space.
During 2010–2012 the Museum of Cultural History excavated several sites dated to the Middle Mesol... more During 2010–2012 the Museum of Cultural History excavated several sites dated to the Middle Mesolithic (8300–6300 cal. BC ) in the western parts of the Oslofjord region. The sites show diversity in lay out, size and organization. This allows for well-founded interpretations of the Middle Mesolithic society, settlement system and economy based on empirical data of high quality. Based on new data we will explore Middle Mesolithic settlement and economy. Two sites are presented as case studies: Hovland 3 with a well-dated (c. 7500 cal. BC) dwelling structure and the contemporary site Prestemoen 1 with preserved bones. These recently excavated sites from the Oslofjord region shows similarities to the Late Mesolithic period, rather than the assumed more mobile Early Mesolithic society. Already from around 7500 cal. BC we see traces of a more stable settlement pattern and a less mobile lifestyle.
The article presents an Early Neolithic site from southernmost Norway called Hamremoen. Here, the... more The article presents an Early Neolithic site from southernmost Norway called Hamremoen. Here, the Museum of Cultural History excavated the remains of an enclosure in 2010–2011. This is part of Norway has little solid evidence of agrarian activity from the Early Neolithic. Instead it looks like the forager way of life was sustained. The appearance of an enclosure in such a context is important for our understanding of the whole process of Neolithization or the cultural transformation that took part in Northern Europe at the beginning of the Neolithic. A short phase of occupation took place in the beginning of the fourth millennia and four succeeding use phases have been identified. The pottery at the site shows influence from several regions of the Early Neolithic TRB culture. The pottery style is however locally developed. The ceramics and the enclosure reveal crucial aspects of the acculturation process. Their presence can be explained as the arrival of new people with new ideas and customs in southern Norway at the beginning
of the Neolithic. Although their presence did not alter the fundamental structures of subsistence in the area, new ideas and new technologies were nevertheless introduced, demonstrating alterations in cosmology or worldview. The new worldview demonstrates a wider horizon, the importance of far-reaching social networks and new ideas about representation and time. Such changes could have been more
intrinsic for the process of Neolithization than new subsistence strategies, not just in southern Norway, but also in northern Europe at large.
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Books by Steinar Solheim
I årene 2013-2016 gjennomførte Kulturhistorisk museum arkeologiske undersøkelser av 34 lokaliteter i Bamble kommune. Undersøkelsene er ledd av utbyggingen av ny firefelts motorvei fra Rugtvedt til Dørdal i Bamble kommune.
Det er blitt utgravd 30 lokaliteter fra steinalderen. Lokalitetene er datert til eldre steinalder og overgangen til yngre steinalder, fra like etter 9000 f.Kr. frem til 3500 f.Kr. Lokalitetene fra jernalder omfatter to gravhauger fra yngre jernalder og et område med bosetningsspor fra eldre jernalder, samt to hulveisystemer fra jernalder/middelalder.
Resultatene fra de arkeologiske utgravningene langs E18 i Bamble bidrar til å belyse viktige hendelser i vår eldste historie, og da spesielt utviklingen av den rike kystkulturen i Sørøst-Norge. Dette er arkeologiske data av stor verdi, og som har kunnskapspotensial i internasjonal sammenheng.
The project is organised by the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo. Two field seasons have been carried out, and a total of nine Middle Mesolithic (8300–6300 cal. BC) sites have been excavated.
The project has been organised with a project staff of five archaeologists working in the project for three years (chapter 1 and 2). Hege Damlien and Steinar Solheim have been in charge of the project. In total, 28 field archaeologists have been employed during the two field seasons. A project council consisting of four members have been appointed by the Museum of Cultural History’s director for quality insurance of the project’s administrative, economic, and archaeological operations and results. Representatives from the Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Vestfold County Council have functioned as observers.
AIMS
Since 2000, the Museum of Cultural History has carried out several large-scale excavation projects in the Oslofjord region. Sites dating from the very first occupation of the region throughout the Mesolithic and into the Neolithic have been investigated (c. 9000–2400 cal. BC).
Earlier projects have mainly excavated Early and Late Mesolithic coastal settlement. Very few coastal sites dated to the Middle Mesolithic period (8250–6350 cal. BC) have been investigated in Eastern Norway, making it the least known phase of the region’s Stone Age (chapter 3). In addition, as a consequence of Holocene transgressions only a few well-preserved sites dated to the period have been investigated in Southern Norway in general. The sites excavated by E18 Bommestad–Sky were thus expected to provide empirical data of high scientific value in a regional as well as national perspective. As all the sites could be shoreline dated to the first half of the Middle Mesolithic period, the Museum of Cultural History pointed out the following aims as important for the project to clarify (Glørstad 2011). The project should:
• Identify and analyse technological, typological, and chronological variations in the artefact assemblages. This also includes variations in raw materials.
• Identify and analyse site organisation by studying find distribution and structures such as hearths, cooking pits and dwellings.
• Discuss changes from mobile to more stable settlement patterns in light of the excavation results.
• Prepare empirical data for future research and large-scale analysis of the cultural history of the Oslofjord region.
SITES AND SETTLEMENT
Nine sites, all dated to the Middle Mesolithic period (8300–6300 cal. BC), have been excavated. The sites have produced empirical data and results that will be of interest in an international perspective (compare for example Sørensen et al. 2013). The sites are well preserved, as few modern disturbances (e.g. farming) have been identified at the sites. Due to the region’s acidic soil, the find assemblages con¬sist of lithic material but no organic remains.
The glacio-isostatic rebound in the Oslofjord region has led to permanent land uplift since the last Ice Age. Due to the geological situation, all Mesolithic and Neolithic sites have been situated on dry land from their time of use until today. In principal, the higher a site is situated above the present shoreline, the older the site is. Shoreline displacement curves and reconstructions of ancient shorelines are thus excellent tools for dating Stone Age sites and for outlining chronological site sequences. A situation like this is rather unique on a global scale as it allows studies of coastal settlement in a long time perspective.
The excavated sites can be dated between c. 8000–7400 cal. BC by shoreline dating and/or radiocarbon dating. The sites cover most of the first half of the Middle Mesolithic period. The narrow time frame within which the sites are dated provides a good opportunity to compare different societal and 305 material aspects within what can be considered an archaeologically contemporary time period.
In general, there are strong similarities in the archaeological assemblages found at the sites. Regarding the site’s layout and organisation, important variations can however be seen. Of importance is the discovery of a dwelling structure at the site Hovland 3 (chapter 15). A 35-cm thick lens consisting of a matrix of sand, charcoal, burned hazel nutshells, and lithic materials is interpreted as the remains of a pit house, c. 13 m2 large. Post holes are identified around the cultural layer, and hearths are seen inside and outside of the dwelling structure. In addition, cooking pits and a midden of fire-cracked rock are documented outside the dwelling. There are few signs of younger disturbances affecting the dwelling. The lithic assemblages are homogenous and typical for the Middle Mesolithic period, with a total number of 22 000 from the site. More than 4000 finds were retrieved from inside the dwelling. Hovland 3 is dated by 18 radiocarbon dates. Eight dates are from the dwelling, and ten dates are from associated structures. The site can be dated to c. 7600–7450 cal. BC.
While Hovland 3 shows signs of being used intensively and repeatedly, the other sites are of a more mobile character (chapter 18). The sites consist of a number of find concentrations of varying size and composition. Structures such as hearths and cooking pits are identified at several sites. In cases where hearths are preserved, the find distribu¬tion shows a relation to such structures.
In general, the find assemblages vary between 50 and 8000 lithic finds. The find’s character and the find composition indicate mobility and that the sites were parts of a larger settlement system. Raw materials and tools have been imported into and exported out of the sites, leaving varying stages of the tool-production process present at the sites.
The investigated time span is a period of change in material culture and lithic technology in Northern Europe. The excavation’s results have also provided us with indications of important changes in settlement patterns in the Mesolithic. The preceding Early Mesolithic period is understood as a highly mobile society, and the succeeding Late Mesolithic period has been interpreted as a period of stable and semi-sedentary societies. The results from E18 Bommestad–Sky do however indicate that settlement in the Middle Mesolithic period can be perceived as a more semi-sedentary society than previously assumed (e.g. Jaksland 2001). Thus, the society of this period shows more resemblances with Late Mesolithic than Early Mesolithic societies. As a consequence, discussions of important changes in coastal settlement in Scandinavia can be discussed in light of the data material generated by the project (chapter 19).
TECHNOLOGY AND TYPOLOGY
The artefact assemblages have primarily been classified according to morphological principles. Despite the chronological time span, the total lithic assemblage is homogenous and displays strong typological and technological similarities. Differences seem to be related to functional factors, like differences in activity and site types, rather than chronological variation. The artefact material from the excavated sites corresponds with other excavated Middle Mesolithic coastal sites in south-eastern Norway.
The dominating raw material used for tool pro¬duction is high-quality flint. The artefact assemblage is characterised by standardised blade production. Blades are produced from sub-conical and conical single-platform cores with regularly rejuvenated and facetted platforms with an angle close to 90 degrees. This lithic concept does, together with the high regularity of the blades, indicate the presence of pressure-blade technique as early as 8000–7900 cal. BC. Technological analysis of blade assemblages from the site Nordby 2 indicates that pressure technique was applied for the production of microblades and bladelets, in combination with indirect and direct techniques for the production of macroblades. Practically every stage of blade and blade-tool pro¬duction is recorded on the sites.
Among the recovered tools are triangular microliths, barbed points, bores, burins, burins on snapped blades (rulers), scrapers and knives dominantly made from blades. Microburin technique seems to be absent, and microliths are produced using snap-break techniques. The presence of both triangular microliths and barbed points conforms to a previous hypothesis that there is no chronological difference between the types. Flint-core axes and production waste are recorded at some of the sites. The use of non-flint raw materials is limited and seems pri¬marily to be connected with production and use of ground-pecked axes and hatchets made from local raw materials, like diabase, hornfels, and metarhy¬olite. Some waste material from axe production is recovered. This indicates production of non-flint axes as early as 8000–7900 cal. BC.
Papers by Steinar Solheim
many archaeology students meet and take part in an
archaeological excavation for the first time. To excavate and
generate scientific data through excavations is at the core of
the archaeological discipline. For that reason, introducing
students for theoretical and practical knowledge about field
archaeology have been a central part of the discipline for
the last 150 years at Norwegian universities. In this paper,
we look closer at how the field course has developed at the
University of Oslo during the last half century. Based on a
compiled overview of field courses, we discuss how the field
course has developed and changed over time in relation to
the development in the discipline and higher education at
large. A central question is whether the field course succeed
in giving the students skills to perform an excavation and
document the process. A main find is that collegial knowledge
transfer run as a thread through the discipline's history as the
most important way of training new archaeologists.
50 days free download: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1WKMu,rVDBK0Lw
50 days free download: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1WFZO,rVDBJ-za
of the Neolithic. Although their presence did not alter the fundamental structures of subsistence in the area, new ideas and new technologies were nevertheless introduced, demonstrating alterations in cosmology or worldview. The new worldview demonstrates a wider horizon, the importance of far-reaching social networks and new ideas about representation and time. Such changes could have been more
intrinsic for the process of Neolithization than new subsistence strategies, not just in southern Norway, but also in northern Europe at large.
I årene 2013-2016 gjennomførte Kulturhistorisk museum arkeologiske undersøkelser av 34 lokaliteter i Bamble kommune. Undersøkelsene er ledd av utbyggingen av ny firefelts motorvei fra Rugtvedt til Dørdal i Bamble kommune.
Det er blitt utgravd 30 lokaliteter fra steinalderen. Lokalitetene er datert til eldre steinalder og overgangen til yngre steinalder, fra like etter 9000 f.Kr. frem til 3500 f.Kr. Lokalitetene fra jernalder omfatter to gravhauger fra yngre jernalder og et område med bosetningsspor fra eldre jernalder, samt to hulveisystemer fra jernalder/middelalder.
Resultatene fra de arkeologiske utgravningene langs E18 i Bamble bidrar til å belyse viktige hendelser i vår eldste historie, og da spesielt utviklingen av den rike kystkulturen i Sørøst-Norge. Dette er arkeologiske data av stor verdi, og som har kunnskapspotensial i internasjonal sammenheng.
The project is organised by the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo. Two field seasons have been carried out, and a total of nine Middle Mesolithic (8300–6300 cal. BC) sites have been excavated.
The project has been organised with a project staff of five archaeologists working in the project for three years (chapter 1 and 2). Hege Damlien and Steinar Solheim have been in charge of the project. In total, 28 field archaeologists have been employed during the two field seasons. A project council consisting of four members have been appointed by the Museum of Cultural History’s director for quality insurance of the project’s administrative, economic, and archaeological operations and results. Representatives from the Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Vestfold County Council have functioned as observers.
AIMS
Since 2000, the Museum of Cultural History has carried out several large-scale excavation projects in the Oslofjord region. Sites dating from the very first occupation of the region throughout the Mesolithic and into the Neolithic have been investigated (c. 9000–2400 cal. BC).
Earlier projects have mainly excavated Early and Late Mesolithic coastal settlement. Very few coastal sites dated to the Middle Mesolithic period (8250–6350 cal. BC) have been investigated in Eastern Norway, making it the least known phase of the region’s Stone Age (chapter 3). In addition, as a consequence of Holocene transgressions only a few well-preserved sites dated to the period have been investigated in Southern Norway in general. The sites excavated by E18 Bommestad–Sky were thus expected to provide empirical data of high scientific value in a regional as well as national perspective. As all the sites could be shoreline dated to the first half of the Middle Mesolithic period, the Museum of Cultural History pointed out the following aims as important for the project to clarify (Glørstad 2011). The project should:
• Identify and analyse technological, typological, and chronological variations in the artefact assemblages. This also includes variations in raw materials.
• Identify and analyse site organisation by studying find distribution and structures such as hearths, cooking pits and dwellings.
• Discuss changes from mobile to more stable settlement patterns in light of the excavation results.
• Prepare empirical data for future research and large-scale analysis of the cultural history of the Oslofjord region.
SITES AND SETTLEMENT
Nine sites, all dated to the Middle Mesolithic period (8300–6300 cal. BC), have been excavated. The sites have produced empirical data and results that will be of interest in an international perspective (compare for example Sørensen et al. 2013). The sites are well preserved, as few modern disturbances (e.g. farming) have been identified at the sites. Due to the region’s acidic soil, the find assemblages con¬sist of lithic material but no organic remains.
The glacio-isostatic rebound in the Oslofjord region has led to permanent land uplift since the last Ice Age. Due to the geological situation, all Mesolithic and Neolithic sites have been situated on dry land from their time of use until today. In principal, the higher a site is situated above the present shoreline, the older the site is. Shoreline displacement curves and reconstructions of ancient shorelines are thus excellent tools for dating Stone Age sites and for outlining chronological site sequences. A situation like this is rather unique on a global scale as it allows studies of coastal settlement in a long time perspective.
The excavated sites can be dated between c. 8000–7400 cal. BC by shoreline dating and/or radiocarbon dating. The sites cover most of the first half of the Middle Mesolithic period. The narrow time frame within which the sites are dated provides a good opportunity to compare different societal and 305 material aspects within what can be considered an archaeologically contemporary time period.
In general, there are strong similarities in the archaeological assemblages found at the sites. Regarding the site’s layout and organisation, important variations can however be seen. Of importance is the discovery of a dwelling structure at the site Hovland 3 (chapter 15). A 35-cm thick lens consisting of a matrix of sand, charcoal, burned hazel nutshells, and lithic materials is interpreted as the remains of a pit house, c. 13 m2 large. Post holes are identified around the cultural layer, and hearths are seen inside and outside of the dwelling structure. In addition, cooking pits and a midden of fire-cracked rock are documented outside the dwelling. There are few signs of younger disturbances affecting the dwelling. The lithic assemblages are homogenous and typical for the Middle Mesolithic period, with a total number of 22 000 from the site. More than 4000 finds were retrieved from inside the dwelling. Hovland 3 is dated by 18 radiocarbon dates. Eight dates are from the dwelling, and ten dates are from associated structures. The site can be dated to c. 7600–7450 cal. BC.
While Hovland 3 shows signs of being used intensively and repeatedly, the other sites are of a more mobile character (chapter 18). The sites consist of a number of find concentrations of varying size and composition. Structures such as hearths and cooking pits are identified at several sites. In cases where hearths are preserved, the find distribu¬tion shows a relation to such structures.
In general, the find assemblages vary between 50 and 8000 lithic finds. The find’s character and the find composition indicate mobility and that the sites were parts of a larger settlement system. Raw materials and tools have been imported into and exported out of the sites, leaving varying stages of the tool-production process present at the sites.
The investigated time span is a period of change in material culture and lithic technology in Northern Europe. The excavation’s results have also provided us with indications of important changes in settlement patterns in the Mesolithic. The preceding Early Mesolithic period is understood as a highly mobile society, and the succeeding Late Mesolithic period has been interpreted as a period of stable and semi-sedentary societies. The results from E18 Bommestad–Sky do however indicate that settlement in the Middle Mesolithic period can be perceived as a more semi-sedentary society than previously assumed (e.g. Jaksland 2001). Thus, the society of this period shows more resemblances with Late Mesolithic than Early Mesolithic societies. As a consequence, discussions of important changes in coastal settlement in Scandinavia can be discussed in light of the data material generated by the project (chapter 19).
TECHNOLOGY AND TYPOLOGY
The artefact assemblages have primarily been classified according to morphological principles. Despite the chronological time span, the total lithic assemblage is homogenous and displays strong typological and technological similarities. Differences seem to be related to functional factors, like differences in activity and site types, rather than chronological variation. The artefact material from the excavated sites corresponds with other excavated Middle Mesolithic coastal sites in south-eastern Norway.
The dominating raw material used for tool pro¬duction is high-quality flint. The artefact assemblage is characterised by standardised blade production. Blades are produced from sub-conical and conical single-platform cores with regularly rejuvenated and facetted platforms with an angle close to 90 degrees. This lithic concept does, together with the high regularity of the blades, indicate the presence of pressure-blade technique as early as 8000–7900 cal. BC. Technological analysis of blade assemblages from the site Nordby 2 indicates that pressure technique was applied for the production of microblades and bladelets, in combination with indirect and direct techniques for the production of macroblades. Practically every stage of blade and blade-tool pro¬duction is recorded on the sites.
Among the recovered tools are triangular microliths, barbed points, bores, burins, burins on snapped blades (rulers), scrapers and knives dominantly made from blades. Microburin technique seems to be absent, and microliths are produced using snap-break techniques. The presence of both triangular microliths and barbed points conforms to a previous hypothesis that there is no chronological difference between the types. Flint-core axes and production waste are recorded at some of the sites. The use of non-flint raw materials is limited and seems pri¬marily to be connected with production and use of ground-pecked axes and hatchets made from local raw materials, like diabase, hornfels, and metarhy¬olite. Some waste material from axe production is recovered. This indicates production of non-flint axes as early as 8000–7900 cal. BC.
many archaeology students meet and take part in an
archaeological excavation for the first time. To excavate and
generate scientific data through excavations is at the core of
the archaeological discipline. For that reason, introducing
students for theoretical and practical knowledge about field
archaeology have been a central part of the discipline for
the last 150 years at Norwegian universities. In this paper,
we look closer at how the field course has developed at the
University of Oslo during the last half century. Based on a
compiled overview of field courses, we discuss how the field
course has developed and changed over time in relation to
the development in the discipline and higher education at
large. A central question is whether the field course succeed
in giving the students skills to perform an excavation and
document the process. A main find is that collegial knowledge
transfer run as a thread through the discipline's history as the
most important way of training new archaeologists.
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of the Neolithic. Although their presence did not alter the fundamental structures of subsistence in the area, new ideas and new technologies were nevertheless introduced, demonstrating alterations in cosmology or worldview. The new worldview demonstrates a wider horizon, the importance of far-reaching social networks and new ideas about representation and time. Such changes could have been more
intrinsic for the process of Neolithization than new subsistence strategies, not just in southern Norway, but also in northern Europe at large.
However, it is obvious that most investigations rely on only one of these methods. The linking of diferent proxies is the only way to check their validity and to calibrate them because of the lack of ground truth.
For this session we would like to invite contributions that examine archaeological case studies regarding demography and population dynamics using more than one method or proxy. What knowledge can be gained from combining diferent methods? Which approaches have proven their worth, and which ones confirm each other? Have we developed methods of correlating the individual proxies with each other that go beyond observing correlation or forming mean values? How can we correlate proxies with diferent temporal resolution? We welcome studies based on empirical evidence and archaeological data as well as papers dealing with these issues from a theoretical perspective.