ARCHAEOLOGY IN NORTH NORWAY

Edited by
Stephen Wickler


Way North is a popular scientific publication series which provides English-speaking visitors and other interested individuals with an introduction to various facets of the northernmost region of Norway. The Way North series includes volumes from disciplines in both the natural and social sciences represented at Tromsø University Museum.

This particular number of Way North is the seventh of the series and provides a broad introduction to the past of North Norway through the eyes of archaeologists who work in the region and are attached to the Department of Archaeology at Tromsø University Museum. Rather than presenting detailed information concerning narrow academic themes, a general overview of topics from a variety of perspectives and time periods is presented. For this reason, the authors have attempted to write in a style which assumes little if any previous knowledge of the region or themes presented.

The eight articles in this volume are arranged in roughly chronological order based on the time periods being discussed. The first two articles deal with the earliest period of human settlement in North Norway and include a general overview of the Stone Age and Early Metal Age and the extensive rock art of the region. This is followed by three articles from the Iron Age including a general introduction and presentation of the Viking Period focusing on the chieftain centre at Borg and evidence for the travels of Othere, a Viking chieftain. A view of the Middle Ages within the context of Roman Catholic expansion as a prime mover in the colonisation of the northernmost regions is also presented. A more general article provides a maritime perspective on the past in North Norway with evidence extending from the Stone Age to Medieval Period. The final article addresses the subject of Russian hunting activity during the eighteenth and nineteenth century on Svalbard in the high Arctic.