Subproject - Norwegian University Museum research network for outfield (utmark) archaeology. NFR Project "Forskning i fellesskap"
The project will provide an overview and synthesis of existing information from geological and archaeological sources for the quarrying of stone resources of central importance to the inhabitants of northern Norway since the prehistoric period. The Geological Survey of Norway (NGU) has conducted investigations of soapstone and millstone quarries in the counties of Nordland and Troms. The northernmost county of Finnmark has no known millstone quarries and the soapstone resources have not been mapped in detail. Our intention is to examine archaeological finds in museum collections that may be linked to known quarry sites and have samples analyzed geologically to determine their potential origin. An important key to link artefacts to the quarries is supplementary sampling from several of the quarries and investigations of technology and production in the quarries. If the provenance study is successful, this study provides insights into the chronology of quarry use over a broad geographical area.
This represents an initial, exploratory effort to integrate geological and archaeological data on quarry use in the northern region of Norway. A number of millstone and soapstone quarries in southern Troms and Nordland were surveyed with geologists from NGU in 2012. Several soapstone quarries were mapped in 2013 in conjunction with Ph.D. Fellow Laura Bunse's research project, including Stolpe in Nordland (with NGU geologists) and Straumdalen in Sør-Varanger, eastern Finnmark.
