Combining remote sensing and environmental sampling at transhumant shielings sites. Case studies from a PhD-project in NW-Norway

The Scandinavian shieling system is well documented through ethnography and represents an important characteristic of traditional upland and outfield landscapes. Yet, the archaeological record of shielings and other transhumant sites is sparse, both due to their distant location, ephemeral structures and scarce material culture, but also due to later disturbances, inadequate methods and limited focus within archaeological research and management. In 2022, a range of non-invasive methods (LiDAR, Photgrammetry, Thermal photography, Magnetic Susceptibility, Magnetometer, Ground Penetrating Radar) were employed at a selection of shieling sites, in order to shed light on their physical structure and archaeological potential. In this paper, I will present the results from the remote sensing, discussing the possibilities and limitations of various methods, and my plan for opening trial trenches – both in order to “verify” my prospection results and to do environmental sampling (C14, micromorphology, pXRF, aDNA, lipids, palaeobotany). In the end, I will suggest a step-by-step approach to identifying, delimiting and examining Prehistoric and Medieval shieling sites, combining both visual surveys, remote sensing and environmental sampling.