In the summer of 2018, three wells were excavated in Brekstad, Ørland, Norway. The wells, all dat... more In the summer of 2018, three wells were excavated in Brekstad, Ørland, Norway. The wells, all dated to the late first century BC/ early first century AD, were refilled with large quantities of wooden objects, animal bones, shells, animal dung and pottery. They were found in a field with cooking pits near a previous wetland on one side and a contemporary settlement area on the other. The refilling of wells falls into a pattern of depositing objects and people in bogs and wetlands throughout Northern Europe. The article discusses the refilling of wells as a ritual where wetlands are the common denominators. The article further discusses what type of rituals the refilling of the wells represents, focusing on its role in the settlement's life cycle.
Cultural layers associated with farmsteads in Norway have received relatively little attention fr... more Cultural layers associated with farmsteads in Norway have received relatively little attention from archaeologists. This article describes test excavations at two sites in Trøndelag, Sparbu and Hitra. The aim of these surveys was to determine how common such layers are and to which period they date. The cultural layers were dominated by fire-cracked stones, so-called " brewing stones ". Furthermore, the article discusses whether these stones are actually related to brewing of beer and whether or not the brewing of beer was tied to larger social institutions. " Seductive... as warming as a log fire, as inviting as a cozy hearth; the perfect bedtime beer " —Michael Jacksons description of German " steinbier " in the television-series " Beer Hunter " .
This article presents the results of the excavation of a late Iron-Age/ Viking-Age farmstead at R... more This article presents the results of the excavation of a late Iron-Age/ Viking-Age farmstead at Ranheim in Trondheim and uses this site as a case study to discuss the establishment of the Norwegian historic farm. In Norwegian settlement archaeology it has often been claimed that the historic farm, generally associated with the ownership of land and inheritance, was established during the early Iron Age. This article however, questions this view and highlights the many significant changes in the archaeological settlement data between the early Iron Age and later Iron Age/early Medieval periods, which may also reflect wider changes in social and political structures. An important key to understanding these changes is the need to recognise and investigate stratified layers on or near many of the historic farms. At Ranheim, these layers seem to have been formed and accumulated from around AD 600– 700 indicating a clear change in the nature of the settlement taking place. The stratified layers, many of which contained large amounts of heat-shattered stones from brewing and cooking, indicate a continuous and long-lasting settlement phase on the same piece of land from this period onwards. It is argued that this may be regarded as the first stage of the historic farm, and that such layers may be present on many of the Norwegian farms which are mentioned in Medieval sources.
Diinhof, S., M. Ramstad og T. Slinning (red.) Jordbruksbosetningens utvikling på Vestlandet. Kunnskapsstatus, presentasjon av nye resultater og framtidige problemstillinger. UBAS 7:77-92, 2013
In the summer of 2018, three wells were excavated in Brekstad, Ørland, Norway. The wells, all dat... more In the summer of 2018, three wells were excavated in Brekstad, Ørland, Norway. The wells, all dated to the late first century BC/ early first century AD, were refilled with large quantities of wooden objects, animal bones, shells, animal dung and pottery. They were found in a field with cooking pits near a previous wetland on one side and a contemporary settlement area on the other. The refilling of wells falls into a pattern of depositing objects and people in bogs and wetlands throughout Northern Europe. The article discusses the refilling of wells as a ritual where wetlands are the common denominators. The article further discusses what type of rituals the refilling of the wells represents, focusing on its role in the settlement's life cycle.
Cultural layers associated with farmsteads in Norway have received relatively little attention fr... more Cultural layers associated with farmsteads in Norway have received relatively little attention from archaeologists. This article describes test excavations at two sites in Trøndelag, Sparbu and Hitra. The aim of these surveys was to determine how common such layers are and to which period they date. The cultural layers were dominated by fire-cracked stones, so-called " brewing stones ". Furthermore, the article discusses whether these stones are actually related to brewing of beer and whether or not the brewing of beer was tied to larger social institutions. " Seductive... as warming as a log fire, as inviting as a cozy hearth; the perfect bedtime beer " —Michael Jacksons description of German " steinbier " in the television-series " Beer Hunter " .
This article presents the results of the excavation of a late Iron-Age/ Viking-Age farmstead at R... more This article presents the results of the excavation of a late Iron-Age/ Viking-Age farmstead at Ranheim in Trondheim and uses this site as a case study to discuss the establishment of the Norwegian historic farm. In Norwegian settlement archaeology it has often been claimed that the historic farm, generally associated with the ownership of land and inheritance, was established during the early Iron Age. This article however, questions this view and highlights the many significant changes in the archaeological settlement data between the early Iron Age and later Iron Age/early Medieval periods, which may also reflect wider changes in social and political structures. An important key to understanding these changes is the need to recognise and investigate stratified layers on or near many of the historic farms. At Ranheim, these layers seem to have been formed and accumulated from around AD 600– 700 indicating a clear change in the nature of the settlement taking place. The stratified layers, many of which contained large amounts of heat-shattered stones from brewing and cooking, indicate a continuous and long-lasting settlement phase on the same piece of land from this period onwards. It is argued that this may be regarded as the first stage of the historic farm, and that such layers may be present on many of the Norwegian farms which are mentioned in Medieval sources.
Diinhof, S., M. Ramstad og T. Slinning (red.) Jordbruksbosetningens utvikling på Vestlandet. Kunnskapsstatus, presentasjon av nye resultater og framtidige problemstillinger. UBAS 7:77-92, 2013
The 14 articles presented in this publication represent some of the latest and most relevant rese... more The 14 articles presented in this publication represent some of the latest and most relevant research on rural settlement and farming from the Late Neolithic through the Early Medieval Period in Norway. It deals with the impact of climate change, plague and the AD 536-7 volcanic event and some of the earliest farms north of the Arctic Circle. It provides new perspectives and archaeological evidence for the Viking age farm of Norway, differences in regional settlement structures of agrarian societies, the relation between houses and graves in the Iron Age, and varying food practices as indicators of societal change.
The publication is part of the Joint Research Program (Forskning i fellesskap) conducted by the University Museums of Norway and co-funded by The Research Council of Norway.
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Papers by Geir Grønnesby
the Norwegian historic farm. In Norwegian settlement archaeology it has often been claimed that the historic farm, generally associated with the ownership of land and inheritance, was established during the early Iron Age. This article however, questions this view and highlights
the many significant changes in the archaeological settlement data between the early Iron Age and later Iron Age/early Medieval periods, which may also reflect wider changes
in social and political structures. An important key to understanding these changes is the
need to recognise and investigate stratified layers on or near many of the historic farms. At Ranheim, these layers seem to have been formed and accumulated from around AD 600–
700 indicating a clear change in the nature of the settlement taking place. The stratified layers, many of which contained large amounts of heat-shattered stones from brewing and cooking, indicate a continuous and long-lasting settlement phase on the same piece of land from this period onwards. It is argued that this may be regarded as the first stage of the historic
farm, and that such layers may be present on many of the Norwegian farms which are
mentioned in Medieval sources.
the Norwegian historic farm. In Norwegian settlement archaeology it has often been claimed that the historic farm, generally associated with the ownership of land and inheritance, was established during the early Iron Age. This article however, questions this view and highlights
the many significant changes in the archaeological settlement data between the early Iron Age and later Iron Age/early Medieval periods, which may also reflect wider changes
in social and political structures. An important key to understanding these changes is the
need to recognise and investigate stratified layers on or near many of the historic farms. At Ranheim, these layers seem to have been formed and accumulated from around AD 600–
700 indicating a clear change in the nature of the settlement taking place. The stratified layers, many of which contained large amounts of heat-shattered stones from brewing and cooking, indicate a continuous and long-lasting settlement phase on the same piece of land from this period onwards. It is argued that this may be regarded as the first stage of the historic
farm, and that such layers may be present on many of the Norwegian farms which are
mentioned in Medieval sources.
The publication is part of the Joint Research Program (Forskning i fellesskap) conducted by the University Museums of Norway and co-funded by The Research Council of Norway.