Peopling Prehistoric Coastlines : Identifying Mid-Holocene Forager Settlement Strategies in Northern Norway
Damm, Charlotte ; Skandfer, Marianne and Jordan, Peter LU
(2022)
In Journal of Maritime Archaeology
17(1).
p.131-160
- Abstract
- In circumpolar regions, coastlines offer rich constellations of diverse resources, and have long been a focus of human habitation. Despite the rich archaeological records that are located along many northern coastlines, there is a relatively limited understanding of the range of factors that informed local settlement strategies. Northern Norway has one of the world’s longest and best-preserved archaeological records of coastal habitation due to post-glacial uplift. Occupation begins in the early Holocene and appears to peak in the mid-Holocene. Our aim in this paper is to investigate the constraints and opportunities that informed the mid-Holocene settlement patterns, between c. 5000 and BC. We present new data that were generated by... (More)
- In circumpolar regions, coastlines offer rich constellations of diverse resources, and have long been a focus of human habitation. Despite the rich archaeological records that are located along many northern coastlines, there is a relatively limited understanding of the range of factors that informed local settlement strategies. Northern Norway has one of the world’s longest and best-preserved archaeological records of coastal habitation due to post-glacial uplift. Occupation begins in the early Holocene and appears to peak in the mid-Holocene. Our aim in this paper is to investigate the constraints and opportunities that informed the mid-Holocene settlement patterns, between c. 5000 and BC. We present new data that were generated by intensive field surveys and undertake a qualitative multi-scalar analysis of site-locational choices, evaluating the influences of geography, topography and seasonal resource availability. Having identified stretches of the rugged coast as uninhabitable, we proceeded with analyses of the rest of the coastline. Our results indicate that all major settlements were sited to provide safe boat landing, good vantage points and shelter from storms. From these habitation sites, boat technology would have provided flexible access to diverse resources that were available throughout the year, and within a limited travel radius. We also demonstrate that these settlement strategies contrast with the way that the same coastlines were inhabited by pioneering groups in the early Holocene but appear to have some similarities with mid-Holocene coastal settlement patterns in Newfoundland and the Aleutian Islands. Overall, our results suggest that the multiple resources available along northern coastlines often enabled populations to occupy relatively localised areas for long periods. Longer-range mobility and interaction may instead have been primarily driven
by socio-political factors rather than subsistence needs. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/e64f3f9f-4fb5-40ba-8d93-6f6c3625163f
- author
- Damm, Charlotte
; Skandfer, Marianne
and Jordan, Peter
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Spatial demography, Topography, Location preferences, Forager mobility, Coastal resources
- in
- Journal of Maritime Archaeology
- volume
- 17
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 131 - 160
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85120779051
- ISSN
- 1557-2285
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11457-021-09316-x
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e64f3f9f-4fb5-40ba-8d93-6f6c3625163f
- date added to LUP
- 2021-10-27 15:04:23
- date last changed
- 2022-06-29 18:32:13
@article{e64f3f9f-4fb5-40ba-8d93-6f6c3625163f,
abstract = {{In circumpolar regions, coastlines offer rich constellations of diverse resources, and have long been a focus of human habitation. Despite the rich archaeological records that are located along many northern coastlines, there is a relatively limited understanding of the range of factors that informed local settlement strategies. Northern Norway has one of the world’s longest and best-preserved archaeological records of coastal habitation due to post-glacial uplift. Occupation begins in the early Holocene and appears to peak in the mid-Holocene. Our aim in this paper is to investigate the constraints and opportunities that informed the mid-Holocene settlement patterns, between c. 5000 and BC. We present new data that were generated by intensive field surveys and undertake a qualitative multi-scalar analysis of site-locational choices, evaluating the influences of geography, topography and seasonal resource availability. Having identified stretches of the rugged coast as uninhabitable, we proceeded with analyses of the rest of the coastline. Our results indicate that all major settlements were sited to provide safe boat landing, good vantage points and shelter from storms. From these habitation sites, boat technology would have provided flexible access to diverse resources that were available throughout the year, and within a limited travel radius. We also demonstrate that these settlement strategies contrast with the way that the same coastlines were inhabited by pioneering groups in the early Holocene but appear to have some similarities with mid-Holocene coastal settlement patterns in Newfoundland and the Aleutian Islands. Overall, our results suggest that the multiple resources available along northern coastlines often enabled populations to occupy relatively localised areas for long periods. Longer-range mobility and interaction may instead have been primarily driven<br/>by socio-political factors rather than subsistence needs.}},
author = {{Damm, Charlotte and Skandfer, Marianne and Jordan, Peter}},
issn = {{1557-2285}},
keywords = {{Spatial demography; Topography; Location preferences; Forager mobility; Coastal resources}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{131--160}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Journal of Maritime Archaeology}},
title = {{Peopling Prehistoric Coastlines : Identifying Mid-Holocene Forager Settlement Strategies in Northern Norway}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11457-021-09316-x}},
doi = {{10.1007/s11457-021-09316-x}},
volume = {{17}},
year = {{2022}},
}