International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2012

We have turned to things, it is argued in different contexts by social and cultural scholars. The previously neglected stuff of life is back and now deserves to be embraced and included in our histories and democracies. This paper discusses our efforts to include these others and seeks to reflect on how some of our gestures of inclusion may not be as humble and tolerant as we like to argue. With reference to an ongoing archaeological research of a recently abandoned herring station in Iceland’s northwest the paper discusses how the archaeological remembering of this site, and its inclusion in historical narration, can in fact easily result in the active forgetting of things, their fragmented and discontinuous memory and their utter silence.

2010

In this paper, the critical role of the archaeological excavation as a source of scientific knowledge is emphasised. The point of departure is the Neolithic on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea. Examples from three recently performed small-scale excavations on the island are presented, in an attempt to illustrate that not only large-scale excavations in typical locations have a large scientific potential. In connection to this discussion, the concepts of deductive and inductive excavation strategies are presented. Furthermore, the importance of public outreach in connection to excavations is stressed, and it is argued that in order to reach a broader audience, we need to think outside the box and dare tread new paths in terms of communication media as well as in terms of the message we deliver. At one of the excavations exemplified, some effort was put into public outreach, and among other things participant public archaeology was conducted. This was very successful, and it is argued that most excavations situated close to settled areas have the potential of presenting to the public an exciting glimpse of archaeology as an important and valuable enterprise.

Reeves Flores, J. & R.P. Paardekooper (eds) 2014: Experiments Past. Histories of Experimental Archaeology. Leiden: Sidestone Press.

Director Bülow and engineer Thornberg were both very eager to try to produce iron like they did in the Iron Age. I was not interested in archaeology at all in these days but the furnaces seemed reliable enough and I thought that it would be possible to produce iron in them. Though, it would require more sophisticated measuring equipment than the primitive instruments Voss had at his disposal. On the way home Bülow and Thornberg talked for a long time about building a furnace at the steelworks site. I said nothing. I knew that it was me who would be the one to carry out the hard work.

This paper outlines the history behind the use of aerial sources (photographs and satellite imagery) in archaeology in Iceland. While aerial archaeology is an established and routinely used practice alongside other prospection techniques and non-intrusive surveys in many other European countries, in Iceland it is relatively under-utilised. Even so in the last few years it has begun to emerge as tool to understand the context of individual sites, as well as broader landscape connections. In this article it is argued that even if archaeology in Iceland differs in some ways from the archaeological landscape in most European countries, aerial archaeology still has a lot of potential and should be used to a much greater extent than it is today. To show this the authors try to identify some of the potential of aerial survey for archaeological research and heritage management in Iceland.

This book is a collection of articles on the subject of experimental archaeology as performed in the Nordic area, primarily the countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The book is a result of a network project involving universities and archaeological open-air museums in the Nordic countries. The book explores the present-day situation and maps future perspectives on the subject of experimental archaeology.

2015

2021

During the past two decades Scandinavian archaeologists have increasingly participated in projects abroad. Only a few of the projects are based on past cultural-historical links, while the majority are based on comparative and collaborative perspectives, often on other continents. The reason for this development is partly the theoretical development within the discipline, and partly also changes in funding policies. This new situation presents Scandinavian rcsearchers with many practical, ethical and political challenges, but if we take them seriously we may often be rewarded.

A survey was undertaken among Norwegian archaeologists and archaeological employers in 2013, as part of the EU-financed project "Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe." This is the national report for Norway.

Archaeological Fieldwork in Estonia, 2018

"Archaeological Fieldwork in Estonia" (2017) is out now, the content of the past journals is available at http://www.arheoloogia.ee/kirjandus/arheoloogilised-valitood-eestis/