Towards a Broader Understanding of the Emergence of Iron Technology in Prehistoric Arctic Fennoscandia
The article critically examines interpretations of Old World ferrous metallurgical developments with reference to their consequences for Arctic Fennoscandian iron research. The traditional paradigm of technological innovations recurrently links the emergence of iron technology to increasing social c...
Published in: | Cambridge Archaeological Journal |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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Luleå tekniska universitet, Samhällsvetenskap
2022
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Online Access: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-94257 https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774322000294 |
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ftluleatu:oai:DiVA.org:ltu-94257 2023-05-15T14:35:31+02:00 Towards a Broader Understanding of the Emergence of Iron Technology in Prehistoric Arctic Fennoscandia Bennerhag, Carina Hagström Yamamoto, Sara Söderholm, Kristina 2022 application/pdf http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-94257 https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774322000294 eng eng Luleå tekniska universitet, Samhällsvetenskap Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 0959-7743, 2022 orcid:0000-0002-4876-4232 orcid:0000-0001-5712-0589 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-94257 doi:10.1017/s0959774322000294 ISI:000881340500001 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Archaeology Arkeologi History Historia Article in journal info:eu-repo/semantics/article text 2022 ftluleatu https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774322000294 2022-12-01T17:10:33Z The article critically examines interpretations of Old World ferrous metallurgical developments with reference to their consequences for Arctic Fennoscandian iron research. The traditional paradigm of technological innovations recurrently links the emergence of iron technology to increasing social complexity and a sedentary agricultural lifestyle, typically downplaying ‘peripheral’ areas such as Arctic Fennoscandia and its hunter-gatherer communities. Even in postcolonial research of recent years, the archaeometallurgical record of Arctic Fennoscandia is interpreted and organized within the traditional frameworks on the time, course, and cultural context of the introduction of iron technology in Europe, where Arctic Fennoscandia is not considered to have any noteworthy role. However, current archaeological research with new data in Arctic Fennoscandia disputes prevailing ideas in European iron research and shows substantial evidence that iron technology was an integrated part of hunter-gatherer subsistence already during the Early Iron Age (c. 200 BC). Archaeometallurgical analyses reveal advanced knowledge in all the operational sequences of iron technology, including bloomery steel production and the mastering of advanced smithing techniques. Therefore, we urge dispensing with traditional ideas and call for an increased interest in the underlying mechanisms for the transfer of iron. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Fennoscandia Fennoscandian Luleå University of Technology Publications (DiVA) Arctic Cambridge Archaeological Journal 33 2 265 279 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Luleå University of Technology Publications (DiVA) |
op_collection_id |
ftluleatu |
language |
English |
topic |
Archaeology Arkeologi History Historia |
spellingShingle |
Archaeology Arkeologi History Historia Bennerhag, Carina Hagström Yamamoto, Sara Söderholm, Kristina Towards a Broader Understanding of the Emergence of Iron Technology in Prehistoric Arctic Fennoscandia |
topic_facet |
Archaeology Arkeologi History Historia |
description |
The article critically examines interpretations of Old World ferrous metallurgical developments with reference to their consequences for Arctic Fennoscandian iron research. The traditional paradigm of technological innovations recurrently links the emergence of iron technology to increasing social complexity and a sedentary agricultural lifestyle, typically downplaying ‘peripheral’ areas such as Arctic Fennoscandia and its hunter-gatherer communities. Even in postcolonial research of recent years, the archaeometallurgical record of Arctic Fennoscandia is interpreted and organized within the traditional frameworks on the time, course, and cultural context of the introduction of iron technology in Europe, where Arctic Fennoscandia is not considered to have any noteworthy role. However, current archaeological research with new data in Arctic Fennoscandia disputes prevailing ideas in European iron research and shows substantial evidence that iron technology was an integrated part of hunter-gatherer subsistence already during the Early Iron Age (c. 200 BC). Archaeometallurgical analyses reveal advanced knowledge in all the operational sequences of iron technology, including bloomery steel production and the mastering of advanced smithing techniques. Therefore, we urge dispensing with traditional ideas and call for an increased interest in the underlying mechanisms for the transfer of iron. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Bennerhag, Carina Hagström Yamamoto, Sara Söderholm, Kristina |
author_facet |
Bennerhag, Carina Hagström Yamamoto, Sara Söderholm, Kristina |
author_sort |
Bennerhag, Carina |
title |
Towards a Broader Understanding of the Emergence of Iron Technology in Prehistoric Arctic Fennoscandia |
title_short |
Towards a Broader Understanding of the Emergence of Iron Technology in Prehistoric Arctic Fennoscandia |
title_full |
Towards a Broader Understanding of the Emergence of Iron Technology in Prehistoric Arctic Fennoscandia |
title_fullStr |
Towards a Broader Understanding of the Emergence of Iron Technology in Prehistoric Arctic Fennoscandia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Towards a Broader Understanding of the Emergence of Iron Technology in Prehistoric Arctic Fennoscandia |
title_sort |
towards a broader understanding of the emergence of iron technology in prehistoric arctic fennoscandia |
publisher |
Luleå tekniska universitet, Samhällsvetenskap |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-94257 https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774322000294 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Fennoscandia Fennoscandian |
genre_facet |
Arctic Fennoscandia Fennoscandian |
op_relation |
Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 0959-7743, 2022 orcid:0000-0002-4876-4232 orcid:0000-0001-5712-0589 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-94257 doi:10.1017/s0959774322000294 ISI:000881340500001 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774322000294 |
container_title |
Cambridge Archaeological Journal |
container_volume |
33 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
265 |
op_container_end_page |
279 |
_version_ |
1766308322586132480 |