Insect faunas from Medieval Langenes in Arctic Norway

• Main Authors: Buckland, Paul C., Panagiotakopulu, Eva, Buckland, Philip I., Perdikaris, Sophia, Skidmore, Peter
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: Umeå universitet, Miljöarkeologiska laboratoriet 2006
• Subjects: Fishing; Medieval; Fossil insects; Sampling; Archaeology; Arkeologi; Ecology; Ekologi; Environmental Sciences; Miljövetenskap; Other Earth and Related Environmental Sciences; Annan geovetenskap och miljövetenskap; Arctic; Norway; Vesterålen; Northern Norway
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-6681

Cultural sediments containing significant amounts of fish bone at Langenesværet, Vesterålen, Northern Norway provide an opportunity to characterise activity during and prior to the establishment of a late medieval commercial fishing station (fiskevaer). Radiometric and AMS dating techniques are used to establish a chronology for the deposits, while activities associated with the sediments are characterised fossil insect faunas. The results highlight a series of problems with the dating of the heavily disturbed organic deposits of many archaeological sites, and the need for greater care in sample selection and interpretation.