Pomor archaeology on Edgeoya, Svalbard (RiS ID 10194). August 19 - 28, 2016. Final fieldwork report

• Main Authors: Kruse, Frigga, Dresscher, Sarah, Koeweiden, Marthe
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Zenodo 2016
• Subjects: SEES.nl; Edgeoya; Svalbard; Pomor; archaeology; soil samples; phosphate survey; Arctic; Edgeøya; White Sea; walrus*
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6310288

From August 19 – 28, 2015, two historical archaeologists and an archaeology student from the Arctic Centre of the University of Groningen were on board the Netherlands Scientific Expedition Edgeøya Svalbard (SEES.nl). The team investigated as many Pomor sites as possible under the constraints of route, time, weather, ice, and polar bears. The Pomors were Russian hunters from the White Sea region, who came to Svalbard in the 18th and 19th centuries to hunt primarily for walrus but also to exploit other living resources. Their huts have been studied extensively but not enough is known about their interaction with the environment. The research questions underlying the fieldwork were therefore: 1) to what extent did the Arctic landscape dictate the location of the Pomor sites? and 2) what was the lasting impact of the Pomor activities on the environment of Edgeøya?