Søren Munch Kristiansen
Biographic Data
| ID | 3585293 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Søren Munch Kristiansen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Søren Munch |
| FAMILY NAME | Kristiansen |
| SIGNATURE | KRISTIANSEN S M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Aarhus University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3128-4061 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 35 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 93 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 35 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2000 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Land Tenure and Resilience in Early Iron Age northern Denmark investigated using high-definition dating
The Early Iron Age in southern Scandinavia is often seen as a period of landscape degradation and unsustainable economic practices: Celtic fields expand and the open land with heath and grass pasture reaches a peak, sometimes with episodes of sand drift. However, past land tenure may have been more resilient than such conceptualisations imply. At Aalborg Barracks, northern Jutland, Denmark, an Early Iron Age landscape with Celtic fields, a fence,…
Seeing the past in a new light
Archaeologists identify stratigraphic events and distinguish between material and using visual and textural contrasts. However, relying purely on the visible spectrum means that salient information may be overlooked and ultimately lost. Recent development in multispectral imaging has the potential to improve our ability to detect these contrasts.In this work we built and tested a novel, fast and inexpensive LED multispectral illumination imaging …
Micromorphological Sediment Screening (MSS) and CT-Scanning for Prioritization in Archaeological Excavations
When excavating complex anthropogenic stratigraphies, the field archaeologist is often limited to prioritizing the sampling strategy based on in situ macroscopic interpretations. Not until months after the excavation do supporting information and interpretations such as micromorphological analysis offer a more nuanced picture. This article addresses this challenge by evaluating two methods for analyzing results as the excavation is ongoing: compu…
Geophysical investigation of a Viking Age harbour on the Island of Amrum (DE)
Multimethod (Aerial Photos, Magnetic Gradiometry, FDEMI and GPR) investigations into fist millennium AD settlements on the island of Amrum, finding a Viking Age harbour site
PastCoast – Using Ground Penetrating Radar data for high resolution chronological investigations of landscape change
GPR investigations are used to investigate past paleolandscape elements, Norwegian case studies demonstrate accurate sea level change reconstructions
Predicting Buried Archaeological Heritage in a 3D Environment—Modelling the Urban Subsurface Using Voxels
This study uses the medieval city of Odense, Denmark, to explore the potential of voxel‐based modelling for archaeological heritage management in urban environments. The article highlights the challenges urban development poses to buried cultural heritage and the limitations of current monitoring techniques. By integrating recent and legacy archaeological and geological data, the study demonstrates the advantages of voxel models over traditional …
Developer-Led Excavations, Geoarchaelogy & Bayesian Modelled Chronology of a Guild House and the Main Street at Medieval Odense
In Scandinavia, archaeological investigations have made much progress in detailing the characteristics of the earliest towns. Yet, understanding of urban stratigraphies remains limited, and this gap hampers our ability to define site formation processes and develop contextual palimpsests of town life at a formative time of urban development. This paper presents the results of a multi-scale analytical program applied to developer-led excavations o…
A multi-proxy geochemical and micromorphological study of the use of space and stratigraphy of a Viking-age house in Ribe, Denmark
High-definition approaches are currently revolutionizing our understanding of the archaeology of urban archives. Multi-proxy studies at a high spatial resolution offer especially an opportunity to capture their high data potential. Here we present a study of complex floor layers from an occupation phase dating to c. AD 790-830 uncovered in the Viking-age emporium Ribe, Denmark (c. AD 700-900). In order to better understand stratigraphy and the us…
Relationship between Fields, banks and farmstead at an early Iron Age site in Northern Denmark
Ancient Celtic fields are still visible as banks and lynchets in many landscapes in Northwestern Europe today. Comparably little is known about the relationship between Celtic fields and the dwellings of the people farming these fields. Excavations of a pre-roman Iron Age field system near Aalborg, Northern Denmark, revealed the remains of a farmstead (longhouse) and fields covered by drift sand. The site is located on raised late Holocene marine…
Urban gardens in Antiquity
In the Eastern Mediterranean, where some of the earliest known urban cities are located, relatively little is known about urban soils in archaeological contexts. Red Mediterranean Soil (RMS) is a hallmark of the Mediterranean region while the impact of long-term urbanization on RMS material is understudied. In this article we present evidence of RMS from the longue durée cityscape of Jerash, Jordan, to determine how humans have used, modified and…
Non-destructive 3D prospection at the Viking Age fortress Borgring, Denmark
Non-invasive methods are increasingly important for understanding archaeological sites and their contexts. Larger earth-built constructions are nevertheless still difficult to study without extensive excavations. At the recently discovered Viking-Age ring fortress Borgring in Denmark a suite of non-destructive methods was applied with the aim of understanding how this highly eroded earthen fortress was constructed, and investigating how the const…
Revealing the invisible dead
Recent investigations of an apparently ‘empty,’ partly disturbed Viking chamber grave in Denmark (Fregerslev II, dated around the mid-10th century CE) provided an opportunity to develop a novel multi-scale and multi-method analysis of burial and post-burial processes. To overcome the limitations of poor preservation of artefacts and bones, and the lack of a clear macrostratigraphic sequence, we integrated multi-proxy analyses of organic and inorg…
Climate-smart harvesting and storing of water
Understanding past water management is crucial to address contemporary human-environmental challenges in \nsub-Saharan Africa, where urban growth is impacting upon water availability and supply. This study integrates \nsoil profiles, high-resolution topographic data, historical sources, and socioecological memory to reconstruct \nhow the ancient urban society at Great Zimbabwe negotiated water security. New evidence shows for the first \ntime tha…
Urbanization and Riverine Hinterlands
Rivers have always been a magnet for human settlement, providing resources, such as water, food, and energy, and communication and travel routes. Climate- and human-made changes to the environment can easily affect the fragile balance between the ‘natural’ and the ‘urban’, causing droughts, floods, and other changes in riverine systems that challenge economic, environmental, and social sustainability. This is especially true in semi-arid regions …
Sampling density and spatial analysis
Urban Chronology at a Human Scale on the Coast of East Africa in the 1st Millennium a.d
This paper presents a new high-resolution excavation sequence of a house at the 1st millennium a.d. site of Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar, with implications for a new and detailed understanding of the period between the 7th and 9th centuries a.d. on the East African coast. This is an important period associated with a broad and distinctive cultural tradition, often seen as a pre- or proto-urban phase. Household excavations at Unguja Ukuu revealed two occ…
Visible near-infrared spectroscopy as an aid for archaeological interpretation
Dating earthwork fortifications
Low and variable
Soil geochemistry, phytoliths and artefacts from an early Swahili daub house, Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar
Vacuum freeze-drying of sediment cores
Nationwide Drinking Water Sampling Campaign for Exposure Assessments in Denmark
Nationwide sampling campaign of treated drinking water of groundwater origin was designed and implemented in Denmark in 2013. The main purpose of the sampling was to obtain data on the spatial variation of iodine concentration and speciation in treated drinking water, which was supplied to the majority of the Danish population. This data was to be used in future exposure and epidemiologic studies. The water supply sector (83 companies, owning 144…
Bathymetric control of Holocene spit migration in a lacustrine environment
Wave processes are well known for developing spit systems in large or elongated lakes by inducing longshore sediment transport for spit migration, while bathymetric interaction is less studied. In this study, we investigate the combined effects of wave processes, antecedent topography and lake level changes on the development of Holocene spit systems in the Danish lake Mossø. Wave climate prediction and a digital elevation model were used to prov…
The pattern of human bone dissolution-A histological study ofIronAge warriors from aDanish wetland site
Bioerosion of archaeological bone is well documented histologically. However, although several studies have examined the physicochemical properties of dissolved archaeological bone, few studies have focused on the specific histological pattern of dissolution, orgeneralised destruction. Hence, the primary aim of this study is to characterise the histomorphological pattern and chronology of in situ dissolution of bone caused by precipitation and ox…
Lithium in Drinking Water and Incidence of Suicide
Suicide is a major public health concern. High-dose lithium is used to stabilize mood and prevent suicide in patients with affective disorders. Lithium occurs naturally in drinking water worldwide in much lower doses, but with large geographical variation. Several studies conducted at an aggregate level have suggested an association between lithium in drinking water and a reduced risk of suicide; however, a causal relation is uncertain. Individua…
Soil geochemistry, phytoliths and artefacts from an early Swahili daub house, Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar
Identifying ancient manuring
Revealing the invisible dead
Recent investigations of an apparently ‘empty,’ partly disturbed Viking chamber grave in Denmark (Fregerslev II, dated around the mid-10th century CE) provided an opportunity to develop a novel multi-scale and multi-method analysis of burial and post-burial processes. To overcome the limitations of poor preservation of artefacts and bones, and the lack of a clear macrostratigraphic sequence, we integrated multi-proxy analyses of organic and inorg…
Sampling density and spatial analysis
Late Holocene landscape development around a Roman Iron Age mass grave, Alken Enge, Denmark
A multi-proxy geochemical and micromorphological study of the use of space and stratigraphy of a Viking-age house in Ribe, Denmark
High-definition approaches are currently revolutionizing our understanding of the archaeology of urban archives. Multi-proxy studies at a high spatial resolution offer especially an opportunity to capture their high data potential. Here we present a study of complex floor layers from an occupation phase dating to c. AD 790-830 uncovered in the Viking-age emporium Ribe, Denmark (c. AD 700-900). In order to better understand stratigraphy and the us…
Urban Chronology at a Human Scale on the Coast of East Africa in the 1st Millennium a.d
This paper presents a new high-resolution excavation sequence of a house at the 1st millennium a.d. site of Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar, with implications for a new and detailed understanding of the period between the 7th and 9th centuries a.d. on the East African coast. This is an important period associated with a broad and distinctive cultural tradition, often seen as a pre- or proto-urban phase. Household excavations at Unguja Ukuu revealed two occ…
Visible near-infrared spectroscopy as an aid for archaeological interpretation
Low and variable
Soil evolution in the remnants of natural forest vegetation
A mixed Quercus-Tilia forest was investigated to study the soil development in a forest that resembled the natural Danish forest composition before 4000 BC. This study of the impact of vegetation upon soils, provides morphological and chemical data to support the findings. Soil survey and laboratory data showed that the soils are podzolized in the western and southern borders of the forest. This podzolization process is mainly facilitated by a di…
Climate-smart harvesting and storing of water
Understanding past water management is crucial to address contemporary human-environmental challenges in \nsub-Saharan Africa, where urban growth is impacting upon water availability and supply. This study integrates \nsoil profiles, high-resolution topographic data, historical sources, and socioecological memory to reconstruct \nhow the ancient urban society at Great Zimbabwe negotiated water security. New evidence shows for the first \ntime tha…
Geomorphological setting of a sacred landscape
The Illerup Valley in Denmark contains several large‐scale Iron Age (first to fifth century A.D.) ritual depositions associated with warfare among Germanic groups. The oldest deliberate deposition consisted of human bones and is dated to the first to fifth decade A.D. It is hypothesized that this first deposition initiated a ritual tradition and made the valley sacred to later generations. To understand the choice of the first location, we have r…
Interaction patterns among users of a Danish community care centre
This article presents the findings of a study of ex-mental patients in a community care centre in Denmark. Participant observation was used in combination with qualitative and semi-structured interviews. It marks the first part of a research project to develop a sociological understanding of social relations and interaction patterns among mental patients living outside institutions. The present study describes and analyses the social community, n…
Bathymetric control of Holocene spit migration in a lacustrine environment
Wave processes are well known for developing spit systems in large or elongated lakes by inducing longshore sediment transport for spit migration, while bathymetric interaction is less studied. In this study, we investigate the combined effects of wave processes, antecedent topography and lake level changes on the development of Holocene spit systems in the Danish lake Mossø. Wave climate prediction and a digital elevation model were used to prov…
The pattern of human bone dissolution-A histological study ofIronAge warriors from aDanish wetland site
Bioerosion of archaeological bone is well documented histologically. However, although several studies have examined the physicochemical properties of dissolved archaeological bone, few studies have focused on the specific histological pattern of dissolution, orgeneralised destruction. Hence, the primary aim of this study is to characterise the histomorphological pattern and chronology of in situ dissolution of bone caused by precipitation and ox…
Interaction patterns among users of a Danish community care centre
This article presents the findings of a study of ex-mental patients in a community care centre in Denmark. Participant observation was used in combination with qualitative and semi-structured interviews. It marks the first part of a research project to develop a sociological understanding of social relations and interaction patterns among mental patients living outside institutions. The present study describes and analyses the social community, n…
Soil evolution in the remnants of natural forest vegetation
A mixed Quercus-Tilia forest was investigated to study the soil development in a forest that resembled the natural Danish forest composition before 4000 BC. This study of the impact of vegetation upon soils, provides morphological and chemical data to support the findings. Soil survey and laboratory data showed that the soils are podzolized in the western and southern borders of the forest. This podzolization process is mainly facilitated by a di…
Soil and humus form distribution in the ancient woodland of Haid Ege, Denmark
Soils under ancient woodlands are highly variable and little is known about the nature of such soils, which in many cases have supported woodland for hundreds of years. This study addresses past and present factors forming soils and the distribution of soil and humus types in the ancient woodlands of Haid Ege, Denmark. The methods used include soil mapping, detailed soil profile description and physical and chemical analysis of soil samples in co…
Preservation Status and Priorities for In Situ Monitoring of the Weapon Sacrifice in Illerup Ådal, Denmark
Excavations of the southern part of a very rich sacrificial bog in Illerup Ådal, Denmark between 1950 and 1985 recovered approximately 15,000 Iron Age artefacts. At the time, 60 per cent of the area was left unexcavated and thousands of objects are now preserved in situ, but the present preservation status has not been investigated for approximately twenty-five years. Extensive in situ monitoring was carried out for one year in order to present a…
Identifying ancient manuring
Impact of Roots and Rhizomes on Wetland Archaeology
The general premise for successful archaeological in situ preservation in wetlands is that raising the water table will ‘seal the grave’ by preventing oxygen from reaching the deposit. The present review reveals that this may not be the entire picture, as a change in habitat may introduce new plant species that can damage site stratigraphy and artefacts. However, reviews on the types and degree of damage caused by vegetation to archaeological rem…
In situ Preservation Solutions for Deposited Iron Age Human Bones in Alken Enge, Denmark
The rich mass deposition of Iron Age human bone material from the Danish site, Alken Enge, is extraordinary not only from an archaeological perspective but also from a preservation point of view. The main find is situated in a waterlogged, anoxic environment which provides excellent preservation conditions and therefore enables in situ preservation of the human bones. However, major differences in local environmental conditions challenge an in si…
Late Holocene landscape development around a Roman Iron Age mass grave, Alken Enge, Denmark
Lithium in Drinking Water and Incidence of Suicide
Suicide is a major public health concern. High-dose lithium is used to stabilize mood and prevent suicide in patients with affective disorders. Lithium occurs naturally in drinking water worldwide in much lower doses, but with large geographical variation. Several studies conducted at an aggregate level have suggested an association between lithium in drinking water and a reduced risk of suicide; however, a causal relation is uncertain. Individua…
Geomorphological setting of a sacred landscape
The Illerup Valley in Denmark contains several large‐scale Iron Age (first to fifth century A.D.) ritual depositions associated with warfare among Germanic groups. The oldest deliberate deposition consisted of human bones and is dated to the first to fifth decade A.D. It is hypothesized that this first deposition initiated a ritual tradition and made the valley sacred to later generations. To understand the choice of the first location, we have r…
City and wadi
Archaeological excavations of urban sites in the Mediterranean have a long history, but only recently are geoarchaeology-based landscape studies beginning to provide insight into the complex and dynamic relationships between cities and their hinterlands. Such studies are becoming increasingly important as archaeologists seek to understand how cities sustained themselves, demonstrating resilience to both external shocks and long-term environmental…
Nationwide Drinking Water Sampling Campaign for Exposure Assessments in Denmark
Nationwide sampling campaign of treated drinking water of groundwater origin was designed and implemented in Denmark in 2013. The main purpose of the sampling was to obtain data on the spatial variation of iodine concentration and speciation in treated drinking water, which was supplied to the majority of the Danish population. This data was to be used in future exposure and epidemiologic studies. The water supply sector (83 companies, owning 144…
Bathymetric control of Holocene spit migration in a lacustrine environment
Wave processes are well known for developing spit systems in large or elongated lakes by inducing longshore sediment transport for spit migration, while bathymetric interaction is less studied. In this study, we investigate the combined effects of wave processes, antecedent topography and lake level changes on the development of Holocene spit systems in the Danish lake Mossø. Wave climate prediction and a digital elevation model were used to prov…
The pattern of human bone dissolution-A histological study ofIronAge warriors from aDanish wetland site
Bioerosion of archaeological bone is well documented histologically. However, although several studies have examined the physicochemical properties of dissolved archaeological bone, few studies have focused on the specific histological pattern of dissolution, orgeneralised destruction. Hence, the primary aim of this study is to characterise the histomorphological pattern and chronology of in situ dissolution of bone caused by precipitation and ox…
Dating earthwork fortifications
Low and variable
Soil geochemistry, phytoliths and artefacts from an early Swahili daub house, Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar
Vacuum freeze-drying of sediment cores
Urban Chronology at a Human Scale on the Coast of East Africa in the 1st Millennium a.d
This paper presents a new high-resolution excavation sequence of a house at the 1st millennium a.d. site of Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar, with implications for a new and detailed understanding of the period between the 7th and 9th centuries a.d. on the East African coast. This is an important period associated with a broad and distinctive cultural tradition, often seen as a pre- or proto-urban phase. Household excavations at Unguja Ukuu revealed two occ…
Visible near-infrared spectroscopy as an aid for archaeological interpretation
Urbanization and Riverine Hinterlands
Rivers have always been a magnet for human settlement, providing resources, such as water, food, and energy, and communication and travel routes. Climate- and human-made changes to the environment can easily affect the fragile balance between the ‘natural’ and the ‘urban’, causing droughts, floods, and other changes in riverine systems that challenge economic, environmental, and social sustainability. This is especially true in semi-arid regions …
Sampling density and spatial analysis
Urban gardens in Antiquity
In the Eastern Mediterranean, where some of the earliest known urban cities are located, relatively little is known about urban soils in archaeological contexts. Red Mediterranean Soil (RMS) is a hallmark of the Mediterranean region while the impact of long-term urbanization on RMS material is understudied. In this article we present evidence of RMS from the longue durée cityscape of Jerash, Jordan, to determine how humans have used, modified and…
Non-destructive 3D prospection at the Viking Age fortress Borgring, Denmark
Non-invasive methods are increasingly important for understanding archaeological sites and their contexts. Larger earth-built constructions are nevertheless still difficult to study without extensive excavations. At the recently discovered Viking-Age ring fortress Borgring in Denmark a suite of non-destructive methods was applied with the aim of understanding how this highly eroded earthen fortress was constructed, and investigating how the const…
Revealing the invisible dead
Recent investigations of an apparently ‘empty,’ partly disturbed Viking chamber grave in Denmark (Fregerslev II, dated around the mid-10th century CE) provided an opportunity to develop a novel multi-scale and multi-method analysis of burial and post-burial processes. To overcome the limitations of poor preservation of artefacts and bones, and the lack of a clear macrostratigraphic sequence, we integrated multi-proxy analyses of organic and inorg…
Archaeology (22 works) · Geography (21 works) · Geology (20 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (10 works) · History (9 works) · Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction (9 works) · Environmental Science (8 works) · Ecology (7 works) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (7 works) · Historical and Archaeological Studies (7 works)