First Generation Christians, Second Generation Radiocarbon Dates

The Cemetery at St. Clement's in Oslo

Bibliographic Data

ID6095232
Authorsæbjørg Walaker Nordeide, Sæbjørg Walaker Nordeide (University of Bergen, corresponding author), Steinar Gulliksen (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
Year2007
Volume40
Issue1
Pages1-25
Publication date2007-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueNorwegian Archaeological Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0029-3652 • E-ISSN: 1502-7678
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00293650601054362
OpenAlexW2064464484
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited4

The archaeological material from the site of St. Clement's Church in Oslo, one of the earliest Christian cemeteries in Norway, is important for studying the Christianisation process in this country. Radiocarbon dates from 1972 generated discussions on the typology of early Christian burials, the architecture of early medieval stone churches, the role of churches dedicated to St. Clement, the relation between the church and the urban settlement, and the age of the city. The celebration of Oslo's 1000‐year anniversary in 2000 was based on the results from 1972 and the discussions that followed. The material from St. Clement's in Oslo is still playing an important role in relevant discussions. However, in the light of information gained since then, the reliability of the radiocarbon dates from 1972 can be questioned. This paper discusses improvements in the radiocarbon dating methods and illustrates the necessity to be sceptical of old results. New radiocarbon dates are presented. They show in particular that the earliest possible range in the previous results is no longer tenable. The article also discusses the consequences of this result for the theories regarding the Christianisation process in Norway and for the age of Oslo. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank Ole Egil Eide for giving free access to his excellent material on St. Clement's and for discussions and comments regarding this article. Thanks also to the Museum of Cultural History, especially Ingrid Landmark, and Per Holck at the Institute of Anatomy, both part of the University of Oslo, for help with the sampling. Notes 1. In meetings, letters, a newspaper article and an archaeological journal, Eide argued against celebrating Oslo’s 1000‐year anniversary in 2000 (see, for instance, a letter to Oslo City Council dated 13 February 1996, Aftenposten 15 May 2000 and Eide Citation2000). As Schia sadly died in 1993, he did not get a chance to change his theory. 2. Orientation calculated from a formula based on a 360° circle, and if the axis of the church is exactly east‐‐west, the azimuth = 90° (Eide Citation1974: Appendix 6). 3. The difference between having the arms alongside the body and having the arms resting on the pelvis has not always been recorded during excavation. The number of this latter category is probably somewhat underrepresented in this diagram (see Eide Citation1974: Appendix 4)

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Historiography · Period (music) · Radiocarbon dating · Relation (database) · Settlement (finance) · Typology · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies · History