Stephen Wickler
Biographic Data
| ID | 264472 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Stephen Wickler |
| GIVEN NAMES | Stephen |
| FAMILY NAME | Wickler |
| SIGNATURE | WICKLER S |
| AFFILIATIONS | UiT The Arctic University of Norway |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0467-1966 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 123 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1988 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Maritime Power in Northern Norway during the Viking Age and Medieval Period: Evidence from Monumental Boathouses Tracing the Rise and fall of the Bjarkøy Clan
The excavation of multiple monumental boathouses at Nergården on Bjarkøy Island in northern Norway was undertaken from 2019 to 2022 by the authors and supplemented with Ground Penetrating Radar survey data. Results provide detailed insights into the construction and use of three boathouses dating from the Viking Age to the High Medieval Period. Excavations initially focused on a long and narrow 29 × 6 m (m) Viking Age boathouse modified and expan…
Dendrochronology and Iron Age Boats: A View from the North
Bakestones in Northern Norway: An Archaeological Witness to Medieval Foodways and Maritime Trade
BAKESTONES ARE A 11TH-CENTURY EARLY MEDIEVAL INNOVATION associated with flatbread production that reflect a distinctive Norwegian food culture spanning some 600 years. Large scale manufacture of chlorite schist bakestones at Ølve-Hatlestrand, western Norway, was linked to further distribution in Norway from the port of Bergen. Bakestones were an important item of maritime trade transported to northern Norway in exchange for stockfish (dried cod) …
Northern Norway paleofire records reveal two distinct phases of early human impacts on fire activity
Paleofire records document fire’s response to climate, ecosystem changes, and human-activity, offering insights into climate-fire-human relationships and the potential response of fire to anthropogenic climate change. We present three new lake sediment PAH records and a charcoal record from the Lofoten Islands, Norway to evaluate the Holocene fire history of northern Norway and examine human impacts on fire in this region. All three datasets show…
The preservation of ancient DNA in archaeological fish bone
The field of ancient DNA is dominated by studies focusing on terrestrial vertebrates. This taxonomic bias limits our understanding of endogenous DNA preservation for species with different bone physiology, such as teleost fish. Teleost bone is typically brittle, porous, lightweight, and is characterized by a lack of bone remodeling during growth. All of these factors potentially affect DNA preservation. Using high-throughput shotgun sequencing, w…
Vegetation changes and plant wax biomarkers from an ombrotrophic bog define hydroclimate trends and human-environment interactions during the Holocene in northern Norway
Holocene climate records from northern Europe improve our understanding of important North Atlantic ocean and atmospheric circulation systems to long-term insolation-driven changes, as well as more rapid forcing and feedback mechanisms. Here we assess Holocene climate and environmental changes in northern Norway based on the analysis of pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, and plant wax biomarkers from a high latitude ombrotrophic…
Early Boats in Scandinavia: New Evidence from Early Iron Age Bog Finds in Arctic Norway
Iconic Arctic Shipwrecks, Archaeology, and Museum Narratives
This article reflects on three Arctic shipwrecks currently being reclaimed for future exhibition. Two are icons of polar exploration. Maud was built for Roald Amundsen's North Pole expedition (1917–1925) and Belgica was used in the first Antarctic overwintering expedition (1897–1899). The salvage of Maud in Canada and the ship's return to Norway in 2018 was privately financed. Raising Belgica has been the goal of a Belgian non‐profit organization…
Identification of Bird Species Used to Make a Viking Age Feather Pillow
A grave containing the remains of a wooden boat was discovered in 1934 under a low mound in a bog at Øksnes in the Vesterålen islands of northern Norway. The boat grave dates to the 10th century in the Viking Age, and grave goods placed in the boat include an iron axe, a cowhide in which the body was wrapped, and pillow remains consisting of feather stuffing and a wool textile cover. A microscopic analysis of the feathers from a subsample of the …
The Centrality of Small Islands in Arctic Norway From the Viking Age to Recent Historic Period
The definition of island marginality in northern Norway was radically altered by the advent of motorized fishing vessels in the early twentieth century. Prior to this development, small offshore islands were of central importance for marine related activity due to their proximity to fishing grounds. This article presents four settlements on small and “marginal” islands in Arctic Norway from 68°19’ to 71°05’ N latitude as cases that illustrate the…
Medieval Shipwrecks from North Norway and their Contribution to Understanding Maritime Interaction and Trade: S. Wickler: Medieval Shipwrecks From North Norway
This article presents the remains of three medieval ships from North Norway. The sites are clustered near the Arctic Circle, two from the islands of Husøy (Træna) and Lovund in the Helgeland region, and a potential third wreck from the small lake Fiskvågvatn in Saltdal. Available information from the wrecks is presented to provide a basis for assessing their cultural contexts and relevance to medieval maritime activities, the dried-cod (stockfish…
Tracing the Development of Fishing Settlement From the Iron Age to the Modern Period in Northern Norway: A Case Study From Borgvær in the Lofoten Islands
Although models for the development of fishing settlement in northern Norway from the Iron Age to the early modern period have been debated for many years, archaeological documentation of the process remains inadequate. This article employs a case study from the small island of Borgvær in the Lofoten Islands, to elucidate the shift from temporary, fishing-based occupation in the Merovingian Period (AD 550–800) to more permanent farm mound settlem…
Pre-Modern Boathouses: A maritime perspective from northern Norway
Most Scandinavian boathouses predating the Reformation (AD 1537) are located in Norway, starting in the Early Iron Age, and a majority are found in the north. Following a critical review of Norwegian boathouse studies from a historical and regional perspective, current research themes in northern Norway are discussed. Boathouses are viewed as multifunctional entities providing insights into the marine economy, social organization, and ethnic inte…
Boathouses as Indicators of Ethnic Interaction
Research on pre-modern boathouses in Norway over the past decades has principally been concerned with large boathouses reflecting social stratification within Norse communities. In northern Norway there has been a greater interest in smaller boathouses as components of the maritime cultural landscape rather than a narrow focus on the political landscape. This article presents an investigation of variation in the form and content displayed by boat…
Distal cryptotephra found in a Viking boathouse: The potential for tephrochronology in reconstructing the Iron Age in Norway
Phylogeny and ancient DNA of Sus provides insights into neolithic expansion in Island Southeast Asia and Oceania
Human settlement of Oceania marked the culmination of a global colonization process that began when humans first left Africa at least 90,000 years ago. The precise origins and dispersal routes of the Austronesian peoples and the associated Lapita culture remain contentious, and numerous disparate models of dispersal (based primarily on linguistic, genetic, and archeological data) have been proposed. Here, through the use of mtDNA from 781 modern …
Colonisation, migration and marginal areas: A zooarchaeological approach
Part I. and Animal Migration and Colonisation. Introduction to the session Human and Animal Migration and Colonisation (Stephen Wickler) Understanding human movement and interaction through the movement of animals and animal products (Steven P Ashby) Plea for a multidisciplinary approach to the study of Neolithic migrations: the analysis of biological witnesses and the input of palaeogenetics (Eva-Maria Geigl and Melanie Pruvost) Zooarchaeology a…
Direct evidence for human use of plants 28,000 years ago: Starch residues on stone artefacts from the northern Solomon Islands
The excavation of Kilu Cave and the discovery of a Pleistocene prehistory for the Solomon Islands have already been reported in ANTIQUITY by Wickler & Spriggs (62: 703-6). Residue analysis of stone artefacts from the site now provides the earliest direct evidence for the prehistoric use of root vegetables, in the form of starch grains and crystalline raphides identifiable to genus. The direct microscopic identification of starch grains opens new …
Archaeological research on Erromango: Recent data on Southern Melanesian prehistory
Pleistocene human occupation of the Solomon Islands, Melanesia
Pleistocene dates from a rockshelter on Buka Island at the northern end of the Solomons Chain demonstrate human settlement by 28,000 b.p., some 25,000 years earlier than previously reported for this island group
Pleistocene human occupation of the Solomon Islands, Melanesia
Pleistocene dates from a rockshelter on Buka Island at the northern end of the Solomons Chain demonstrate human settlement by 28,000 b.p., some 25,000 years earlier than previously reported for this island group
Direct evidence for human use of plants 28,000 years ago: Starch residues on stone artefacts from the northern Solomon Islands
The excavation of Kilu Cave and the discovery of a Pleistocene prehistory for the Solomon Islands have already been reported in ANTIQUITY by Wickler & Spriggs (62: 703-6). Residue analysis of stone artefacts from the site now provides the earliest direct evidence for the prehistoric use of root vegetables, in the form of starch grains and crystalline raphides identifiable to genus. The direct microscopic identification of starch grains opens new …
Archaeological research on Erromango: Recent data on Southern Melanesian prehistory
The preservation of ancient DNA in archaeological fish bone
The field of ancient DNA is dominated by studies focusing on terrestrial vertebrates. This taxonomic bias limits our understanding of endogenous DNA preservation for species with different bone physiology, such as teleost fish. Teleost bone is typically brittle, porous, lightweight, and is characterized by a lack of bone remodeling during growth. All of these factors potentially affect DNA preservation. Using high-throughput shotgun sequencing, w…
Pre-Modern Boathouses: A maritime perspective from northern Norway
Most Scandinavian boathouses predating the Reformation (AD 1537) are located in Norway, starting in the Early Iron Age, and a majority are found in the north. Following a critical review of Norwegian boathouse studies from a historical and regional perspective, current research themes in northern Norway are discussed. Boathouses are viewed as multifunctional entities providing insights into the marine economy, social organization, and ethnic inte…
Early Boats in Scandinavia: New Evidence from Early Iron Age Bog Finds in Arctic Norway
Tracing the Development of Fishing Settlement From the Iron Age to the Modern Period in Northern Norway: A Case Study From Borgvær in the Lofoten Islands
Although models for the development of fishing settlement in northern Norway from the Iron Age to the early modern period have been debated for many years, archaeological documentation of the process remains inadequate. This article employs a case study from the small island of Borgvær in the Lofoten Islands, to elucidate the shift from temporary, fishing-based occupation in the Merovingian Period (AD 550–800) to more permanent farm mound settlem…
Distal cryptotephra found in a Viking boathouse: The potential for tephrochronology in reconstructing the Iron Age in Norway
Boathouses as Indicators of Ethnic Interaction
Research on pre-modern boathouses in Norway over the past decades has principally been concerned with large boathouses reflecting social stratification within Norse communities. In northern Norway there has been a greater interest in smaller boathouses as components of the maritime cultural landscape rather than a narrow focus on the political landscape. This article presents an investigation of variation in the form and content displayed by boat…
Northern Norway paleofire records reveal two distinct phases of early human impacts on fire activity
Paleofire records document fire’s response to climate, ecosystem changes, and human-activity, offering insights into climate-fire-human relationships and the potential response of fire to anthropogenic climate change. We present three new lake sediment PAH records and a charcoal record from the Lofoten Islands, Norway to evaluate the Holocene fire history of northern Norway and examine human impacts on fire in this region. All three datasets show…
Vegetation changes and plant wax biomarkers from an ombrotrophic bog define hydroclimate trends and human-environment interactions during the Holocene in northern Norway
Holocene climate records from northern Europe improve our understanding of important North Atlantic ocean and atmospheric circulation systems to long-term insolation-driven changes, as well as more rapid forcing and feedback mechanisms. Here we assess Holocene climate and environmental changes in northern Norway based on the analysis of pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, and plant wax biomarkers from a high latitude ombrotrophic…
The Centrality of Small Islands in Arctic Norway From the Viking Age to Recent Historic Period
The definition of island marginality in northern Norway was radically altered by the advent of motorized fishing vessels in the early twentieth century. Prior to this development, small offshore islands were of central importance for marine related activity due to their proximity to fishing grounds. This article presents four settlements on small and “marginal” islands in Arctic Norway from 68°19’ to 71°05’ N latitude as cases that illustrate the…
Bakestones in Northern Norway: An Archaeological Witness to Medieval Foodways and Maritime Trade
BAKESTONES ARE A 11TH-CENTURY EARLY MEDIEVAL INNOVATION associated with flatbread production that reflect a distinctive Norwegian food culture spanning some 600 years. Large scale manufacture of chlorite schist bakestones at Ølve-Hatlestrand, western Norway, was linked to further distribution in Norway from the port of Bergen. Bakestones were an important item of maritime trade transported to northern Norway in exchange for stockfish (dried cod) …
Medieval Shipwrecks from North Norway and their Contribution to Understanding Maritime Interaction and Trade: S. Wickler: Medieval Shipwrecks From North Norway
This article presents the remains of three medieval ships from North Norway. The sites are clustered near the Arctic Circle, two from the islands of Husøy (Træna) and Lovund in the Helgeland region, and a potential third wreck from the small lake Fiskvågvatn in Saltdal. Available information from the wrecks is presented to provide a basis for assessing their cultural contexts and relevance to medieval maritime activities, the dried-cod (stockfish…
Pleistocene human occupation of the Solomon Islands, Melanesia
Pleistocene dates from a rockshelter on Buka Island at the northern end of the Solomons Chain demonstrate human settlement by 28,000 b.p., some 25,000 years earlier than previously reported for this island group
Archaeological research on Erromango: Recent data on Southern Melanesian prehistory
Direct evidence for human use of plants 28,000 years ago: Starch residues on stone artefacts from the northern Solomon Islands
The excavation of Kilu Cave and the discovery of a Pleistocene prehistory for the Solomon Islands have already been reported in ANTIQUITY by Wickler & Spriggs (62: 703-6). Residue analysis of stone artefacts from the site now provides the earliest direct evidence for the prehistoric use of root vegetables, in the form of starch grains and crystalline raphides identifiable to genus. The direct microscopic identification of starch grains opens new …
Colonisation, migration and marginal areas: A zooarchaeological approach
Part I. and Animal Migration and Colonisation. Introduction to the session Human and Animal Migration and Colonisation (Stephen Wickler) Understanding human movement and interaction through the movement of animals and animal products (Steven P Ashby) Plea for a multidisciplinary approach to the study of Neolithic migrations: the analysis of biological witnesses and the input of palaeogenetics (Eva-Maria Geigl and Melanie Pruvost) Zooarchaeology a…
Phylogeny and ancient DNA of Sus provides insights into neolithic expansion in Island Southeast Asia and Oceania
Human settlement of Oceania marked the culmination of a global colonization process that began when humans first left Africa at least 90,000 years ago. The precise origins and dispersal routes of the Austronesian peoples and the associated Lapita culture remain contentious, and numerous disparate models of dispersal (based primarily on linguistic, genetic, and archeological data) have been proposed. Here, through the use of mtDNA from 781 modern …
Distal cryptotephra found in a Viking boathouse: The potential for tephrochronology in reconstructing the Iron Age in Norway
Boathouses as Indicators of Ethnic Interaction
Research on pre-modern boathouses in Norway over the past decades has principally been concerned with large boathouses reflecting social stratification within Norse communities. In northern Norway there has been a greater interest in smaller boathouses as components of the maritime cultural landscape rather than a narrow focus on the political landscape. This article presents an investigation of variation in the form and content displayed by boat…
Pre-Modern Boathouses: A maritime perspective from northern Norway
Most Scandinavian boathouses predating the Reformation (AD 1537) are located in Norway, starting in the Early Iron Age, and a majority are found in the north. Following a critical review of Norwegian boathouse studies from a historical and regional perspective, current research themes in northern Norway are discussed. Boathouses are viewed as multifunctional entities providing insights into the marine economy, social organization, and ethnic inte…
Tracing the Development of Fishing Settlement From the Iron Age to the Modern Period in Northern Norway: A Case Study From Borgvær in the Lofoten Islands
Although models for the development of fishing settlement in northern Norway from the Iron Age to the early modern period have been debated for many years, archaeological documentation of the process remains inadequate. This article employs a case study from the small island of Borgvær in the Lofoten Islands, to elucidate the shift from temporary, fishing-based occupation in the Merovingian Period (AD 550–800) to more permanent farm mound settlem…
Identification of Bird Species Used to Make a Viking Age Feather Pillow
A grave containing the remains of a wooden boat was discovered in 1934 under a low mound in a bog at Øksnes in the Vesterålen islands of northern Norway. The boat grave dates to the 10th century in the Viking Age, and grave goods placed in the boat include an iron axe, a cowhide in which the body was wrapped, and pillow remains consisting of feather stuffing and a wool textile cover. A microscopic analysis of the feathers from a subsample of the …
The Centrality of Small Islands in Arctic Norway From the Viking Age to Recent Historic Period
The definition of island marginality in northern Norway was radically altered by the advent of motorized fishing vessels in the early twentieth century. Prior to this development, small offshore islands were of central importance for marine related activity due to their proximity to fishing grounds. This article presents four settlements on small and “marginal” islands in Arctic Norway from 68°19’ to 71°05’ N latitude as cases that illustrate the…
Medieval Shipwrecks from North Norway and their Contribution to Understanding Maritime Interaction and Trade: S. Wickler: Medieval Shipwrecks From North Norway
This article presents the remains of three medieval ships from North Norway. The sites are clustered near the Arctic Circle, two from the islands of Husøy (Træna) and Lovund in the Helgeland region, and a potential third wreck from the small lake Fiskvågvatn in Saltdal. Available information from the wrecks is presented to provide a basis for assessing their cultural contexts and relevance to medieval maritime activities, the dried-cod (stockfish…
Early Boats in Scandinavia: New Evidence from Early Iron Age Bog Finds in Arctic Norway
Iconic Arctic Shipwrecks, Archaeology, and Museum Narratives
This article reflects on three Arctic shipwrecks currently being reclaimed for future exhibition. Two are icons of polar exploration. Maud was built for Roald Amundsen's North Pole expedition (1917–1925) and Belgica was used in the first Antarctic overwintering expedition (1897–1899). The salvage of Maud in Canada and the ship's return to Norway in 2018 was privately financed. Raising Belgica has been the goal of a Belgian non‐profit organization…
Vegetation changes and plant wax biomarkers from an ombrotrophic bog define hydroclimate trends and human-environment interactions during the Holocene in northern Norway
Holocene climate records from northern Europe improve our understanding of important North Atlantic ocean and atmospheric circulation systems to long-term insolation-driven changes, as well as more rapid forcing and feedback mechanisms. Here we assess Holocene climate and environmental changes in northern Norway based on the analysis of pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, and plant wax biomarkers from a high latitude ombrotrophic…
The preservation of ancient DNA in archaeological fish bone
The field of ancient DNA is dominated by studies focusing on terrestrial vertebrates. This taxonomic bias limits our understanding of endogenous DNA preservation for species with different bone physiology, such as teleost fish. Teleost bone is typically brittle, porous, lightweight, and is characterized by a lack of bone remodeling during growth. All of these factors potentially affect DNA preservation. Using high-throughput shotgun sequencing, w…
Northern Norway paleofire records reveal two distinct phases of early human impacts on fire activity
Paleofire records document fire’s response to climate, ecosystem changes, and human-activity, offering insights into climate-fire-human relationships and the potential response of fire to anthropogenic climate change. We present three new lake sediment PAH records and a charcoal record from the Lofoten Islands, Norway to evaluate the Holocene fire history of northern Norway and examine human impacts on fire in this region. All three datasets show…
Bakestones in Northern Norway: An Archaeological Witness to Medieval Foodways and Maritime Trade
BAKESTONES ARE A 11TH-CENTURY EARLY MEDIEVAL INNOVATION associated with flatbread production that reflect a distinctive Norwegian food culture spanning some 600 years. Large scale manufacture of chlorite schist bakestones at Ølve-Hatlestrand, western Norway, was linked to further distribution in Norway from the port of Bergen. Bakestones were an important item of maritime trade transported to northern Norway in exchange for stockfish (dried cod) …
Maritime Power in Northern Norway during the Viking Age and Medieval Period: Evidence from Monumental Boathouses Tracing the Rise and fall of the Bjarkøy Clan
The excavation of multiple monumental boathouses at Nergården on Bjarkøy Island in northern Norway was undertaken from 2019 to 2022 by the authors and supplemented with Ground Penetrating Radar survey data. Results provide detailed insights into the construction and use of three boathouses dating from the Viking Age to the High Medieval Period. Excavations initially focused on a long and narrow 29 × 6 m (m) Viking Age boathouse modified and expan…
Dendrochronology and Iron Age Boats: A View from the North
Geography (18 works) · Archaeology (17 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (10 works) · History (10 works) · Geology (9 works) · Biology (8 works) · History (8 works) · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology (8 works) · Oceanography (7 works) · Historical and Archaeological Studies (6 works)