Axel Mjærum
Biographic Data
| ID | 4617906 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Axel Mjærum |
| GIVEN NAMES | Axel |
| FAMILY NAME | Mjærum |
| SIGNATURE | MJÆRUM A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Oslo |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7391-2981 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 44 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 44 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
The introduction of fish to the Scandinavian mountains by hunter-fisher-gatherers 5000 BC
Deglaciation of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet ( c . 8000 BC) opened the mountainous areas of inland southern Norway for human habitation, but topographic barriers prevented the migration of fish into upland watercourses. Dates from four fish traps found in the exposed bed of Lake Tesse, within the central mountainous region of Norway, are reported here, with the earliest (at around 5000 BC) indicating that Mesolithic hunter-fisher-gatherers were ex…
Intermediaries and Profiteers
Inland areas of southern Norway produced an estimated 190 000 tonnes of bloomery iron between AD 800–1350. An efficient way for iron to reach markets in coastal Norway and overseas was through a system of Intermediaries. This paper examines the physical, social, and economic requirements that were necessary for these intermediaries to operate, utilising the concept of ‘people as infrastructure’ developed by the urban sociologist AbdouMaliq Simone…
Reinjakt i reinens randsone – Økonomi som pådriver for en utmarksnæring i høymiddelalderen
The 13th century saw an increase in reindeer hunting in southern Norway, characterised by the use of intricate trapping systems and pitfalls to capture the animals. However, much remains unknown about the practical organisation of these hunts. An excavation in Buheii, Kvinesdal, Agder, uncovered a complete hunting station from this period, located at a natural landscape bottleneck at 700 masl. The site offers new insights into the medieval huntin…
«Blodspor» fra Flendalen – distribusjonen av jaspis, nettverk og mobilitet i Sørøst-Norge i eldre steinalder
In this study we investigate the use and distribution of jasper, a distinctive red quartz that served as a key resource for stone tool production in parts of inland Norway and Sweden during the Mesolithic. The sole known source in this region is the Flendalen quarry in Trysil, Innlandet County. Drawing on results from all excavations undertaken at the Flendalen quarry and studies of jasper from settlement sites beyond the immediate region, this a…
Tools of Different Trades? Merging Skill Sets in Metalworking at Viking Age Kaupang
In Old Norse poetic literature, the smiðr was a master of the arts, able to control and shape multiple materials into various kinds of objects. While the mythological smiðr has been regarded as separate from the real-world blacksmiths and metalworkers of gold, silver, and copper alloys, the archaeological evidence recovered in towns and workshops of the Viking Age, as well as medieval written sources, provide a different perspective. In 2015, a h…
Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age settlements and agro-pastoral developments in the Oslo Fjord area, southeastern Norway
The transition to the Late Neolithic (c. 2350 BCE) is characterised by large-scale cultural and economic changes across southern Norway, connected to the spread of a cultural package with an unprecedented homogeneity, consisting of the introduction of the two-aisled houses, farming and several new technologies. Although material components belonging to this cultural package spread fast in southern Norway, the Oslo Fjord area included, there has b…
Sagn og fremgravd «virkelighet» om Vonde-Sveinung og den ihjelslagne dvergen Fegge
A legend tells the dramatic and colourful story of the farmer Sveinung the Cruel and how he killed a dwarf (in Norwegian tusse/dverg) named Fegge in his smithy at the farm Heggtveit in Kviteseid, Norway. In the story the smithy is positioned below the hill Smiuberget (lit. Smithy Hill). During an excavation in 2020, a relatively well-preserved smithy from the 13th century was excavated at the place described in the legend. The discovery offered a…
A Matter of Scale
Present-day global warming has great consequences, both for individuals and on a larger scale for society as a whole. However, environmental changes also affected everyday life in the past. The purpose of this article is to apply perspectives developed in studies of how contemporary societies adapt to shore-level changes and to use this insight in a study of the way Mesolithic populations handled a situation of large land uplift. More specificall…
Human-vegetation dynamics in Holocene south-eastern Norway based on radiocarbon dated charcoal from archaeological excavations
Charcoal from archaeological contexts differs from off-site pollen samples as it is mainly a product of intentional human action. As such, analysis of charcoal from excavations is a valuable addition to studies of past vegetation and the interaction between humans and the environment. In this paper, we use a dataset consisting of 6186 dated tree species samples from 1239 archaeological sites as a proxy to explore parts of the Holocene forest deve…
Hinterland discoveries
Research on the Middle Mesolithic (c. 8300−6350 cal. BC) of Scandinavia north of the Skagerrak Strait has mainly been based on data from the thousands of settlements found along the former sea, lake, and river shores. Far fewer sites have been located or investigated further away from the former waters. The excavation of three Middle Mesolithic pit houses at Eidsberg in eastern Norway has therefore provided an unprecedented opportunity to gain de…
Resource management in Late Mesolithic Eastern Norway
This chapter addresses the economic and societal importance of coastal and freshwater fishing during the Mesolithic of eastern Norway. Here, new archaeological evidence of fishbone, fishing gear and site locations from different topographic environments – the coastal zone, the eastern interior zone and the mountain areas – are compiled and discussed. Increased use of aquatic resources is noticeable during the Middle and Late Mesolithic (c. 8200–6…
Sites with Points of Type B
Type A
Classification of the Arrowheads
Type C
The Lanceolate Points, a Summary
The Limitations of the Arrowhead Chronology
The Chronological Framework
The Material
The Bifacial Arrowheads in Southeast Norway
Type F
Type E
The Introduction of the Heart-Shaped Points
The Drop-Shaped Points of Type C, D and E
Appendices
Human-vegetation dynamics in Holocene south-eastern Norway based on radiocarbon dated charcoal from archaeological excavations
Charcoal from archaeological contexts differs from off-site pollen samples as it is mainly a product of intentional human action. As such, analysis of charcoal from excavations is a valuable addition to studies of past vegetation and the interaction between humans and the environment. In this paper, we use a dataset consisting of 6186 dated tree species samples from 1239 archaeological sites as a proxy to explore parts of the Holocene forest deve…
A Matter of Scale
Present-day global warming has great consequences, both for individuals and on a larger scale for society as a whole. However, environmental changes also affected everyday life in the past. The purpose of this article is to apply perspectives developed in studies of how contemporary societies adapt to shore-level changes and to use this insight in a study of the way Mesolithic populations handled a situation of large land uplift. More specificall…
Hinterland discoveries
Research on the Middle Mesolithic (c. 8300−6350 cal. BC) of Scandinavia north of the Skagerrak Strait has mainly been based on data from the thousands of settlements found along the former sea, lake, and river shores. Far fewer sites have been located or investigated further away from the former waters. The excavation of three Middle Mesolithic pit houses at Eidsberg in eastern Norway has therefore provided an unprecedented opportunity to gain de…
Sites with Points of Type B
Type A
Classification of the Arrowheads
Type C
The Lanceolate Points, a Summary
The Limitations of the Arrowhead Chronology
The Chronological Framework
The Material
The Bifacial Arrowheads in Southeast Norway
Type F
Type E
The Introduction of the Heart-Shaped Points
The Drop-Shaped Points of Type C, D and E
Appendices
Type D
The Heart-Shaped Points, a Summary
Drop-Shaped Points with Bent Shoulders
Sites with Points of Type C
The Inland Areas
Type B
The Barbed and Tanged Arrowheads
The Triangular Points
Sites with Points of Type F
Sites with Points of Type G
Sites with Points of Type D
Geography (31 works) · History (31 works) · History (30 works) · Archaeology (25 works) · Ancient history (18 works) · Geology (18 works) · Geology (15 works) · Paleontology (9 works) · Paleontology (9 works) · Type (biology (9 works)