Popular right now
-
Find posts by Google Maps
Follow on:
SOAPSTONE! New book on its archaeology and history!
Book: The Stones of Nidaros Cathedral
Book: QuarryScapes
Visit Millstone Park in Hyllestad, Norway
Get informed! State of the Art on natural stone today:
Category Archives: New projects
Madammen som rodde langs Sørlandskysten og startet et mineraleventyr på 1700-tallet. Var det sånn i steinalderen også?
Sist sommer var jeg invitert av Kulturhistorisk museum (UiO) for å undersøke et lite kvartsbrudd fra steinalderen på Kvastad mellom Arendal og Tvedestrand. Anledningen var de arkeologiske undersøkelsene som foregår i forkant av ny E18-utbygging. Det ble nok brutt litt kvarts til redskaper på Kvastad, men det ble det sikkert også i flere forekomster langs Sørlandskysten – en region svært rik på god kvarts. Hvordan fant steinalderfolket disse forekomstene? Det slo meg at Madam Jørgensen kunne være et godt bilde på tidlig mineralleting: Hun rodde langs kysten på slutten av 1700-tallet – på let etter kvarts og feltspat. Og dermed startet et lite mineraleventyr. Continue reading
Posted in Archaeology, New projects, New reports, Norway, Old mines, Old quarries
Tagged feltspat, kvarts, Madam Jørgensen, Narestø, Neskilen, Norway, Sørlandet, Tvedestrand
Leave a comment
Saltforvitring på kulturminner. Om enkel analyse av salt: Lag din egen kjøkkenlab!
Over er det et bilde av noe du har sett tusen ganger før. Halitt! Vanlig koksalt. Natriumklorid. Ganske enkelt bordsalt. Havsalt! Havet inneholder jo noe sånt som 3,5% oppløst salt. Når pyttene i fjæra får stå i fred noen dager og sola skinner fra skyfri himmel, da lurer saltet seg ut. Sjøvannet fordamper og etterlater seg de fineste krystaller av ren halitt. Sånn laget man koksalt i gamle dager, handlet med det, kriget om det. For uten koksalt kan vi ikke leve. Kanskje fyrte man opp under brede kjeler med sjøvann for å få fordampningen til å gå raskere, kanskje kjøpte man salt fra store saltgruver på Kontinentet. Men prinsippet er det samme: Når saltholdig vann fordamper, da får vi krystallinsk salt. Men hva om du ikke visste at de fine krystallene i fjæra er koksalt? Og hva om du fant noe som lignet på disse krystallene på et ødelagt murmaleri eller en steinskulptur fra middelalderen? Hva gjør krystallene forresten der? Var det de som ødela? Hva gjør du da? Continue reading
Jakten på steinbruddene til middelalderens kirke og kloster på Hovedøya ved Oslo
I et aldeles praktfullt sensommervær var jeg siste uke Riksantikvarens utskremte på jakt etter de gamle steinbruddene som ble brukt til å bygge Edmundskirken og cistercienserklosteret på Hovedøya i Oslofjorden. Flere har gjort det samme før meg, men nå var … Continue reading
Posted in Archaeology, New projects, Norway, Old quarries, Ruins
Tagged Cultural heritage, Hovedøya, Norway, quarry, sandstone
2 Comments
Burning rock! An update for German-speaking readers
Recently I posted a preliminary report on our successful experiments with fire setting in the Melsvik Stone Age chert quarries in Northern Norway. For some curious reason German-speaking readers were not able to watch the attached video of the experiments, perhaps due to country-specific copyright infringements related to the music following the video. “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash is, sadly, obviously not for all! In this post there is a link to another version of the video, this time without good old Johnny. And there is more for my German-speaking readers; link to a recent article in Spiegel Online, based on my original story. The fire setting experiments were carried out within the Melsvik archaeological rescue project/excavations, headed by Anja Roth Niemi of the University Museum at Tromsø Continue reading
Posted in Archaeology, New projects, Norway, Old quarries
Tagged Alta, chert, experimental archaeology, firesetting, Melsvik, Norway, quarry
2 Comments
Burning rock! Experiments with fire setting at the Stone Age Melsvik chert quarries in Northern Norway
In the Melsvik Stone Age chert quarries near Alta in Northern Norway there are dozens of extraction marks that are difficult to explain by other ancient techniques than fire setting. Hence within the Melsvik archaeological project, run by the University Museum of Tromsø, last week we experimented with fire in order to substantiate that it actually formed an important method of breaking loose small and big pieces of stone. The idea was that it is not necessary with big fires and high temperatures, but that small, controlled “bonfires” are enough to create high shear stress and cracking. In this way high temperatures greatly reducing the quality of the chert for tool making are avoided. It works! Here’s a preliminary report with video. Continue reading
Posted in Archaeology, New projects, Norway, Old quarries
Tagged Alta, chert, experimental archaeology, firesetting, Melsvik, Norway, quarry
16 Comments
An update after months of inactivity at my website
I’ve been busy over the last several months and so little has happened at the blog and website of my firm. A simple equation may provide a good explanation: Family and kids + professional responsibilities = no blogging! The first part of the equation ought to be pretty obvious. As regards the second part this is probably evident, too: Suddenly finding yourself confronted with deadlines and tenders!
So, I’ve been investigating, reporting, producing offers and writing for traditional scientific media instead of maintaining my blog. In due time, when more information on the projects can be released, I will provide details and – in particular – credit my clients, partners and editors. As for now, here’s an excerpt of finalised, ongoing and upcoming activities. Continue reading
Posted in New projects
Leave a comment
The old quarry that was reused as a beer brewery
Working with the Berne Minster Workshop on mapping the quarries used for the cathedral, I visited the Wabern quarry just outside the city centre yesterday. Though it is unclear to what extent it was employed for the cathedral in the Middle Ages, it is a most remarkable quarry: For it was reused as a brewery for “Gurten Beer” from the 1860s on. Since I have noted the link between stone extraction and beer drinking through history (see last part of this story), I thought I ought to post the photo above of a wonderful old horse cart with a beer barrel remaining in the quarries. Continue reading
Posted in Archaeology, New projects, Old quarries, Switzerland
Tagged Bern, Berner Sandstein, Cultural heritage, quarry, sandstone, Wabern
2 Comments
When in Rome…
When in Rome… What else can you do than to discuss Norwegian archaeology!? So we did, at the beginning of this week, 30+ archaeologists and scientists at a workshop within the Norwegian Research Council’s network programme “Cooperative Research” (NO: Forskning … Continue reading
Posted in Archaeology, New projects, Norway, Old quarries
Tagged marble, Norway, quarry, Rome
Leave a comment
