Category Archives: Old quarries

With pickaxe into modern times: Quarrying of Bernese sandstone (CH)

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Per Storemyr

Even until the 1950s the quarrymen in Berne extracted their sandstone using pickaxes. They carved out trenches around the blocks to be removed, not unlike the way their colleagues did 5.000 years ago in ancient Egypt. Why so? Join me … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Old quarries, Switzerland | Tagged Bern, Berner Sandstein, Gurten, Krauchthal, Ostermundigen, quarry, sandstone, Switzerland | 11 Comments

“Steinriket Bømlo”: Nettsted om steinbrytning i 10.000 år

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Per Storemyr

Her forleden kom jeg over et særs interessant nettsted, nemlig “Steinriket Bømlo” som forteller historien om utnyttelsen av stein på denne ytterst steinrike øya – ytterst i havgapet på Vestlandet. Naturligvis står to av Norges flotteste steinalderlokaliteter i forgrunnen: Øksebruddet på Hespriholmen og pilespissbruddet på Siggjo. Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged Bømlo, Hespriholmen, Norway, quarry | 1 Comment

International conference on millstone in Bergen – and the Hyllestad quarry landscape

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Per Storemyr

Last week the Norwegian “millstone community” invited to an international conference in Bergen – “Seen through a millstone: Geology and archaeology of quarries and mills”. It included an excursion to the Hyllestad quarries where the participants got to know a … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged conservation, Cultural heritage, grinding stone, Kvernsteinsparken, millstone, Norway, quarry | 4 Comments

Experimental archaeology: The traditional way of quarrying soapstone

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Per Storemyr

Experimental archaeology in old building stone quarries is a rare activity. But not so for Norwegian stone carver Eva Stavsøien. She asked herself how soapstone was extracted in the Middle Ages. Bringing handmade pickaxes, she went to an abandoned quarry … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged experimental archaeology, Nidaros Cathedral, Nidarosdomen, Norway, quarry, soapstone, Trondheim | Leave a comment

Impressions from summer fieldwork in Norway

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Per Storemyr

Over the last few weeks I’ve been back in Norway for projects on conservation of medieval castle ruins, as well as on provenance of medieval and more modern building stone. Here are some impressions!*

Posted in Archaeology, Monument conservation, New projects, Norway, Old quarries, Rock art, Ruins | Tagged conservation, marble, Nidaros Cathedral, Nidarosdomen, Norway, quarry, rock art, Trondheim | Leave a comment

A Google Map of the Northern Faiyum Desert

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Per Storemyr

A little while ago I posted about the Egyptian Petition to save the marvellous landscape in the Northern Faiyum from destruction by massive tourist and other development. Since then the campaign NO PORTO FAYOUM is putting increasing pressure on developers … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Old quarries | Tagged Ancient Egypt, conservation, Cultural heritage, Faiyum | Leave a comment

Egyptian petition: Stop destruction of Lake Qarun Protected Area in the Faiyum!

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Per Storemyr

For all interested in landscape conservation: Please sign the Egyptian petition on stopping the destruction of a truly spectacular, protected landscape in the Northern Faiyum! The Northern Faiyum has it all: Splendid landscape, fantastic fossils, a unique cultural heritage back … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Old quarries | Tagged Ancient Egypt, conservation, Cultural heritage, Faiyum, quarry | Leave a comment

Where does the stone at Nidaros Cathedral come from?

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Per Storemyr

Stone to the northernmost of Europe’s great cathedrals was provided from no less than 50 different quarries across Norway and to some extent from elsewhere in Europe. But there are great differences between the medieval building period (11th to 14th … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, New projects, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged marble, Nidaros Cathedral, Nidarosdomen, Norway, quarry, soapstone, Trondheim | 6 Comments

Ny artikkel om gamle steinbrudd i Egypt

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Per Storemyr

(For Norwegian readers) Norsk Egyptologisk Selskap startet i 2010 sin egen bulletin med artikler og nyhetsstoff om Egypt. For det andre nummeret (vår 2011) har jeg sammen med Tom Heldal skrevet en liten artikkel om bevaring av landets gamle steinbrudd. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, New publications, Old quarries | Tagged Ancient Egypt, conservation, Cultural heritage, quarry | Leave a comment

Ancient Egyptian quarries: A literature update 2007-2010

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Per Storemyr

Over the last couple of years a wealth of new studies on Ancient Egyptian quarries has been published. There are overviews, investigations about technology and social organisation, case studies with a view to landscape archaeology and papers highlighting the acute … Continue reading →