Per Storemyr Geoarchaeology & Conservation

The black phyllite schist quarry called “Sorte Skifer” at Stjørdal in Central Norway. It may have a tradition for procurement of slate back to the Middle Ages. Photo: Per Storemyr

The use of slate has traditions back to the Neolithic in Norway. Stone that were easy to split could be used for anything from the erection of fine burial chambers to the production of knives – phenomena that have been well documented by numerous archaeological excavations. It is much more difficult to say anything sensible about the medieval use of slate in the country. There is, for instance, only one historic reference to slate as roofing material at medieval buildings. This document, written by Bishop Arne in 1308, concerns King Haakon’s Hall in Bergen, built from the middle of the 13th century onward. The building was apparently roofed with fine slate from the famous quarries at Jondal in Hardanger, which are still in operation. However, recent observations in the Trondheim region indicate that slate for roofing – and masonry construction – may have been more widespread, and that the use of slate as a building material for medieval architecture goes back to around 1100. Continue reading →