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I work with the geoarchaeology of old stone: quarries, monuments, rock art. And I try to figure out about their weathering, and conservation using traditional crafts. I also burn lime the traditional way. Many of my domestic services are managed through FABRICA, a registered Norwegian company established with good partners. On this website I publish articles on geology and cultural heritage. For the joy of old stone! Per Storemyr
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Recent posts
- Soapstone in the Far South of Norway (II): The Østre Vimme Multiperiod Quarry With Very Soft Soapstone
- Soapstone in the Far South of Norway (I): The Sparsås Iron Age Quarry
- Tafoni-forvitring i larvikitt på Rakke ved Stavern
- Bioerosion of shells on the beach – and in old Norwegian lime mortars
- Madam Jørgensens 230 år gamle feltspatgruve i Narestø
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Tag Archives: geoarchaeology of soapstone in Aust-Agder
Soapstone in the Far South of Norway (II): The Østre Vimme Multiperiod Quarry With Very Soft Soapstone
Østre Vimme is another of the several old soapstone quarries in the Aust-Agder region of Southern Norway. It was worked in the Iron Age for «standard» vessels, but it has at least three production phases, for which there may be a specific reason: Parts of the quarry feature very talc-rich and soft soapstone, implying that the stone was also easy to carve for small items like spindle whorls, sinkers and lamps. Hence, it would have been a valuable resource for a long time. Softness may be the result of a special geology. Dutch geologists have suggested that this is a deposit not derived from alteration of ultramafic rocks, which is by far most common mode of formation in Norway. Rather, it may derive from alteration of dolomitic limestone. There is only on other known soapstone deposit in Norway with such an origin. Here’s an account of this exciting quarry, also including a discussion of whether soapstone vessels from the quarry were exported to Denmark in the 9th century CE. Continue reading
Soapstone in the Far South of Norway (I): The Sparsås Iron Age Quarry
The region of Aust-Agder in Southern Norway hosts a range of Iron Age soapstone vessel quarries. One of them, the Sparsås quarry in Froland, is exceptionally well-preserved and one of the most “classic” quarries I have ever visited in Norway. With unfinished vessel blanks still attached to the quarry faces and a highly organised layout of the spoil heaps, it once must have been worked in an efficient way, providing vessels and other items for regional use and, quite probably, for export to Denmark and beyond. Here’s an account of the research history, geology and layout of the quarry. A hypothesis is also offered: This was a short-lived quarry, operated for a generation or so within the 9th or 10th century CE. Continue reading
Per Storemyr Geoarchaeology & Conservation 