Tag Archives: Middle Ages

Partner in the Borgund Kaupang Project – on the rise and fall of a medieval town

Posted on November 24, 2019 by Per Storemyr

My company is proud partner in the Borgund Kaupang Project (2019-2023), on the rise and fall of a “lost” medieval town. The project is coordinated by the University of Bergen and financed by the Norwegian Research Council. Together with Alf Tore Hommedal, my task is to source building materials such as marble, soapstone and lime for mortar and to interpret the whole building process, from quarries to churches. Thanks a lot to project manager Gitte Hansen, Therese Nesset and a great international team for a fine kick-off meeting in Ålesund last week! Continue reading →

Posted in Marble, New projects, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged Borgund Kaupang, Borgundkaupangen, life in the middle ages, lime, lime mortar, marble, Middle Ages, soapstone | Leave a comment

Selja kloster: Hvor kom middelalderens kalkmørtel fra?

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Per Storemyr

Det har en stund vært kjent at hvit og fin marmor ble brent for å lage kalkmørtel til byggingen av Selja kloster i middelalderen. Men hvor ble det brent? Hvor kommer marmoren fra? Her ute i havgapet, langt vest i Norge, er det ingen marmorforekomster. Man må til Sunnmøre eller Bergenstraktene for å finne marmor. Til marmor på Sunnmøre er det ikke langt, bare 20 km i luftlinje. Men i veien står Norges farligste hav, Stadhavet. I middelalderen ble bygningsmaterialer fraktet med båt! Turte man å gå 50-60 km på dette farlige havet, attpåtil med ytterst farlig brentkalk i lasten? Fraktet man heller ubrent kalk? Eller tok man heller den lange turen sørfra, mer enn 250 km? Vi har ennå ikke svaret, men med undersøkelser innen Riksantikvarens bevaringsprogram for ruiner begynner vi å nærme oss. Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Marble, New projects, New publications, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged georkeologi, kalkbrenning, kalkovn, lime burning, lime mortar, limekiln, marble, Middle Ages, Selja, Sunnmøre | 1 Comment

Kinn kirke: et utstillingsvindu for devonsk sandstein

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Per Storemyr

Kinn kirke er ei av våre viktige middelalderkirker. Der langt ute i havgapet, der mytene og fortellingene om Seljemennene og St. Sunnivas flukt fra Irland råder. Men Kinnakirka er mye mer. Det er ei kirke som på eksemplarisk måte viser middelaldersk byggekunst. Hvordan man søkte, og fant, de mest egnede stein i regionen. Stikkordet er veldannet devonsk sandstein brukt som “fake” kvaderstein. En stein som ikke finnes på øya Kinn og som har sin opprinnelse i Den kaledonske fjellkjedes vekst og fall for 400 millioner år siden. Men bruken av steinen har også sin opprinnelse i felleseuropeiske byggetradisjoner i middelalderen. Continue reading →

Posted in Monument conservation, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged devonsandstein, Kinn kirke, Middle Ages, sandstein, sandstone | 1 Comment

The world’s northernmost medieval marble church

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Per Storemyr

The small, Romanesque Gildeskål church is one of the most complete marble churches in Norway. It resides at the magnificent coast along the Atlantic Ocean far up north, in Nordland county. And it is, presumably, the northernmost marble building in the world. Together with Giske church further south, it is part of outstanding, but little known, medieval marble architecture in Norway, of which Nidaros Cathedral, with thousands of marble columns, is the most spectacular example. Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Marble, New publications, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged Cultural heritage, Gildeskål, marble, Middle Ages, North Atlantic, Norway, old quarries, quarry | Leave a comment

New open-access book: Soapstone in the North. Quarries, Products and People. 7000 BC – AD 1700

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Per Storemyr

NEW BOOK: Hansen, G. & Storemyr, P. (eds.) 2017. Soapstone in the North: Quarries, Products and People. 7000 BC – AD 1700. UBAS University of Bergen Archaeological Series, 9, 408 p. Abstract: “Soapstone is a remarkable rock. While it is soft and very workable, it is also durable and heat-resistant, and with a high heat-storage capacity. These properties have been recognised and valued around the world since prehistoric times, and soapstone has been used for a multitude of purposes, ranging from everyday household utensils to prestigious monuments and buildings. This book addresses soapstone use in Norway and the North Atlantic region, including Greenland. Although the majority of the papers deal with the Iron Age and Middle Ages, the book spans the Mesolithic to the early modern era. It deals with themes related to quarries, products and associated people and institutions in a broad context. Recent years have seen a revival of basic archaeological and geological research into the procurement and use of stone resources. With its authors drawn from the fields of archaeology, geosciences and traditional crafts, the anthology reflects cross-disciplinary work born of this revival.” Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, New publications, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged artefacts, Greenland, Iron Age, Kleberstein, Mesolithic, Middle Ages, North Atlantic, Norway, old quarries, provenance, soapstone | 3 Comments

Marmoren i Gildeskål gamle kirke i Nordland – grubling om en middelalderkirke langs nordvegen

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Per Storemyr

Sommeren 2013 møttes en tverrfaglig gjeng forskere til “Grubleseminar” om Gildeskål gamle kirke i Nordland. Her var det samlet arkeologer, kunsthistorikere, bygningshistorikere og ellers alle med et ønske om å finne ut mer om den lille marmorkirken langt mot nord. Og en geoarkeolog som grublet på hva steinene i kirken kunne fortelle om historien. Nå er boken fra seminaret publisert! “Gildeskål gamle kirke: marmorkirka ved nordvegen” er redigert av Morten Stige og Øystein Ekroll, gitt ut på Fagbokforlaget og har bidrag som spenner fra landskapsanalyse til kirkeinteriør. Den blir lansert i Gildeskål om et par dager, søndag 23. november. Her er mer om boken og mitt eget bidrag om steinene i kirken. Continue reading →

Posted in New publications, Norway, Old quarries | Tagged Gildeskål, marble, Middle Ages, Norway | 1 Comment

Making medieval stone architecture: the use of slate in Central Norway

Posted on August 20, 2012 by 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 … Continue reading →