Lene is Associate Professor at the Department of Archaeology at the Museum of Cultural History. As a researcher she has been involved in two international research projects based at the University of Gothenburg: 1) "Travels, transmissions and transformations in temperate northern Europe during the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC: the rise of Bronze Age societies", led by Kristian Kristiansen. 2) "Scandinavia’s role in the copper networks of Europe in the 2nd Millennium BC" led by Johan Ling. Her focus within these projects is on provenance, metal circulation, systems of exchange and transportation, and metalworking technnologies.
Previous research includes Bronze Age cosmology, ritual practice, myths and metallurgy (Cand. Philol. thesis "Gjennom ild og vann. Graver og depoter som kilde til kosmologi i bronsealderen i Øst-Norge", published 2006). Her PhD thesis "Recycling Ideas. Bronze Age Metal Production in Southern Norway" (2012, published 2015) explores the adoption of copper and bronze metallurgy in southern Norway in the late 3rd and 2nd millennium BC and critically addresses the paradox that Norway has an abundance of metal ore sources, yet is very poor in metal finds. Recycling is used as a concept to understand how archaeological ideas about the Bronze Age have evolved and also to interpret the physical remains of Bronze Age metalworking.
Arnau Garcia-Molsosa (ed.): Archaeology of mountain landscapes. Interdisciplinary Research Strategies of Agropastoralism in Upland Regions IEMA Proceedings, Volume 12 34995_, 2023
Archaeological investigations of the southern Norwegian mountains have
a 170-year-long history. I... more Archaeological investigations of the southern Norwegian mountains have a 170-year-long history. Interpreting the growing body of data has understandably been in light of political context and reigning theoretical premises. Key elements here are projects of recreating a nation-state, perceptions of ethnicity, ecological frameworks, and reigning concepts of local evolution. Hydroelectric development from the late 1950s led to a large body of archaeological and environmental data, multidisciplinary projects, and a modern management regime. The projects are numerous, and two upland project areas are particularly used to discuss later developments, Hardangervidda (the central Norwegian mountain plateau) and projects in the uplands of the inner tracts of the Sognefjord. These projects not only transformed perceptions of the history of the uplands, but also were a major force in modernizing Norwegian archaeology and cultural heritage management. In recent years, the melting of high-altitude ice patches promises to bring new data to the fore but also generate new developments in upland management practices and remind us of the threat of global warming.
I forbindelse med reguleringsplan for et planlagt boligområde på «Solhellinga», ble det foretatt ... more I forbindelse med reguleringsplan for et planlagt boligområde på «Solhellinga», ble det foretatt en arkeologisk registrering i planområdet. Registreringen ble utført i tidsrommet 20.04-22.05.98, i form av en maskinell flateavdekning med åpning av 21 prøvesjakter. Under registreringen ble det avdekket 40 strukturer. I tillegg ble det funnet et spinnehjul og et bryne av sandstein. Flere av strukturene ble tolket som mulige fotgrøfter til utpløyde gravhauger. Ettersom man har koblet jordstykket til den såkalte Smedengen, der Lorange gravde ut flere gravhauger fra yngre jernalder, var det ikke usannsynlig at det kunne ligge gravhaugrester eller fotgrøfter her. Se nedenfor ( 4.2) om dette. I tillegg avdekte prøvesjaktingen flere sikre kokegroper, samt en rekke udefinerte strukturer og en mulig hulvei. Se registreringsrapport ved Lasse Andersson for Fylkeskultursjefen i Akershus (av 22.05.98) for detaljer. Vi avdekket et område på ca. 2,4 mål. Innenfor dette området ble det funnet 118 str...
Our ability to relate objects to a particular ore deposit or supply through metal analysis is str... more Our ability to relate objects to a particular ore deposit or supply through metal analysis is strongly governed by current archaeological knowledge about metal production and circulation, and not least the available reference data on ore deposits. In addition, interpretations must be backed up with knowledge about past trading systems. In this article, examples from several interrelated provenance studies are used as a stepping stone for approaching the human aspects of the exchange of metals. These studies contradict the dominant paradigm of importation of metal to Scandinavia mainly from the Austrian Alps and the Slovak Carpathians, and demonstrate that metals reached Scandinavia also from more far-away regions like Iberia. This may indicate, we argue, that the transportation of metals was partly sea-based, and furthermore that commodity-based exchange operated in concert with gift-giving systems. In light of these assumptions, this article seeks to explore the potential role played by the northerners in Bronze Age sea-based, long-distance trade of metals.
This article uses rock art to explore potential bonds between Scandinavia and Italy, starting in ... more This article uses rock art to explore potential bonds between Scandinavia and Italy, starting in the second half of the third millennium BCE with the enigmatic Mjeltehaugen burial monument in coastal western Norway and its striking rock art images, and ending in the first millennium BCE with ship motifs in inland Val Camonica, Italy. While the carved dagger on the Mjeltehaugen slab is unique in its Nordic setting, such weapon depictions are frequently seen on the Continent, e.g. in South Tyrol, and more often in later Nordic rock art. Strong evidence of trade relations between the Italian Alps and Scandinavia is found c. 1500–1100 BCE when the importation of copper from South Tyrol coincided with two-way transmission of luxury items, and again in a different form, c. 1000–700 BCE when strong similarities in burial traditions between the two areas may be seen as evidence of direct cultural connections or a shared cultural koiné. In order to understand the social fabric of these relat...
Initially, the aim of this study was to examine technological, cognitive and symbolic aspects of ... more Initially, the aim of this study was to examine technological, cognitive and symbolic aspects of metallurgy in southern Norway in the Bronze Age, i.e. 1700-500 cal. BC. To contextualize and understand the Norwegian data material, the scope was soon widened geographically as well as chronologically. As a result, evidence from the whole Nordic region has been considered and the time frame extended to the beginning of the Late Neolithic, i.e. c. 2400 cal. BC. In unexpected ways, the investigation ended up as an exploration of ideas, ideas belonging to the present as well as ideas belonging to the past. Basically, two sets of ideas are scrutinized: 1) ideas that have governed and still govern archaeological concepts of the Bronze Age, and 2) ideas that moulded Bronze Age mentality, arising, it is argued, from physical experience with metallurgy. In keeping with this, the 'webs of significance' - a phrase borrowed from Clifford Geertz (1973) - are to be understood as, on the one hand, the changing scientific discourses within which current archaeological ideas about Bronze Age metallurgy have evolved, and on the other, the prehistoric contexts and relations which gave meaning to metallurgy in the Bronze Age.
ZusammenfassungDie Autoren präsentieren zwei separierte Metallwerkplätze auf dem Gräberfeldareal ... more ZusammenfassungDie Autoren präsentieren zwei separierte Metallwerkplätze auf dem Gräberfeldareal von Hunn in Østfold, südöstliches Norwegen. Diskutiert werden Produktionsumfang, -charakter und kultureller Kontext der Funde. Eine dieser Örtlichkeiten, der Fundplatz von Midtfeltet, repräsentiert den für Skandinavien umfangreichsten bronzezeitlichen Metallwerkplatz. Die Fundstellen befinden sich in einer Region, aus der kaum vergleichbare Bronzeartefakte vorliegen, was aber auf die paradoxe Situation innerhalb der norwegischen Bronzezeit hinweist, dass Örtlichkeiten der Herstellung und Verarbeitung von Bronze nicht mit jenen Regionen zusammenfallen, in denen die Mehrzahl bronzener Artefakte ihren Hauptniederschlag fanden. Die bronzezeitlichen Werkstätten und Monumente in Hunn liegt in einer vom späten Neolithikum geprägten Region, in der auch nach der Bronzezeit noch weitere Bestattungen erfolgten und Rituale durchgeführt wurden. Vorkommen unverhütteten Kupfers in bronzezeitlichen Kont...
In the second millennium cal BC, a new metal conquered Europe: the alloy of copper and tin that i... more In the second millennium cal BC, a new metal conquered Europe: the alloy of copper and tin that improved the quality of tools and weapons. This development, we argue, initiated a framework for a new political economy. We explore how a political economy approach may help understand the European Bronze Age by focussing on regional comparative advantages in long-distance trade and resulting bottlenecks in commodity flows. Links existed in commodity chains, where obligated labour and ownership of resources helped mobilize surpluses, thus creating potential for social segments to control the production and flows of critical goods. The political economy of Bronze Age Europe would thus represent a transformation in how would-be leaders mobilized resources to support their political ends. The long-distance trade in metals and other commodities created a shift from local group ownership towards increasingly individual strategies to obtain wealth from macro-regional trade. We construct our ar...
Arnau Garcia-Molsosa (ed.): Archaeology of mountain landscapes. Interdisciplinary Research Strategies of Agropastoralism in Upland Regions IEMA Proceedings, Volume 12 34995_, 2023
Archaeological investigations of the southern Norwegian mountains have
a 170-year-long history. I... more Archaeological investigations of the southern Norwegian mountains have a 170-year-long history. Interpreting the growing body of data has understandably been in light of political context and reigning theoretical premises. Key elements here are projects of recreating a nation-state, perceptions of ethnicity, ecological frameworks, and reigning concepts of local evolution. Hydroelectric development from the late 1950s led to a large body of archaeological and environmental data, multidisciplinary projects, and a modern management regime. The projects are numerous, and two upland project areas are particularly used to discuss later developments, Hardangervidda (the central Norwegian mountain plateau) and projects in the uplands of the inner tracts of the Sognefjord. These projects not only transformed perceptions of the history of the uplands, but also were a major force in modernizing Norwegian archaeology and cultural heritage management. In recent years, the melting of high-altitude ice patches promises to bring new data to the fore but also generate new developments in upland management practices and remind us of the threat of global warming.
I forbindelse med reguleringsplan for et planlagt boligområde på «Solhellinga», ble det foretatt ... more I forbindelse med reguleringsplan for et planlagt boligområde på «Solhellinga», ble det foretatt en arkeologisk registrering i planområdet. Registreringen ble utført i tidsrommet 20.04-22.05.98, i form av en maskinell flateavdekning med åpning av 21 prøvesjakter. Under registreringen ble det avdekket 40 strukturer. I tillegg ble det funnet et spinnehjul og et bryne av sandstein. Flere av strukturene ble tolket som mulige fotgrøfter til utpløyde gravhauger. Ettersom man har koblet jordstykket til den såkalte Smedengen, der Lorange gravde ut flere gravhauger fra yngre jernalder, var det ikke usannsynlig at det kunne ligge gravhaugrester eller fotgrøfter her. Se nedenfor ( 4.2) om dette. I tillegg avdekte prøvesjaktingen flere sikre kokegroper, samt en rekke udefinerte strukturer og en mulig hulvei. Se registreringsrapport ved Lasse Andersson for Fylkeskultursjefen i Akershus (av 22.05.98) for detaljer. Vi avdekket et område på ca. 2,4 mål. Innenfor dette området ble det funnet 118 str...
Our ability to relate objects to a particular ore deposit or supply through metal analysis is str... more Our ability to relate objects to a particular ore deposit or supply through metal analysis is strongly governed by current archaeological knowledge about metal production and circulation, and not least the available reference data on ore deposits. In addition, interpretations must be backed up with knowledge about past trading systems. In this article, examples from several interrelated provenance studies are used as a stepping stone for approaching the human aspects of the exchange of metals. These studies contradict the dominant paradigm of importation of metal to Scandinavia mainly from the Austrian Alps and the Slovak Carpathians, and demonstrate that metals reached Scandinavia also from more far-away regions like Iberia. This may indicate, we argue, that the transportation of metals was partly sea-based, and furthermore that commodity-based exchange operated in concert with gift-giving systems. In light of these assumptions, this article seeks to explore the potential role played by the northerners in Bronze Age sea-based, long-distance trade of metals.
This article uses rock art to explore potential bonds between Scandinavia and Italy, starting in ... more This article uses rock art to explore potential bonds between Scandinavia and Italy, starting in the second half of the third millennium BCE with the enigmatic Mjeltehaugen burial monument in coastal western Norway and its striking rock art images, and ending in the first millennium BCE with ship motifs in inland Val Camonica, Italy. While the carved dagger on the Mjeltehaugen slab is unique in its Nordic setting, such weapon depictions are frequently seen on the Continent, e.g. in South Tyrol, and more often in later Nordic rock art. Strong evidence of trade relations between the Italian Alps and Scandinavia is found c. 1500–1100 BCE when the importation of copper from South Tyrol coincided with two-way transmission of luxury items, and again in a different form, c. 1000–700 BCE when strong similarities in burial traditions between the two areas may be seen as evidence of direct cultural connections or a shared cultural koiné. In order to understand the social fabric of these relat...
Initially, the aim of this study was to examine technological, cognitive and symbolic aspects of ... more Initially, the aim of this study was to examine technological, cognitive and symbolic aspects of metallurgy in southern Norway in the Bronze Age, i.e. 1700-500 cal. BC. To contextualize and understand the Norwegian data material, the scope was soon widened geographically as well as chronologically. As a result, evidence from the whole Nordic region has been considered and the time frame extended to the beginning of the Late Neolithic, i.e. c. 2400 cal. BC. In unexpected ways, the investigation ended up as an exploration of ideas, ideas belonging to the present as well as ideas belonging to the past. Basically, two sets of ideas are scrutinized: 1) ideas that have governed and still govern archaeological concepts of the Bronze Age, and 2) ideas that moulded Bronze Age mentality, arising, it is argued, from physical experience with metallurgy. In keeping with this, the 'webs of significance' - a phrase borrowed from Clifford Geertz (1973) - are to be understood as, on the one hand, the changing scientific discourses within which current archaeological ideas about Bronze Age metallurgy have evolved, and on the other, the prehistoric contexts and relations which gave meaning to metallurgy in the Bronze Age.
ZusammenfassungDie Autoren präsentieren zwei separierte Metallwerkplätze auf dem Gräberfeldareal ... more ZusammenfassungDie Autoren präsentieren zwei separierte Metallwerkplätze auf dem Gräberfeldareal von Hunn in Østfold, südöstliches Norwegen. Diskutiert werden Produktionsumfang, -charakter und kultureller Kontext der Funde. Eine dieser Örtlichkeiten, der Fundplatz von Midtfeltet, repräsentiert den für Skandinavien umfangreichsten bronzezeitlichen Metallwerkplatz. Die Fundstellen befinden sich in einer Region, aus der kaum vergleichbare Bronzeartefakte vorliegen, was aber auf die paradoxe Situation innerhalb der norwegischen Bronzezeit hinweist, dass Örtlichkeiten der Herstellung und Verarbeitung von Bronze nicht mit jenen Regionen zusammenfallen, in denen die Mehrzahl bronzener Artefakte ihren Hauptniederschlag fanden. Die bronzezeitlichen Werkstätten und Monumente in Hunn liegt in einer vom späten Neolithikum geprägten Region, in der auch nach der Bronzezeit noch weitere Bestattungen erfolgten und Rituale durchgeführt wurden. Vorkommen unverhütteten Kupfers in bronzezeitlichen Kont...
In the second millennium cal BC, a new metal conquered Europe: the alloy of copper and tin that i... more In the second millennium cal BC, a new metal conquered Europe: the alloy of copper and tin that improved the quality of tools and weapons. This development, we argue, initiated a framework for a new political economy. We explore how a political economy approach may help understand the European Bronze Age by focussing on regional comparative advantages in long-distance trade and resulting bottlenecks in commodity flows. Links existed in commodity chains, where obligated labour and ownership of resources helped mobilize surpluses, thus creating potential for social segments to control the production and flows of critical goods. The political economy of Bronze Age Europe would thus represent a transformation in how would-be leaders mobilized resources to support their political ends. The long-distance trade in metals and other commodities created a shift from local group ownership towards increasingly individual strategies to obtain wealth from macro-regional trade. We construct our ar...
The Maastricht 2017 session " The Value of all Things " approached the many facets of value asses... more The Maastricht 2017 session " The Value of all Things " approached the many facets of value assessment in the Ancient World. At the EAA in Barcelona 2018, we would like to take this discussion a step further, and investigate the whys and hows of value destruction. Indeed, one of the most noticeable archaeological phenomena in European and Mediterranean late prehistoric societies is the deliberate withdrawal of values from circulation: hoards that were never retrieved, depositions in wetlands, grave goods – sometimes ritually mutilated – and offerings made in sanctuaries. In other words, value – at least in its material form – was destroyed or alienated, as these artefacts could no longer be used, possessed, given away, exchanged or displayed. Such behaviour can be explained in the context of power: performative artefact destruction, for instance, may be intended to emphasize the wealth and power of an individual; or a ritual offering may be aimed at obtaining the goodwill of the gods. We would like, however, in this session to consider an alternative approach, that artefact withdrawal, more than being a destruction of value, was a way of converting value: The conversion of a material value that could be measured, evaluated and negotiated, into a symbolic and incommensurable value. We would like to invite papers based on specific case studies (whether at a local, regional or interregional scale) as well as more theoretical contributions, in order to encourage a comparative approach to the many seemingly contradictive aspects of the curation of valuables.
Call for Papers - 23rd meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) - Maastricht, ... more Call for Papers - 23rd meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) - Maastricht, 30 august - 3 september 2017 The Value of All Things: Value expression and value assessment in the Ancient World (Europe, Near East and the Mediterranean) http://www.eaa2017maastricht.nl/ https://www.klinkhamergroup.com/eaa2017/
Comparative Perspectives on Past Colonisation, Maritime Interaction and Cultural Integration, 2016
This volume explores processes of colonisation and cultural integration from the end of the last ... more This volume explores processes of colonisation and cultural integration from the end of the last Ice Age to the present from a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspective.
All kinds of human mobility—whether across long or short distances, and whether involving short-term or longer interactions—are potential triggers for change and also cultural integration. The colonisation of an area most clearly brings into focus what kind of social fabric encompassed the actual historical processes. Recent perspectives on the social and cultural embeddedness of exchange, and how objects facilitate constructions of identities and political legitimacy, serve to frame and explicate the role of material culture in such processes.
The contributions to this volume shed light on various social aspects of movement, migration and colonisation among hunter-gatherers and Neolithic groups as well as in chiefdoms and state societies. Geographically, an area spanning from the Mediterranean to central Europe and the North Sea region, Greenland and Siberia is covered. Three social and historical processes – the social aspects of colonisation, cultural integration and maritime interaction – are particularly discussed as interrelated phenomena.
Rock art research is currently undergoing a digital revolution that is quickly shifting the parad... more Rock art research is currently undergoing a digital revolution that is quickly shifting the paradigms of rock art studies. New discoveries, documentation techniques, and theoretical perspectives have enabled refined interpretations of rock art imagery, panel formation, and temporality. Seemingly coherent scenes have been created diachronically in a renegotiation of motifs and symbols, through later additions and modifications. A decade ago, the shift of focus from an agrarian to a primary maritime frame of reference was formative for rock art studies. This shift related the making of rock art to important activities that Bronze Age groups in Scandinavia engaged in, such as sea-faring, trade, and warfare. A renewed interest in Bronze Age iconography and imagery in rock art and other media has demonstrated how animism, narrative, and myth may be valid frames for interpretation. Together, these scientific developments enhance the potential for a stronger integration between rock art studies and Bronze Age archaeology in a wider sense, something which needs to be further discussed and developed.
In 1977, the first Nordic Bronze Age symposium was held at Isegran, Østfold, Norway. In 2017, the... more In 1977, the first Nordic Bronze Age symposium was held at Isegran, Østfold, Norway. In 2017, the 40th anniversary of the symposium series will be celebrated, this time in Oslo. Recent years has seen a trend towards disparate discourses, either focusing on small-scale or large-scale, southern or northern narratives of Bronze Age Scandinavia. In this call for papers, we encourage perspectives on the multi-scaled and contrasting Bronze Age, and the diversity and connections between e.g. landscapes, technologies, social practices and materialities. From the snow patches of the Scandinavian Mountains to the fertile agricultural areas of south Scandinavia, along the paths to the upland pastures to the open sea lanes, from the monumental mounds to the mundane finds; we invite papers exploring the contrasts and connections that formed the Nordic Bronze Age.
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Papers by Lene Melheim
a 170-year-long history. Interpreting the growing body of data has understandably
been in light of political context and reigning theoretical premises. Key elements
here are projects of recreating a nation-state, perceptions of ethnicity, ecological
frameworks, and reigning concepts of local evolution. Hydroelectric development
from the late 1950s led to a large body of archaeological and environmental
data, multidisciplinary projects, and a modern management regime. The projects
are numerous, and two upland project areas are particularly used to discuss later
developments, Hardangervidda (the central Norwegian mountain plateau) and
projects in the uplands of the inner tracts of the Sognefjord. These projects not
only transformed perceptions of the history of the uplands, but also were a major
force in modernizing Norwegian archaeology and cultural heritage management.
In recent years, the melting of high-altitude ice patches promises to bring new data
to the fore but also generate new developments in upland management practices
and remind us of the threat of global warming.
a 170-year-long history. Interpreting the growing body of data has understandably
been in light of political context and reigning theoretical premises. Key elements
here are projects of recreating a nation-state, perceptions of ethnicity, ecological
frameworks, and reigning concepts of local evolution. Hydroelectric development
from the late 1950s led to a large body of archaeological and environmental
data, multidisciplinary projects, and a modern management regime. The projects
are numerous, and two upland project areas are particularly used to discuss later
developments, Hardangervidda (the central Norwegian mountain plateau) and
projects in the uplands of the inner tracts of the Sognefjord. These projects not
only transformed perceptions of the history of the uplands, but also were a major
force in modernizing Norwegian archaeology and cultural heritage management.
In recent years, the melting of high-altitude ice patches promises to bring new data
to the fore but also generate new developments in upland management practices
and remind us of the threat of global warming.
The Value of All Things: Value expression and value assessment in the Ancient World (Europe, Near East and the Mediterranean)
http://www.eaa2017maastricht.nl/
https://www.klinkhamergroup.com/eaa2017/
All kinds of human mobility—whether across long or short distances, and whether involving short-term or longer interactions—are potential triggers for change and also cultural integration. The colonisation of an area most clearly brings into focus what kind of social fabric encompassed the actual historical processes. Recent perspectives on the social and cultural embeddedness of exchange, and how objects facilitate constructions of identities and political legitimacy, serve to frame and explicate the role of material culture in such processes.
The contributions to this volume shed light on various social aspects of movement, migration and colonisation among hunter-gatherers and Neolithic groups as well as in chiefdoms and state societies. Geographically, an area spanning from the Mediterranean to central Europe and the North Sea region, Greenland and Siberia is covered. Three social and historical processes – the social aspects of colonisation, cultural integration and maritime interaction – are particularly discussed as interrelated phenomena.
as sea-faring, trade, and warfare. A renewed interest in Bronze Age iconography and imagery in rock art and other media has demonstrated how animism, narrative, and myth may be valid frames for interpretation. Together, these scientific developments enhance the potential for a stronger integration between rock art studies and Bronze Age archaeology in a wider sense, something which needs to be further discussed and developed.