Seaways to Complexity. : A Study of Sociopolitical Organisation Along the Coast of Northwestern Scandinavia in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, Equinox, 2021.

Bokanmeldelse av boka Seaways to Complexity. A Study of Sociopolitical Organisation Along the Coast of Northwestern Scandinavia in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, Equinox, 2021. Av Knut Ivar Austvoll

Nordic-Mediterranean relations in the second millennium BC

When we started planning this session proposal it was our intention to provide a forum in which to discuss new results and perspectives on the very old question of long-distance connections and exchange throughout Europe and the Mediterranean. Participants were asked to first consider provenance analysis of both raw materials and manufactured goods as a means to shed light on mobility and connectivity between Bronze Age societies. Secondly, they were asked to explore the implications of long-distance connectivity at both a local and regional level. The call was well received, resulting in a series of very interesting papers followed by lively discussion in a crowded room at the Bronze Age Symposium in Gothenburg

Taking the Stranger on Board - The Two Maritime Legacies of Bronze Age Rock Art

In this chapter, we argue that the strong maritime focus in South Scandinavian Bronze Age rock art could be seen as the result of a fusion of two diff erent maritime legacies. The fi rst legacy relates to the North Scandinavian hunter-gatherer tradition of making rock art at maritime locations in the landscape, in connection with seasonal gatherings, and with an emphasis on transformative animistic features and boats. The second major maritime 60 NORTH MEETS SOUTH impact relates to Bell Beaker infl uence in southern Scandinavia, prior to the Nordic Bronze Age, and is associated with regular overseas sailing, intensifi ed interaction across the North Sea, and trade in raw materials and exotica. By incorporating two diff erent maritime legacies both on a practical and a symbolic level, the societies in southern Scandinavia created new maritime institutions which enabled them to enter and participate actively in the maritime exchange networks of the Nordic Bronze Age. We regard the institutionalisation of this particular kind of maritime-ness as a crucial feature, a doxa for the reproduction of the Nordic Bronze Age societies

Rock art and trade networks: From scandinavia to the italian alps

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 relations and how they unfolded through time, the authors discuss several different models of interaction. It is hypothesised that rock art practices played a role in establishing and maintaining durable social relations, through what we consider to be a two-way transmission of symbolic concepts and iconography during seasonal meetings related to trade and travel

Minneord om professor Frode Iversen (1967–2022)

Eulogy for Professor Frode Iversen (1967–2022)Minneord om professor Frode Iversen (1967–2022)