Papers by Svein Vatsvåg Nielsen
Nordic Climate Histories: Impacts, Pathways, Narratives
Climate has changed considerably throughout the Holocene and humans have continuously adapted to ... more Climate has changed considerably throughout the Holocene and humans have continuously adapted to environmental change. However, research is not clear on how, to what extent and in relation to which environmental factors populations have adapted. The mid-Holocene period c. 6200–2200 bce in Scandinavia involved the transition from purely forager-based (Mesolithic) economies to the establishment of farming-based (Neolithic) economies. In southern Norway there is evidence of a limited introduction of farming and husbandry in the Oslo fjord region in the early fourth millennium bce, and of foragers experimenting with farming during the Neolithic period. This paper hypothesises that shortterm cold events (or Little Ice Age-like events) had negative impact on human demography in southern Norway also during the mid-Holocene. The current record of Little Ice Age-events is compared to a long-term population trajectory based on archaeological data, showing little or no negative impact on human demography during the mid-Holocene.
Archaeological Dialogues, 2025
This paper explores a new direction for archaeological historiography by applying the Yale approa... more This paper explores a new direction for archaeological historiography by applying the Yale approach in deconstruction to a selection of archaeological texts discussing the Neolithization process in Norway. Focus is on the cultural-historical research paradigm and publications from the period 1906–38. The analysis discovers that scholars from this period did not consider foragers and farmers to be essential social identities in the past; foragers could become farmers, and farmers could turn back to foraging. Some scholars argued that farming was practiced before the Neolithic period, while others promoted a sense of care and awe towards prehistoric foragers. On the basis of these readings, it is argued that previous accounts of the cultural-historical research paradigm in Norway focused too narrowly on the social contexts of older research. A change of focus from contexts to the texts themselves and how they present the world can explore further the complexity of this research period.
Open Archaeology, 2025
This article examines open access (OA) publishing within archaeology by using Norway as a case st... more This article examines open access (OA) publishing within archaeology by using Norway as a case study. The authors present data on research publications (n = 1,517) produced by archaeologists at Norwegian universities between 2010 and 2021 and classified according to their OA status. The aim is to analyze trends in OA publishing during this period and assess how it aligns with official policies and initiatives from lawmakers, funders, and institutions. The findings indicate a growing proportion of OA publications, with scientific journals emerging as the primary publishing platform during the period. The archaeological publications are also compared with other academic sectors, and the study reveals that the field of archaeology is progressing toward OA at a fast rate compared to the broader humanities sector but slower compared to other academic sectors. The authors suggest that the increasing prevalence of OA publications can primarily be attributed to national and institutional guidelines, rather than changes in researcher behavior, although this works in tandem.
Twigs date the second Holocene transgression in southwestern Norway
Radiocarbon, 2025
Marine flooding events occasionally interrupted the everyday lives of prehistoric coastal populat... more Marine flooding events occasionally interrupted the everyday lives of prehistoric coastal populations. Identification
of such events are important for studies of past population dynamics and adaptive strategies. However, short-term
events are rarely identified in the geological record, which puts a severe limit on our archaeological interpretive
framework. This paper explores the temporality of the second Holocene transgression in southwestern Norway (ca.
3500 BCE) and works under the hypothesis that it was not a slow geological process but rather one or multiple
short-term events. A Bayesian approach is used to analyze multidisciplinary time series data collected from sites
located in Norway and Shetland. The resulting chronological model supports the hypothesis that the second
Holocene transgression in southwestern Norway was a rapid flooding event that occurred in the period 3445–3395
BCE (Early Neolithic II). It is also suggested, but not argued conclusively, that this flooding event could correspond
to the Garth tsunami, a paleotsunami named after Garth Loch in Shetland. Considering the potential impact of such
a flooding event on the everyday lives of local foragers who dwelled in southwestern Norway, it is anticipated that
this study could form a starting point for future case studies.
Mid and late-Holocene climate shifts are considered to have profoundly shaped demographic develop... more Mid and late-Holocene climate shifts are considered to have profoundly shaped demographic developments and adaptive responses of communities globally. Yet their onset, duration, and impact on Neolithic and Early Nordic Bronze Age communities in the high-latitude ranges of southern and northwestern Scandinavia remain a major research gap. Here, we built on an emerging body of archaeological and paleoclimate data, encompassing 20,908 anthropogenic 14 C dates and 49 climate records from the Holocene. Additionally, we gathered and correlated a new archaeological dataset of 3649 houses from southern Scandinavia and southern Norway. In this study, we utilised 6268 reliable 14 C dates and 2519 dwellings to generate time series and socioeconomic trends from ~4100 to 1100 BCE. Our study revealed three key findings: (1) A distinct lateral zonation, with variations in the duration and timing of the Holocene Thermal Maximum (~7050-2050 BCE). In Southern Scandinavia, a warmer climate may have facilitated the spread of crop cultivation (3820-3790 BCE), coinciding with significant population growth. Neolithic communities settled in permanent two-aisled houses 90-160 years later (3700-3660 BCE). (2) The 2250 BCE (4.2 ka BP) cooling trend marked the beginning of a climate regime shift with varying duration and timing (~3450-1450 BCE). This period coincided with demographic growth, migration, crop cultivation diversity, and the development of houses with crop storage facilities (2290-2215 BCE). (3) Severe abrupt cooling periods (~1850-1450 BCE) corresponded to short-term demographic decline including disruptions in trade networks with continental Europe. However, repopulation and redistribution of wealth (~1450 BCE), along with the development of stable three-aisled houses (1475-1450 BCE), underscore the resilience of food-producing economies in mitigating environmental disturbances.
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2023
Mid and late-Holocene climate shifts are considered to have profoundly shaped demographic develop... more Mid and late-Holocene climate shifts are considered to have profoundly shaped demographic developments and adaptive responses of communities globally. Yet their onset, duration, and impact on Neolithic and Early Nordic Bronze Age communities in the high-latitude ranges of southern and northwestern Scandinavia remain a major research gap. Here, we built on an emerging body of archaeological and paleoclimate data, encompassing 20,908 anthropogenic 14 C dates and 49 climate records from the Holocene. Additionally, we gathered and correlated a new archaeological dataset of 3649 houses from southern Scandinavia and southern Norway. In this study, we utilised 6268 reliable 14 C dates and 2519 dwellings to generate time series and socioeconomic trends from ~4100 to 1100 BCE. Our study revealed three key findings: (1) A distinct lateral zonation, with variations in the duration and timing of the Holocene Thermal Maximum (~7050-2050 BCE). In Southern Scandinavia, a warmer climate may have facilitated the spread of crop cultivation (3820-3790 BCE), coinciding with significant population growth. Neolithic communities settled in permanent two-aisled houses 90-160 years later (3700-3660 BCE). (2) The 2250 BCE (4.2 ka BP) cooling trend marked the beginning of a climate regime shift with varying duration and timing (~3450-1450 BCE). This period coincided with demographic growth, migration, crop cultivation diversity, and the development of houses with crop storage facilities (2290-2215 BCE). (3) Severe abrupt cooling periods (~1850-1450 BCE) corresponded to short-term demographic decline including disruptions in trade networks with continental Europe. However, repopulation and redistribution of wealth (~1450 BCE), along with the development of stable three-aisled houses (1475-1450 BCE), underscore the resilience of food-producing economies in mitigating environmental disturbances.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2023
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2023
The settlements along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast from the period 3300-2350 cal. BCE (Middle Ne... more The settlements along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast from the period 3300-2350 cal. BCE (Middle Neolithic period) represented an epitome of the sub-Neolithic phenomenon, however, recent experience from archaeological, osteological, palynological, and geological studies encourages a rethinking of this cultural complex. Here we reconstruct aspects of Middle Neolithic economies, mobility patterns, and pottery production traditions based on recent field work along the central stretch of the Norwegian Skagerrak coast. We find evidence of mixed economiescollecting, fishing, hunting, farming, husbandryand local pottery traditions structured by seasonal coastal-inland mobility patterns. We propose a redefinition of this archaeological complex from a 'Neolithic culture', or a sub-Neolithic phenomenon, to an ecohistorical regime. The diversity in mobility and subsistence in this geographical area reflect robust early fisher-farmer societies resilient in the face of environmental variations.
Open Archaeology, 2022
The Neolithisation process altered human dependence on wild food sources, and dominant models of ... more The Neolithisation process altered human dependence on wild food sources, and dominant models of the Neolithic transition in Scandinavia still focus on cultural divisions. This study emphasises the evidence of creolization processes, in particular the exploitation of Atlantic Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) among Neolithic fisher-farmers north and east of the Skagerrak Sea in Scandinavia (4000-2350 cal BCE). The site Jortveit in Southern Norway, where Bluefin tuna was caught with toggling harpoons, is used as a point of departure. In order to understand this phenomenon, the first empirical review of prehistoric toggling harpoons in Central and Eastern Europe is presented. Toggling harpoons first appeared in the late Vinĉa Culture, then in the Gumelniţa, Cucuteni-Trypillia, and Sredny Stog cultural complexes further east, and finally in Central Europe and Scandinavia during the time of the Funnel Beaker Culture. Considering the accumulated evidence of long distance contact from Eastern to Central Europe and Scandinavia in the early fourth millennium BCE, it is argued that toggling harpoon technology was distributed through trade networks. Its appearance around the Skagerrak Sea in the Neolithic reflects fisher-farmers using a creolized fishing technology, inspired by Eneolithic societies.
Journal of Neolithic Archaeology, 2021
The spread of a Neolithic mode of production in prehistory had a significant impact on subsequent... more The spread of a Neolithic mode of production in prehistory had a significant impact on subsequent economic and demographic developments. Early farming in Norway is usually inferred from the pollen record or distribution maps of imported axes, which indicate its introduction around the Oslo Fjord around 3900 cal BCE. A persistent anomaly for this model is the lack of direct evidence of cultivation and knowledge of where farming took place. This paper argues that a number of sites used for farming in the Early Neolithic were discovered by excavations in Southeastern Norway in the period from 2004 –2013. It is dedicated to the presentation and interpretation of these sites. As a main result of the investigations, the number of known Early Neolithic farming sites in Southeastern Norway increases from one to 15. It suggests a new economic model for the Oslo Fjord region that a) accounts for places of farming and b) argues that acculturation was an important factor for the adoption of farming in this region of Scandinavia. The poor condition of the 15 Early Neolithic farming sites in Southeastern Norway indicates that subsequent cultivation has erased most traces left behind from this pioneer phase.
Viking, 2021
From the 1800's and onwards, pottery sherds have been found at a number of Neolithic occupation s... more From the 1800's and onwards, pottery sherds have been found at a number of Neolithic occupation sites in Rogaland County, Southwestern Norway. In this paper, pottery assemblages from nine contexts are analyzed in order to produce an interpretative chronology. Typological analysis is combined with correspondence analysis and Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates. The result is a coherent chronological model that accounts for variations in pottery decoration styles between the late Early Neolithic and the Late Neolithic. There is a development in decorative styles from cord and cord-stamp ornamented vessels followed by a period of pots decorated with cord-stamp, small imprints and incisions, and finally a phase with added lines, comb, and cord-stamp. However, the multi-phased nature of the sites suggests that there are still many unanswered questions. New excavations and re-analyses of older sites are necessary for a better understanding of the developments in Neolithic pottery styles.
Foraging Assemblages 2, 2021
The study of Mesolithic blade industries in northern Europe has contributed to gaining a deeper i... more The study of Mesolithic blade industries in northern Europe has contributed to gaining a deeper insight into
prehistoric technological choices by applying a dynamical technological approach. In this study, the authors
applied this approach to Middle and Late Mesolithic microblade industries in eastern Norway in order to
study regional developments. A total of 45 pressured cores derived from seven open-air sites excavated by
the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo (2010–2012) were analyzed taking into account metrical values and
technological traits. The results show three distinct phases in the studied material. The earliest phase (c. 7500–
7200 cal BC) was characterized by a standardized conical core concept. The second phase (c. 7200–6100 cal
BC) showed both conical and single fronted cores, while in the youngest phase (c. 5400–3900 cal BC) the
single fronted core concept was predominant. Based on previous experimental research, the authors argue
that this reflects a slow transition from the use of V-shaped holding devices in the Middle Mesolithic to pocket
devices and handheld reduction techniques in the Late Mesolithic.
A Late Mesolithic forager dispersal caused pre-agricultural demographic transition in Norway
Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2021
Population growth has always played a key role in human mobility, even before the age of farming ... more Population growth has always played a key role in human mobility, even before the age of farming and husbandry. This paper explores population dynamics among early Holocene (∼9500–1700 cal BCE) hunter‐fisher‐gatherers in Southern Norway, focusing in particular on the Mesolithic‐Neolithic transition (4000/3900 cal BCE). Radiocarbon dates are calibrated and turned into summed probability distributions (SPDs). A heuristic linear method is used to calculate annual growth rates from the SPDs. Observed fluctuations in the SPDs are tested for significance by applying a Monte Carlo‐based simulation method. The paper finds evidence of a steady growth rate from the Boreal period until a sudden population trough at ∼4330–4300 cal BCE. The trough coincides with indications from the archaeological record of a dispersal of hunter‐fisher‐gatherers from Southern Scandinavia to Norway. The dispersal was likely an effect of lowered habitat suitability and social stress caused by population pressure among Southern Scandinavian hunter‐fisher‐gatherers. In Southern Norway, the proxy data show that the trough enabled a subsequent ‘boom’ in population and the emergence of regional technological innovations that define the Mesolithic‐Neolithic transition.
Wave? What wave? Testing for impact of the Garth tsunami (3500 BCE) on Neolithic coastal settlements in Western Norway
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020
This paper evaluates to what extent archaeological settlement sites from the Norwegian west coast... more This paper evaluates to what extent archaeological settlement sites from the Norwegian west coast exhibit traces
of a paleotsunami impact in the mid-4th mill BCE. The timing of the Garth tsunami (~3500 cal BCE), as inferred
from lake basins in Eastern Shetland and in Western Norway, coincides with the Early-Middle Neolithic transition
in the Western Norwegian chronology. Before and after the Garth tsunami, the west coast of Norway was
populated by hunter-fisher-gatherers highly adapted to a marine environment. If the Garth tsunami had a direct
impact on coastal settlements, the event could become an important mediating factor for research on the Early-
Middle Neolithic transition in this region. The paper investigates radiocarbon dates and stratigraphic evidence
from 15 coastal settlement sites. It applies Bayesian sequence calculation to test for congruence between site
activity phases and the tsunami event, and a Monte Carlo based frequency analysis to test for population fluctuations.
Results from these analyses do not support the hypothesis of a catastrophic impact on the hunter-fishergatherer
population in Western Norway.
The Jortveit farm wetland: A Neolithic fishing site on the Skagerrak coast, Norway
Journal of Wetland Archaeology, 2020
In 1931, several osseous and lithic artefacts, as well as fish and
whalebones, were discovered in... more In 1931, several osseous and lithic artefacts, as well as fish and
whalebones, were discovered in the wetland at the Jortveit farm
in Southern Norway. In 2018–19, a small-scale excavation at the
original find location took place and a series of AMS-dates were
produced. The excavation identified a mud profile with
exceptional preservation conditions. At ∼125–130 cm depth, the
mud contained unburnt fish and whale bones, burnt wooden
sticks and lithic artefacts. AMS-dates of stray finds and samples
retrieved during the excavation date to the period roughly
between 3700–2500 cal BCE, i.e. Scandinavian Early and Middle
Neolithic Periods. Nearly all bones belong to the Atlantic bluefin
tuna (Thunnus thynnus). The results are compared to local climate
and landscape reconstructions, and the question of marine
adaptation in the Neolithic is discussed. We find that the Jortveit
site represented a patch in the landscape for specialized marine
adaptation in the Neolithic.
The thing-in-itself. A reaction to current use of the term in archaeology
Archaeological Dialogues, 2019
Scholars writing within symmetrical archaeology, or speculative realism, have lately claimed that... more Scholars writing within symmetrical archaeology, or speculative realism, have lately claimed that archaeology
should strive to grasp the thing-in-itself. This paper questions the rationale of this claim. It presents
the philosophical definition of the concept of a thing-in-itself and a short presentation of its reception. The
author argues that the concept of the thing-in-itself has nothing to offer archaeology, and questions why
contemporary theoretical archaeologists show such an interest in this term.
Rapport Arkeologisk Utgravning, 2017
I perioden 8.8-19.8.16 utførte Kulturhistorisk Museum i Oslo tiltak for å hindre erosjon
av en st... more I perioden 8.8-19.8.16 utførte Kulturhistorisk Museum i Oslo tiltak for å hindre erosjon
av en steinalderboplass (ID 174670) på gården Brovoll (9/8) i Trysil kommune,
Hedmark. Formålet ved feltarbeidet var å utføre nødvendige tiltak for å påvise
utstrekningen av boplassen samt å sikre boplassen for ytterligere fremtidig erosjon.
Sikringen ble utført ved at erosjonssonen langs veikanten ble senket og dermed dekket
med organisk duk, stein, silt og torv. Senkningen av erosjonssonen ble utført i tråd med
standardmetodikk for steinalderundersøkelser ved Kulturhistorisk Museum i Oslo. Det
fremkom 497 enkeltgjenstander fordelt på en rekke ulike typer bergarter, silikater og
mineraler. Det innsamlete materialet vitnet om gjentatte opphold under flere perioder av
forhistorien: mellommesolitikum, senmesolitikum, neolitikum og bronsealder. Det ble
dokumentert totalt 313 kg kokstein, som viser til mer langvarige opphold på lokaliteten.
De-Neolithisation in southern Norway inferred from statistical modelling of radiocarbon dates
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2019
Available for download until 15. Jan. 2019.
A technological crossroads: Exploring diversity in the pressure blade technology of Mesolithic Latvia
Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2018
A long-standing debate in archaeology concerns the sources of technological diversification among... more A long-standing debate in archaeology concerns the sources of technological diversification among prehistoric hunter-gatherers. This includes the study of the emergence and spread of pressure blade technology in Northern Europe during the Early Holocene. Until now, there has been little technological study of lithic collections from the East Baltic region, and our knowledge of the development and spread of this technology in the area is inadequate. This article presents for the first time a technological analysis of lithic assemblages from seven Early and Middle Mesolithic sites in the territory of present-day Latvia, offering new possibilities for discussing pressure blade technology and research objectives connected with it. Furthermore, variation in elements of this technology is explored in relation to raw-material characteristics through experimental flint knapping. Finally, the factors influencing diversity in craft traditions, as well as large-scale communication and shifting spheres of interaction within Northern Europe during the Mesolithic, are discussed.
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Papers by Svein Vatsvåg Nielsen
of such events are important for studies of past population dynamics and adaptive strategies. However, short-term
events are rarely identified in the geological record, which puts a severe limit on our archaeological interpretive
framework. This paper explores the temporality of the second Holocene transgression in southwestern Norway (ca.
3500 BCE) and works under the hypothesis that it was not a slow geological process but rather one or multiple
short-term events. A Bayesian approach is used to analyze multidisciplinary time series data collected from sites
located in Norway and Shetland. The resulting chronological model supports the hypothesis that the second
Holocene transgression in southwestern Norway was a rapid flooding event that occurred in the period 3445–3395
BCE (Early Neolithic II). It is also suggested, but not argued conclusively, that this flooding event could correspond
to the Garth tsunami, a paleotsunami named after Garth Loch in Shetland. Considering the potential impact of such
a flooding event on the everyday lives of local foragers who dwelled in southwestern Norway, it is anticipated that
this study could form a starting point for future case studies.
prehistoric technological choices by applying a dynamical technological approach. In this study, the authors
applied this approach to Middle and Late Mesolithic microblade industries in eastern Norway in order to
study regional developments. A total of 45 pressured cores derived from seven open-air sites excavated by
the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo (2010–2012) were analyzed taking into account metrical values and
technological traits. The results show three distinct phases in the studied material. The earliest phase (c. 7500–
7200 cal BC) was characterized by a standardized conical core concept. The second phase (c. 7200–6100 cal
BC) showed both conical and single fronted cores, while in the youngest phase (c. 5400–3900 cal BC) the
single fronted core concept was predominant. Based on previous experimental research, the authors argue
that this reflects a slow transition from the use of V-shaped holding devices in the Middle Mesolithic to pocket
devices and handheld reduction techniques in the Late Mesolithic.
of a paleotsunami impact in the mid-4th mill BCE. The timing of the Garth tsunami (~3500 cal BCE), as inferred
from lake basins in Eastern Shetland and in Western Norway, coincides with the Early-Middle Neolithic transition
in the Western Norwegian chronology. Before and after the Garth tsunami, the west coast of Norway was
populated by hunter-fisher-gatherers highly adapted to a marine environment. If the Garth tsunami had a direct
impact on coastal settlements, the event could become an important mediating factor for research on the Early-
Middle Neolithic transition in this region. The paper investigates radiocarbon dates and stratigraphic evidence
from 15 coastal settlement sites. It applies Bayesian sequence calculation to test for congruence between site
activity phases and the tsunami event, and a Monte Carlo based frequency analysis to test for population fluctuations.
Results from these analyses do not support the hypothesis of a catastrophic impact on the hunter-fishergatherer
population in Western Norway.
whalebones, were discovered in the wetland at the Jortveit farm
in Southern Norway. In 2018–19, a small-scale excavation at the
original find location took place and a series of AMS-dates were
produced. The excavation identified a mud profile with
exceptional preservation conditions. At ∼125–130 cm depth, the
mud contained unburnt fish and whale bones, burnt wooden
sticks and lithic artefacts. AMS-dates of stray finds and samples
retrieved during the excavation date to the period roughly
between 3700–2500 cal BCE, i.e. Scandinavian Early and Middle
Neolithic Periods. Nearly all bones belong to the Atlantic bluefin
tuna (Thunnus thynnus). The results are compared to local climate
and landscape reconstructions, and the question of marine
adaptation in the Neolithic is discussed. We find that the Jortveit
site represented a patch in the landscape for specialized marine
adaptation in the Neolithic.
should strive to grasp the thing-in-itself. This paper questions the rationale of this claim. It presents
the philosophical definition of the concept of a thing-in-itself and a short presentation of its reception. The
author argues that the concept of the thing-in-itself has nothing to offer archaeology, and questions why
contemporary theoretical archaeologists show such an interest in this term.
av en steinalderboplass (ID 174670) på gården Brovoll (9/8) i Trysil kommune,
Hedmark. Formålet ved feltarbeidet var å utføre nødvendige tiltak for å påvise
utstrekningen av boplassen samt å sikre boplassen for ytterligere fremtidig erosjon.
Sikringen ble utført ved at erosjonssonen langs veikanten ble senket og dermed dekket
med organisk duk, stein, silt og torv. Senkningen av erosjonssonen ble utført i tråd med
standardmetodikk for steinalderundersøkelser ved Kulturhistorisk Museum i Oslo. Det
fremkom 497 enkeltgjenstander fordelt på en rekke ulike typer bergarter, silikater og
mineraler. Det innsamlete materialet vitnet om gjentatte opphold under flere perioder av
forhistorien: mellommesolitikum, senmesolitikum, neolitikum og bronsealder. Det ble
dokumentert totalt 313 kg kokstein, som viser til mer langvarige opphold på lokaliteten.