The potential of shoreline and shallow submerged Iron Age and Medieval archaeological sites in the Lofoten Islands, northern Norway

摘要

The Lofoten-Vesterålen archipelago (67°30’ - 69°30’N)is a chain of mountainous islands dissected by cirques,glacial valleys, and fjords that extends from northeast tosouthwest into the Norwegian Sea (Figure 1). Vesterålenis the northerly chain of islands and the seven islandsof Lofoten lie to the south. The climate of Lofoten ismild despite this high latitude location. Temperatures arestrongly affected by northward transport of heat throughoceanic and atmospheric dynamics and the NorwegianCurrent flowing directly west of the islands carries warmwater to the high latitudes of northern Norway (Hopkins1991). Human habitation in this region has always beendependent on the marine environment with a relianceon the ocean and coastal areas for subsistence, shelterand transportation since initial settlement. Lofoten issituated in the midst of one of the most productive codfishing grounds in the North Atlantic and the climate isalso ideally suited for drying and preserving fish, anotherfactor that helped this region develop as an importantfishing center.