Abstracts Session 2

A familiar past? Later-historical archaeologies of the urban in the Nordic countries

Jonas Monié Nordin, Lund University

The early modern town was a locus of interaction and negotiation between people from various backgrounds. It was a place of encounter between religions and traditions, and between various social backgrounds. These meetings and interactions have left material traces. Recent decades of urban archaeology have revealed spaces of friction and negotiations between local people and people from afar; encounters between rulers and the ruled, the rich and the poor. This talk will focus on the diversity of Scandinavian towns during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and how historical archaeology can acknowledge the day-to-day interaction between people of various backgrounds, cultures, and traditions. Drawing on experiences from recent fieldwork in and around Fennoscandian towns, this presentation focuses on the multi-cultural practice of the early modern north in a global context.

Urban houses and households

Göran Tagesson, Uppsala University

During the early modern period, the building culture of the cities underwent sweeping changes. Residential buildings changed in form and size, but also in spatial aspects, comprising more rooms and more specialized room functions. At the same time, the composition of households changed with new ways of cohabitation. The number of households on urban plots increased, while at the same time the size of the households decreased. During the period, several houses were rebuilt, including different residential units, and new houses with apartments began to appear.

The changes in housing culture have been studied in the research project HASP – Houses and social practices 1600-1850 at Uppsala University (funded by the Swedish Research Council 2021-2026). We combine building archaeology in the form of documentation of house foundations below ground with analysis of preserved buildings and written sources. A crucial aspect is craft research, including timbering analysis and dendrochronological sampling.

An important question is, who built these new houses? How did building techniques, material procurement and building organization change during the period? Were there different building cultures and building practices in the towns?

In my paper, I present the project’s results so far, with examples from our investigations in Linköping, Kalmar and Vadstena.

Gunhild Eriksdotter, Uppsala University 

Heating in early modern houses was not built around static, unchanging systems. It was common that tile and iron stoves were rebuilt or replaced when they became worn out, regardless of the social strata of the residents. There are also examples of heat sources being moved around in the same building, rented out or even sold to be reused in other buildings. The heat sources may then have ended up in secondary or tertiary contexts, which is of great importance to consider when doing any type of chronological and stylistic analyses.  

In this paper I combine excavation archaeology, buildings archaeology, museum collections, art and written sources to discuss how different heating systems were used, reused, rented and sold and thus ended up in completely new contexts and what it means for the interpretation of early modern houses in urban settings but also for the understanding of social practices and approaches to consumption of heat. I also raise questions about the impact symbols and decor related to changing ideals had on the handling, use and lifespan of various heating systems.  

The historical aspect of heating is a surprisingly unexplored field in archaeology, architecture and history. Earlier work rarely problematizes the relation between heating and spatial layouts, and the choices made to create different indoor environments. This paper should therefore be seen as an attempt to bring new outlooks on a theme that has had great significance for domestic life and people’s daily activities in early modern houses.  

My talk is based on the newly initiated project “Staging heat and light. Living practices and indoor environments during the early modern period” carried out at the historical department, Uppsala University.  

Maija Helamaa, Turku University

This paper offers some preliminary insights into activities involving ceramics in urban households. The research material comes from a large-scale excavation in the Turku Market Square, conducted between 2018 and 2022. The excavation site provided urban archaeological material from the mid-17^th century to the 1830s associated mainly with middle-class households. 

So far, the ceramic studies on the Market Square excavations’ find assemblage have offered a rich spectrum of use of ceramic objects in addition to daily activities related to food preparation and table culture. These are, for example, small-scale industry and craftsmanship, children’s play, as well as many aspects of recycling. In addition, waste management within the town plots and inhabitants’ attitudes towards broken objects and waste in their own area of living are studied through the discarded pottery. 

For the first time in Finnish historical archaeology, it is possible to combine such extensive and accurate archaeological contextual data with detailed information about the inhabitants of the area, derived from written sources. The main excavation area of about 1.5 hectares uncovered well-preserved layers and features of an old town reaching some twenty town plots in four different blocks. This excavation material offers an outstanding opportunity to compare the material culture of different, neighbouring households. Due to the detailed demographic data available, various factors, like socio-economic status, the size of the households or the age of the individuals can be considered.  

The large quantity of finds also starts to reveal different patterns that may or may not be typical. Some objects, for example, can be considered unusual or special when found singly from smaller excavations, but here in this vast area and with a mass of finds some things appear to be quite common. Likewise, the uniqueness of some other items is strengthened. 

This paper is a part of an ongoing PhD study on the importance and the users of pottery in early modern urban households in Turku, Finland.  

Materialities of everyday urban life: consumption, waste, recycling, trade etc.

Jette Linaa, Aarhus University

The burgeoning second-hand trade of the 18th and early 19th centuries represents an overlooked facet of urban life in the Nordic countries. While wholesale and retail markets are well-documented in historical sources, the systems and practices underpinning the second-hand trade remain underexplored, especially in Denmark. Unlike Britain and the Netherlands, where estate auctions and their associated records provide a clear picture of the circulation of second-hand goods, similar organized systems in Denmark are largely absent from the written record. However, probate inventories and other written sources hint at the significant role of second-hand exchange in the acquisition of domestic goods—through auctions, inheritance, private trade, and donations. These exchanges were especially important for marginalized urban populations, such as the poor, the vulnerable, and those in almshouses. However, the biases inherent in written sources often obscure their experiences, creating a gap in our understanding of how underprivileged groups contributed to and navigated the emergence of modernity.

Archaeology offers a unique lens to illuminate this hidden history. By examining material remains, we can uncover how these groups acquired and utilized objects in the context of the emerging modernity of 1700–1850. This paper focuses on archaeological findings from two Danish cities, Aarhus and Helsingør, to explore the dynamics of the second-hand trade and its significance for urban life. Examples from excavations highlight the circulation of objects and domestic goods among marginalized groups and offer insights into their daily lives, consumption practices, and strategies for navigating urban poverty.

Through the integration of archaeological evidence with historical sources, this study demonstrates the potential of archaeology to challenge and enrich our understanding of later historical urban life. The materialities of the second-hand trade not only reflect economic practices but also reveal cultural attitudes towards reuse, resourcefulness, and social stratification in the period. Moreover, this exploration contributes to broader discussions on how urban archaeology can shed light on the transition to modernity, offering fresh perspectives on domestic life, social inequality, and the circulation of goods within urban communities.

This paper positions the second-hand trade as a crucial yet underappreciated aspect of urban archaeology, emphasizing its potential to enhance both academic and public understandings of a period traditionally dominated by historians and their sources. By bridging the gaps between historical documentation and material culture, this research underscores the value of archaeology in addressing the biases of written records and in providing a voice to underrepresented urban groups in the Nordic past.

Karen Green Therkelsen & Simone Fabienne Mayer, Copenhagen Museum

This paper presents the preliminary findings from a groundbreaking archaeological excavation conducted in 2024 at Amaliegade 44 in the historic district of Frederiksstaden, Copenhagen. The site is situated in a coastal area. It was used as a landfill from approximately 1650 to 1750 and comprises waste from Copenhagen’s residents, providing valuable insights into historical waste management practices in the region. One of the major challenges of the excavation was the need to remove all soil to accommodate upcoming construction. This process involved excavating and transporting the enormous amount of 4.300 cubic meters of soil in 6.000 bigbags to a separate site, where the soil is being systematically examined – a novel scale for Danish archaeology.

The paper will focus on the methodologies designed to maximize efficiency on site and during post-excavation with the aim of reviewing the contents of the bigbags by the end of 2026. As the thick layers of waste were rich in exceptionally well-preserved and diverse artefacts, we anticipate the unprecedented amount of approximately half a million objects! In particular, the vast amount of various leather and textiles must be emphasized for their excellent preservation and textiles will serve as an example for the research potential of the material.

Preliminary results provide insights into the nuances of everyday life, consumption patterns, recycling, diet, craftsmanship, and globalization in 18th-century Copenhagen. By examining fabric types and weaving patterns, we gain valuable insights into fashion, gender roles, trade networks, and broader social and economic contexts of the time.

Hanna Kivikero, Helsinki University 

Fish have been an important source of nutrition and part of subsistence for centuries, however, our current knowledge of fishing and fish trade in the Baltic Sea during the medieval and early modern periods is fragmentary. Studies of fishbone assemblages in urban contexts are often centred on finding out the consumption patterns and social aspects of food in towns and specific town plots. As fish are not part of the domestic fauna of an urban centre and have to be caught and brought to the town, they are also a representation of fauna in the urban economy with connection to traders. 

Fishbone assemblages from urban excavations can show a variety of fish species. Most of them are likely species that can be fished nearby and only few, if any, are such that can be identified as a result of trade. This leaves a relatively vague idea of how and where fish were sourced to towns.  

Medieval documents relating to fish are almost non-existent, but historical records from the early modern period can contain information on traded fish species and regions of origin. However, they are also fragmented and foremost administrative documents with specified information dictated by the Crown.  

So far little is known of the scale of the local fish trade to the towns, and historical source materials indicate that fish that can be locally caught in towns were traded from longer distances than necessary. Townspeople were also generally allowed to practice small-scale fishing for their own use. This leaves the question as to how much of the fish in the towns were locally derived, and does this vary from town to town? What can be considered as being local fish? Further analysis of the zooarchaeological assemblages may be the key to answering these questions. 

Harbours and waterfronts

Hilde Vangstad, Norwegian Maritime Museum

This paper will present some of the results of major excavations conducted in recent decades which have given us a completely new insight into the design and use of Oslo’s harbour areas during the transition from the late medieval period to the early modern period, when the town was moved to a new location after a devastating fire in 1624.

The marine clay sediments of the harbour provide good preservation conditions for organic material like wood, bones and textiles. On land, the younger, uppermost strata are completely disturbed by modern infrastructure and buildings. As is the case for many other urban harbours, the historic harbour basin in Oslo is well preserved due to the harbour’s “cannibalistic” nature, whereby older harbour structures are “swallowed” by newer ones built higher and further out in the water, the older structures being preserved safely in the modern wharves’ “bellies”.

The extraordinary archaeological finds comprising more than a hundred wharf structures, approximately 50 boats, cargo, ballast and lost and discarded artifacts from the medieval and early modern periods shed light on an otherwise scarcely illuminated gap between the abundance of written records in the late 17^th and 18^th century and the rich archaeological urban finds from the earlier, medieval period.

Oslo changed from being a medieval centre of administration to a significant port for the timber trade in the 16^th century. Alterations, growth and decline in trade and its impact on the construction of ships, boats and wharves, destructive warfare and fires, the Reformation and the ensuing alteration of power structures, and a multitude of small things used in the daily lives of town dwellers and sailors: traces of many of these smaller and greater events can be found in the deep clay of Oslo harbour.

Jan Kockum, Arkeologikonsult

From the Chronicles of King Erik, we learn that Earl Birger had Stockholm founded as a latch between Lake Mälaren and the sea to protect the Mälar Valley – the core area of the kingdom – and its inhabitants against plunder. Throughout the Middle Ages, the city fortifications were strengthened, culminating in the 16^th century when King Gustav Vasa, among other things, strengthened the city’s southern defences with a moat and a turret. Present-day residents would hardly have recognized the heavily fortified town. In that sense medieval Stockholm was a “…foreign country; where they did things differently…”, to paraphrase the author Leslie Poles Hartley. A familiar feature, though, throughout the Middle Ages, is the presence of both regional and international trade. This is evident through the finds from near and far that have been made in the city’s soil. However, the defence system was prioritized, and this, combined with the turbulent current at the entrance to Lake Mälaren, made sea transport past the city a dangerous undertaking. 

At the end of the 16^th century and the beginning of the 17^th century, conditions changed. The defences had become obsolete and were demolished; instead, communication and trade were prioritized with a lock as a node. Through 400 years of continuous lock operations, this part of our past – in contrast to the foreign country that the fortified city constituted – has become supposedly familiar. 

When the first lock, Kristinaslussen, was inaugurated in 1642, the medieval latch of Lake Mälaren was opened, and the realm was able to take the step into the early modern era. Now the number of imported artifacts increased, and we see this in finds of clay pipes, sugar-cone moulds, coconut shells, tableware for tea and coffee; traces of a normalized luxury consumption that testify to colonial trade with the emergence of fine culture and a changed dinner culture. 

But the construction of the lock also exposed a country in the backwaters of Europe. Without help from the Netherlands, it could not have been built. However, the step had been taken; when the first lock was replaced a hundred years later, Sweden had achieved its own technical maturity. The master builder was Christopher Polhem, the father of Swedish mechanics, and the spearhead of Sweden’s technical achievements. Polhem developed thoughts and ideologies in several disciplines, such as economics and construction engineering. In the lock, his technical genius and economic ideology found material expression: in many ways, a worthy symbol of an early modern Sweden standing on its own two feet. 

The paper aims to shed light on how the “early modern project” can be materialized in an individual archaeological site. 

The Reformation

Sean Denham, Bettina Ebert & Margareth Hana Buer, Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger 

Although the historical documentation regarding the impact of the Reformation on Stavanger Cathedral is limited, it has long been presumed that the removal of the High Medieval inventory, objects and iconography associated with the Catholic Church, was comprehensive.  As the story goes, everything was sent to Denmark and melted down or destroyed.  

The chance finding of a fragment of one of these items in 2023 led to a more comprehensive archaeological investigation of the cellar beneath the cathedral’s sacristy. The resulting finds assemblage is remarkable not only for the range of materials/items recovered but the breadth of the time span they represent, from the Viking Period to modern day in 25 cm of soil. This included several fragments of items belonging to the cathedral’s pre-Reformation religious inventory, objects thought to have been removed and destroyed long ago.  

This leads to the obvious question: what are these objects still doing in Stavanger Cathedral? Why were they not removed with the rest of the inventory? Several possibilities suggest themselves.  One of these is that the destruction of the religious inventory occurred on site, and these pieces simply became lost during that process. More intriguingly, perhaps these items were hidden in order to protect them from destruction, an attempt to save a few significant pieces in the face of external pressure. This, then, would have implications for our understanding of the power of the Reformation in Stavanger, suggesting a rather nuanced story of public acceptance and private opposition.  

This talk will present the results of the archaeological work, with special focus on the religious items and their place in the larger narrative of the Reformation.