Day 1
Wednesday 4th June
In order to accommodate those who prefer to travel to Oslo on Wednesday morning, registration will begin at the conference location at Auditorium 1, Georg Sverdrups hus, Blindern, at 11.30. Lunch will be served at 12.00 followed by the commencement of the set programme.
However, for those who arrive in Oslo earlier, we have arranged an optional complementary guided tour of the medieval town of Oslo and the 3D visualization “Oslo 1324”. For details regarding where and when to meet up for the tour, see here.
| 09.00 | Optional guided tour of medieval Oslo + 3D visualization “Oslo 1324” |
| 11.30 | Registration at conference venue: Georg Sverdrups hus, Blindern. |
| 11.45 | LUNCH |
| 12.50 | Welcoming remarks and information by Terje Gansum, Managing Director of the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) |
SESSION 1: Burning issues for urban archaeology in 2025: Invited speakers and panel discussion
Moderators: Kirstine Haase, Museum Odense & Chris McLees, The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU)
The conference begins by focusing on important issues of current concern for urban archaeology in the Nordic countries. Contributors drawn from the heritage sector in four Nordic countries – Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway – have been invited to offer their views on the conditions pertaining to the management and practice of urban archaeology in their own countries. In addition to topics chosen by themselves, the speakers will also address a common question, namely: What is the status of post-medieval/later-historical urban archaeology in your country, and what are your thoughts regarding the situation? After they have presented their papers, the speakers will participate in a moderated panel discussion.
| 13.00 | Introduction |
| 13.05 | Norway: Lise-Marie Bye Johansen, Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) |
| 13.30 | Sweden: Alexander Gill, Swedish National Heritage Board |
| 13.55 | Denmark: Lene Høst-Madsen, Skanderborg Museum |
| 14.20 | Finland: Liisa Seppänen, Helsinki University |
| 14.45 | Leg-stretch/pause |
| 14.55 | Panel discussion |
| 15.40 | End day 1 |
| 19.00-20.30 | Reception at City Hall, Oslo Rådhus |
Day 2
Thursday 5th June
SESSION 2: A familiar past? Later-historical archaeologies of the urban in the Nordic countries
Moderator: Georg Haggrén, University of Turku
The archaeology of the last 500 years is a field where much is happening and in the process of development across the Nordic countries. This includes the exploration of modernity and its associated materialities of urbanization and urban life, aspects previously relatively under-researched and under-communicated. Archaeology, often in combination with other sources and analytical methods, is contributing increasingly to our understanding of the urban phenomenon in later historical times.
This session sheds new light on how the transition to modernity transformed urban life and the urban environment in the Nordic countries. It examines later-historical towns as places of multiple human encounters, multi-cultural interactions and diverse material practices. It presents results of excavation and research into urban housing and domestic life, harbours and waterfronts, and the materialities and outcomes of social, economic and religious practices and differentiation, including varieties of consumption strategies and choices.
| 08.30 | COFFEE |
| 09.00 | Introduction |
| 09.05 | Keynote: Early Modern Towns: Places of Interaction and Friction Jonas Monié Nordin, Lund University |
| 09.35 | How to build houses in Swedish towns during the Early Modern period? Göran Tagesson, Uppsala University |
| 09.55 | Mobile, reused and forgotten: A contextualized story of heat sources in early modern houses Gunhild Eriksdotter, Uppsala University |
| 10.15 | Various activities in urban households involving ceramics: a case study from Turku Market Square excavations Maija Helamaa, University of Turku |
| 10.35 | Focus on the 17th and 18th century town. Excavations and building archaeological investigations in connection with the restoration of a 17th-century half-timbered house in Horsens, Denmark. Lars Pagh, Museum Horsens |
| 10.55 | COFFEE |
| 11.20 | Landfill Legacy: Excavating and investigating historical waste in Frederiksstaden, Copenhagen Karen Green Therkelsen & Simone Fabienne Mayer, Museum of Copenhagen |
| 11.40 | Local or imported fish in urban centres? Hanna Kivikero, Helsinki University |
| 12.00 | From the bishop’s wharf to a busy timber export port: the development of Oslo harbour during a period of transition Hilde Vangstad, Norwegian Maritime Museum |
| 12.20 | The New Lock of Stockholm and Early Modern Sweden Jan Kockum, Arkeologikonsult |
| 12.40 | Shadows of the Reformation in Stavanger Cathedral Sean Denham, Bettina Ebert & Margareth Hana Buer, Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger |
| 13.00 | LUNCH |
SESSION 3: Is there life after excavation? Publishing urban archaeology, curating exhibitions and making collections accessible
Moderator: Joakim Kjellberg, The Medieval Museum, Stockholm
Urban excavations generate new knowledge about medieval and modern urban life and add large quantities of material to museum collections. Large-scale excavation projects with good in-situ preservation create particular challenges for museums, including demand for storage space and long-term conservation. Excavated material constitutes a valuable resource for museum exhibitions and publications, available long after the completion of the excavation report. Digitization, in the form of digital collections of material culture, 3D-modelling of urban spaces, and reconstructions using tools such as integrated urban GIS systems and AI, shows promise for the near future but is still underutilized, and creates a new set of challenges regarding long-term storage and archiving of data.
This session addresses best practices and issues regarding publication of data and other forms of synthesis and dissemination of urban excavation and research, the curation of urban archaeological exhibitions, and the facilitation of public and academic access to collections and long-term knowledge production in the afterlife of individual urban excavation projects.
| 14.00 | Introduction |
| 14.05 | Keynote: Inspiring waste Peter Kranendonk, City of Amsterdam |
| 14.35 | Below Ground: Material Culture on Display Sigrid Samset Mygland, Bymuseet, Bergen |
| 14.55 | Mellom arkeologi og arkivskuff: en gjenstandsregistrants bekjennelser Anne Kathrine Bakstad, Anno Museum, Hamar |
| 15.15 | Digital collections and 3D-visualisation of medieval Stockholm Joakim Kjellberg, The Medieval Museum, Stockholm |
| 15.35 | COFFEE |
| 16.00 | Visualizing and publishing parallel with ongoing excavations in Oslo Egil Lindhart Bauer, The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) |
| 16.20 | End day 2 |
| 19.00 | Conference dinner at restaurant “Olympen” |
Day 3
Friday 6th June
SESSION 3 (continued)
| 08.45 | Coffee |
| 09.15 | Recreating urban landscapes: making 150 years of excavations in Randers and Odense come to life Thomas Guntzelnick Poulsen, Museum Østjylland & Kirstine Haase, Museum Odense |
| 09.35 | Where have all the trenches gone? Michael Derrick & Therese Marie Edman, The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) |
| 9.55 | Excavating excavations – part two. Research on unpublished excavations in Ribe Michael Alrø Jensen, Museum Vest |
| 10.15 | COFFEE |
SESSION 4: Medieval urban life and the urban ecosystem
Moderators: Hanna Dahlström, Sydsvensk Arkeologi & Kirstine Haase, Museum Odense
The final session addresses the dynamics of medieval urban life and the city as an ecosystem seen through the lens of archaeological materials. The papers explore various aspects of medieval urban life: environmental conditions, the impact of seasonal changes, the role of local and non-local ecosystems, and the interplay between urban development and natural resources. They also delve into how medieval townspeople responded to environmental challenges, and how they reused and repurposed materials. The focus on towns and cities as ecosystems highlights the ways in which humans create, maintain, and transform urban life in an ongoing interaction with each other, as well as with their environment and resources from either local, regional, or long-distance sources.
| 10.40 | Introduction |
| 10.45 | Keynote: Integrating Scientific Analyses in Bioarchaeology: Unveiling Social Aspects of Medieval Urban Life and Death Anna Kjellström, Stockholm University |
| 11.15 | Indicator species of the urban ecosystem from a zooarchaeological perspective Stella Macheridis, Sydsvensk Arkeologi & Lund University, Hanna Dahlström, Sydsvensk Arkeologi & Johan K Jensen, Lund University |
| 11.35 | Recurring Spaces in Urban Landscapes: Examining Oslo’s Frozen Harbour Kristine Ødeby Haugan, Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo |
| 11.55 | An Urban Multi-craft Centre in Medieval Oslo Astrid Kristine Tvedte Kristoffersen, Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo |
| 12.15 | An ecosystem of elite power: the Archbishop’s Palace in Trondheim c. 1500-1532 Chris McLees, The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) |
| 12.35 | LUNCH |
| 13.35 | Until the last shred: Reuse and repurposing material culture, everyday practice and the urban ecosystem Gitte Hansen, University Museum, Bergen |
| 13.55 | Timber production for the construction of stave churches and secular buildings in Lund during the 11th century Gunilla Gardelin, Kulturen in Lund |
| 14.15 | A Stratigraphic Almanac for the 14th Century: Human Activity and Ecology at Kongsbrygga, Oslo Håvard Hegdal, The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) |
| 14.35 | Producing, processing and consuming food and foodstuffs in medieval and late-medieval Trondheim Paula U. Sandvik, University of Stavanger & Anna H. Petersén, The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) |
| 14.55 | Drinking, cooking and working in Borgund (Sunnmøre): The application of legacy data from an open-plan excavation to illuminate a medieval town’s lifestyle Mathias Blobel, University Museum, Bergen |
| 15.15 | Conference conclusion and information |
| 15.30 | End of conference |