Per Persson

• Sørensen, Rolf; Høeg, Helge Irgens & Persson, Per (2026). A new sea-level curve for Bamble, Telemark County, south-eastern Norway. Varia. ISSN 1504-3266. 82, p. 261–273. Full text in Research Archive
• Lindahl, Anders; Reitan, Gaute & Persson, Per (2026). Neolithic pottery — h-XRF-analyses of sherds from Telemark and Vestfold. Varia. ISSN 1504-3266. 82, p. 335–343. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

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• Persson, Per & Reitan, Gaute (2026). Isotopic investigation for "food crust" from Early Neolithic ceramics from the Langangen Vestgård 6 site, Telemark, Norway. Varia. ISSN 1504-3266. 82, p. 329–334. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2026). Rocks for Mesolithic stone axe in southeastern Norway and western Sweden. Varia. ISSN 1504-3266. 82, p. 275–304. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2026). Shoreline displacement from an archaeological point of view. Varia. ISSN 1504-3266. 82, p. 105–131. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2026). The Vestfoldbane project. Varia. ISSN 1504-3266. 82, p. 3–104. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2025). Seashore Sites and Megaliths Along the Northeastern Skagerrak Coast. A Case of Egalitarian versus Hierarchic Ethos. In Kneisel, Jutta; Furholt, Martin; Hofmann, Robert; Mischka, Doris; Kirleis, Wiebke & Wunderlich, Maria Lena Tonja (Ed.), A Haunting Spectre [Volume 2] : Archaeological Studies of Social Organisation, Economic Practice, and Inequality. Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel. ISSN 9783774944923. p. 543–563. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recent ancient DNA research challenges the long-held view of genetic continuity from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic at coastal sites in Eastern Norway and on the Swedish west coast. Instead, findings reveal that individuals buried in Funnel Beaker culture megaliths in the region descended from farming immigrants from Central Europe, contradicting assumptions of local genetic continuity. However, these contrasting perspectives can be reconciled through the concept of cultural dualism in the Neolithic. According to this interpretation, local Mesolithic populations maintained their traditional fishing and hunting lifestyle while selectively adopting Neolithic artefacts such as pottery and polished flint axes. This social persistence reflects a preference for egalitarian social structures, in line with the theory put forward by social anthropologist Christopher Boehm, who suggests that humans have a genetic predisposition toward egalitarianism. This predisposition may have influenced the continued existence of hunter- gatherer societies after the beginning of the Neolithic, as their social organisation aligned more closely with this innate tendency than with the hierarchical structures indicated by megalithic graves, introduced by immigrant Funnel Beaker culture farmers. By integrating material culture, subsistence economy, and genetic data, this paper examines the social dynamics and cultural identity of Neolithic Scandinavia, illustrating the coexistence of enduring indigenous egalitarian traditions alongside newly introduced hierarchical structures.

• Eriksen, Emma Falkeid; Andrews, Adam Jon; Nielsen, Svein Vatsvåg; Persson, Per; Malca, Estrella & Onar, Vedat [Show all 19 contributors for this article] (2025). Five millennia of mitonuclear discordance in Atlantic bluefin tuna identified using ancient DNA. Heredity. ISSN 0018-067X. 134, p. 175–185. doi: 10.1038/s41437-025-00745-1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mitonuclear discordance between species is readily documented in marine fishes. Such discordance may either be the result of past natural phenomena or the result of recent introgression from previously seperated species after shifts in their spatial distributions. Using ancient DNA spanning five millennia, we here investigate the long-term presence of Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) and albacore (Thunnus alalunga) -like mitochondrial (MT) genomes in Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), a species with extensive exploitation history and observed shifts in abundance and age structure. Comparing ancient (n = 130) and modern (n = 78) Atlantic bluefin MT genomes from most of its range, we detect no significant spatial or temporal population structure, which implies ongoing gene flow between populations and large effective population sizes over millennia. Moreover, we identify discordant MT haplotypes in ancient specimens up to 5000 years old and find that the frequency of these haplotypes has remained similar through time. We therefore conclude that MT discordance in the Atlantic bluefin tuna is not driven by recent introgression. Our observations provide oldest example of directly observed MT discordance in the marine environment, highlighting the utility of ancient DNA to obtain insights in the long-term persistence of such phenomena.

• Andrews, Adam Jon; Eriksen, Emma Falkeid; Star, Bastiaan; Præbel, Kim; Natale, Antonio Di & Malca, Estrella [Show all 19 contributors for this article] (2025). Ancient DNA suggests a historical demographic decline and genetic erosion in the Atlantic bluefin tuna. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). ISSN 0027-8424. 122(21). doi: 10.1073/pnas.2409302122. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Overexploitation has depleted fish stocks during the past century; nonetheless, its genomic consequences remain poorly understood for most species. Characterizing the spatiotemporal patterns of these consequences may provide baseline estimates of past diversity and productivity to aid management targets, help predict future dynamics, and facilitate the identification of evolutionary factors limiting fish population recovery. Here, we evaluate human impacts on the evolution of the iconic Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), one of the longest and most intensely exploited marine fishes, with a tremendous cultural and economic importance. We sequenced whole genomes from modern (n = 49) and ancient (n = 41) specimens dating up to 5,000 y ago, uncovering several findings. First, we identify temporally stable patterns of population admixture, as bluefin tuna caught off Norway and in the eastern Mediterranean share a greater degree of ancestry with Gulf of Mexico bluefin tuna than western and central Mediterranean bluefin tuna. This suggests that Atlantic spawning areas are important mixing grounds for the genetic diversity of Mediterranean bluefin tuna. We model effective population size to show that Mediterranean bluefin tuna began to undergo a demographic decline by the year 1900 to an extent not observed across the previous millennia. Coinciding with this, we found that heterozygosity and nucleotide diversity were significantly lower in modern (2013 to 2020) than ancient (pre-1941) Mediterranean bluefin tuna, suggesting that bluefin tuna underwent a genetic bottleneck. With this work, we show how ancient DNA provides unique perspectives on ecological complexity with the potential to inform the management and conservation of fishes.

• Allentoft, Morten; al, et al et al, et & Persson, Per (2024). Population genomics of post-glacial western Eurasia. Nature. ISSN 0028-0836. 625(7994), p. 301–311. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06865-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Western Eurasia witnessed several large-scale human migrations during the Holocene 1–5 . Here, to investigate the cross-continental effects of these migrations, we shotgun-sequenced 317 genomes—mainly from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods—from across northern and western Eurasia. These were imputed alongside published data to obtain diploid genotypes from more than 1,600 ancient humans. Our analyses revealed a ‘great divide’ genomic boundary extending from the Black Sea to the Baltic. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were highly genetically differentiated east and west of this zone, and the effect of the neolithization was equally disparate. Large-scale ancestry shifts occurred in the west as farming was introduced, including near-total replacement of hunter-gatherers in many areas, whereas no substantial ancestry shifts happened east of the zone during the same period. Similarly, relatedness decreased in the west from the Neolithic transition onwards, whereas, east of the Urals, relatedness remained high until around 4,000 bp , consistent with the persistence of localized groups of hunter-gatherers. The boundary dissolved when Yamnaya-related ancestry spread across western Eurasia around 5,000 bp , resulting in a second major turnover that reached most parts of Europe within a 1,000-year span. The genetic origin and fate of the Yamnaya have remained elusive, but we show that hunter-gatherers from the Middle Don region contributed ancestry to them. Yamnaya groups later admixed with individuals associated with the Globular Amphora culture before expanding into Europe. Similar turnovers occurred in western Siberia, where we report new genomic data from a ‘Neolithic steppe’ cline spanning the Siberian forest steppe to Lake Baikal. These prehistoric migrations had profound and lasting effects on the genetic diversity of Eurasian populations.

• Kırdök, Emrah; Kashuba, Natalija; Damlien, Hege; Manninen, Mikael Antonio; Nordqvist, Bengt & Kjellström, Anna [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2024). Metagenomic analysis of Mesolithic chewed pitch reveals poor oral health among stone age individuals. Scientific Reports. 13(1). doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-48762-6. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Prehistoric chewed pitch has proven to be a useful source of ancient DNA, both from humans and their microbiomes. Here we present the metagenomic analysis of three pieces of chewed pitch from Huseby Klev, Sweden, that were dated to 9,890–9,540 before present. The metagenomic profile exposes a Mesolithic oral microbiome that includes opportunistic oral pathogens. We compared the data with healthy and dysbiotic microbiome datasets and we identified increased abundance of periodontitis-associated microbes. In addition, trained machine learning models predicted dysbiosis with 70–80% probability. Moreover, we identified DNA sequences from eukaryotic species such as red fox, hazelnut, red deer and apple. Our results indicate a case of poor oral health during the Scandinavian Mesolithic, and show that pitch pieces have the potential to provide information on material use, diet and oral health.

• Manninen, Mikael Antonio; Fossum, Guro; Ekholm, Therese & Persson, Per (2023). Early postglacial hunter-gatherers show environmentally driven “false logistic” growth in a low productivity environment. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. ISSN 0278-4165. 70. doi: 10.1016/j.jaa.2023.101497. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Studies that employ probability distributions of radiocarbon dates to study past population size often use exponential increase in radiocarbon dates with time as a standard of comparison for detecting population fluctuations. We show that in the case of early postglacial interior Scandinavia, however, the summed probability distribution of radiocarbon dates has best fit with a S-shaped logistic growth curve. Despite the logistic growth model having solid grounding in ecological theory, we further argue that what our data indicate is not logistic growth in the population ecological sense but “false logistic” growth that mainly follows from climatic and environmental forcing. In the initial postglacial phase, 9500–7500 BCE, human settlement was located almost exclusively along the Scandinavian Atlantic coast and the use of the mountainous interior remained low. Thereafter the formation of separate inland adaptations resulted in population growth in tandem with increasing climatic warming and environmental productivity. Some millennia later, when environmental productivity started to decrease after the Holocene Thermal Maximum, hunter-gatherer population size in interior Scandinavia reached a plateau that lasted at least 2000 years. Lowering productivity prevented any population growth that would be detectable in the available archaeological record.

• Nielsen, Svein Vatsvåg; Mansrud, Anja; Austvoll, Knut Ivar; Denham, Sean Dexter; Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie & Persson, Per [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2023). Hunting, fishing, gardening: Re-evaluating Middle Neolithic mobility and cultural diversity on the Norwegian Skagerrak coast. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. ISSN 2352-409X. 51. doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104139. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2023). Cultural dualism in Scandinavian Neolithic. Occasional papers in archaeology / Societas Archaeologica Upsaliensis. ISSN 1100-6358. 81, p. 86–98. Full text in Research Archive
• Mattila, Tiina M; Svensson, Emma; Juras, Ana; Günther, Torsten; Kashuba, Natalija Vladimizovna & Ala-Hulkko, Terhi [Show all 28 contributors for this article] (2023). Genetic continuity, isolation, and gene flow in Stone Age Central and Eastern Europe. Communications Biology. 6(1), p. 1–13. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-05131-3. Full text in Research Archive
• Iversen, Rune; Philippsen, Bente & Persson, Per (2021). Reconsidering the Pitted Ware chronology A temporal fixation of the Scandinavian Neolithic hunters, fishers and gatherers. Praehistorische Zeitschrift. ISSN 0079-4848. 96(1), p. 44–88. doi: 10.1515/pz-2020-0033. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract The Pitted Ware culture continues to attract attention from scholars. Being chronologically situated in the Neolithic, the Pitted Ware phenomenon breaks with our traditional view on cultural and social evolution by representing a return to, or continuation of, an otherwise abandoned hunter-gatherer lifestyle. One of the key issues for trying to understand the Pitted Ware Culture is its chronology – when and where did this phenomenon emerge for the first time, how did it spread and when and why did it end? In order to clarify these issues this paper presents the hitherto largest sample of new as well as old recalibrated and error corrected radiocarbon dates from Pitted Ware sites all over Scandinavia. From more than 900 radiocarbon dates, we are able to look through the many obstacles that often hamper the interpretation of the limited numbers of individual dates obtained from single sites. Furthermore, we are able to present a model showing a rapid spread of the “Pitted Ware Culture” or “Pitted Ware phenomenon” from a supposed origin in central eastern Sweden (c. 3400 cal BC) to vast, mostly coastal, areas on the Scandinavian Peninsula and northeastern Denmark. The rapid spread can be explained by Pitted Ware engagement in far-reaching flint exchange networks. The end of the Pitted Ware phenomenon (c. 2200 cal BC) can be seen as a consequence of the agricultural intensification and expansion northwards during the Late Neolithic.

• Manninen, Mikael Antonio; Damlien, Hege; Kleppe, Jan Ingolf; Knutsson, Kjel Sten Åke; Murashkin, Anton & Niemi, Anja Roth [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2021). First encounters in the north: cultural diversity and gene flow in Early Mesolithic Scandinavia. Antiquity. ISSN 0003-598X. doi: 10.15184/aqy.2020.252. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Population genetic studies often overlook the evidence for variability and change in past material culture. Here, the authors use a Mesolithic example to demonstrate the importance of integrating archaeological evidence into the interpretation of the Scandinavian hunter-gatherer genetic group. Genetic studies conclude that this group resulted from two single-event dispersals into Scandinavia before 7500 BC. Archaeological evidence, however, shows at least six immigration events pre-dating the earliest DNA, and that the first incoming groups arrived in Scandinavia before 9000 BC. The findings underline the importance of conducting careful archaeological analysis of prehistoric human dispersal in tandem with the study of ancient population genomics.

• Manninen, Mikael Antonio; Asheichyk, Vitali; Jonuks, Tonno; Kriiska, Aivar; Osipowicz, Grzegorz & Sorokin, Alexei [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2021). Using Radiocarbon Dates and Tool Design Principles to Assess the Role of Composite Slotted Bone Tool Technology at the Intersection of Adaptation and Culture-History. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. ISSN 1072-5369. doi: 10.1007/s10816-021-09517-7. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Slotted bone tools are an iconic example of composite tool technology in which change in one of the components does not require changing the design of the other parts. Commonly, slotted bone tools are seen through the lens of lithic technology, highlighting organizational aspects related to serial production of insets, reliability and maintainability. In this framework, slotted bone tool technology is associated with risk aversion in demanding environmental settings. Here, we provide the first overview of radiocarbon-dated slotted bone tools in northernmost Europe and the East European Plain, including 17 new direct dates on pitch glue, and show that the Late Pleistocene to Middle Holocene period of inset slotted bone tool use in this area shows marked variation and idiosyncrasy in associated lithic technology against a trend of continuously warming climate. We suggest that historical specificity and path-dependence, rather than convergent evolution, best explain the variability seen in slotted bone tool technology in the studied case, and that slotted bone tools in general formed an organizationally flexible, adaptable and hence likely adaptive technological solution that met a wide variety of cultural and technological demands.

• Solheim, Steinar; Glørstad, Håkon & Persson, Per (2020). Culture and context of the Scandinavian Neolithic. In Gron, Kurt J.; Sørensen, Lasse & Rowley-Conwy, Peter (Ed.), Farmers at the Frontier: A Pan-European Perspective.. Oxbow Books. ISSN 9781789251401. p. 363–379. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv13gvh1g.21. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In the 1990s, Christopher Prescott (1996) asked if there really was a Neolithic in Norway, by questioning the meaning of the term ‘Neolithic’. Prescott’s main point was to critically examine when farming practices were integrated in the region’s prehistory. He stated that in Norwegian research the Neolithic was treated as an economic stage in the evolutionary cultural development, but was defined by typological and chronological traits. As direct evidence for early farming was, and still is, scarce, focus was given to finds of artefacts that could be connected to farming cultures in southern Scandinavia. Pottery and polished flint axes were...

• Nielsen, Svein Vatsvåg & Persson, Per (2020). The Jortveit farm wetland: A Neolithic fishing site on the Skagerrak coast, Norway. Journal of Wetland Archaeology. ISSN 1473-2971. doi: 10.1080/14732971.2020.1776495. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  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.

• Nielsen, Svein Vatsvåg; Solheim, Steinar & Persson, Per (2019). De-Neolithisation in southern Norway inferred from statistical modelling of radiocarbon dates. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. ISSN 0278-4165. 53, p. 82–91. doi: 10.1016/j.jaa.2018.11.004. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per; Manninen, Mikael Antonio & Daskalaki, Evangelia (2019). The hidden sources. Combining aDNA, stone tools, and computer modeling in the study of human colonization of Norway. In Pesonen, Petro; Mannermaa, Kristiina; Seppänen, Liisa & Manninen, Mikael Antonio (Ed.), HELSINKI HARVEST Proceedings of the 11th Nordic Conference on the Application of Scientific Methods in Archaeology. The Archaeological society of Finland. ISSN 9789526845357. p. 11–31. Full text in Research Archive
• Kashuba, Natalija; Kırdök, Emrah; Damlien, Hege; Manninen, Mikael Antonio; Nordqvist, Bengt & Persson, Per [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2019). Ancient DNA from mastics solidifies connection between material culture and genetics of mesolithic hunter–gatherers in Scandinavia. Communications Biology. 2(1), p. 1–10. doi: 10.1038/s42003-019-0399-1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Human demography research in grounded on the information derived from ancient DNA and archaeology. For example, the study on the early postglacial dual-route colonisation of the Scandinavian Peninsula is largely based on associating genomic data with the early dispersal of lithic technology from the East European Plain. However, a clear connection between material culture and genetics has been lacking. Here, we demonstrate that direct connection by analysing human DNA from chewed birch bark pitch mastics. These samples were discovered at Huseby Klev in western Sweden, a Mesolithic site with eastern lithic technology. We generated genome-wide data for three individuals, and show their affinity to the Scandinavian hunter–gatherers. Our samples date to 9880-9540 calBP, expanding the temporal range and distribution of the early Scandinavian genetic group. We propose that DNA from ancient mastics can be used to study environment and ecology of prehistoric populations.

• Solheim, Steinar & Persson, Per (2018). Early and mid-Holocene coastal settlement and demography in southeastern Norway: Comparing distribution of radiocarbon dates and shoreline-dated sites, 8500–2000 cal. BCE. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. ISSN 2352-409X. 19, p. 334–343. doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.03.007. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this paper we explore temporal variation in demography and settlement intensity in southeastern Norway during the Early and mid-Holocene. In order to investigate the temporal variation in demography and settlement we have applied and compared two different proxies: Summed radiocarbon probability distributions and site count data of shoreline-dated sites. The proxies display similar patterns, and we suggest that they indicate stability in settlement in the coastal areas of southeastern Norway between 8500 cal. BCE and 2000 cal. BCE.

• Mansrud, Anja & Persson, Per (2017). Waterworld: Environment, Animal Exploitation, and Fishhook Technology in the North-Eastern Skagerrak Area During the Early And Middle Mesolithic (9500–6300 cal BC). In Persson, Per; Riede, Felix; Skar, Birgitte; Breivik, Heidi Mjelva & Jonsson, Leif (Ed.), The Ecology of Early Settlement in Northern Europe. Conditions for Subsistence and Survival. The Early Settlement of Northern Europe, Volume 1. Equinox Publishing. ISSN 9781781796030. p. 129–166. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this paper, faunal remains and bone artefacts are used as a point of departure for discussing the subsistence strategies of the Early Mesolithic (9500–8300 cal BC) and Middle Mesolithic (8300–6300 cal BC) foragers in the Oslo Fjord region of Eastern Norway and the Swedish west coast. This region is a key area in discussions about the settling of present-day Norway. Due to the combination of isostatic rebound and global sea level rise, the north-eastern Skagerrak area is one of the few regions in the world where coastlines dating to the Preboreal and Boreal climatic phases are situated above present-day sea level. This unique contextual situation makes these locales the oldest sea shore sites in Europe. Throughout the period, coastal settlements are situated close to the contemporary shoreline, and the location of the sites demonstrates the fundamental importance of the maritime environment. From the coastal areas, different ecological habitats with a variety of maritime and lacustrine resources were within reach. These ancient “waterworlds” offer a possibility to explore the settlement pattern and animal utilization. Organic remains are not preserved at any coastal Early Mesolithic site; thus, the mode of subsistence must be inferred from non-anthropogenic bone collections and palaeoecological data. In the oldest phase of the coastal site Huseby Klev, dated to the beginning of the Boreal chronozone, c. 8000 cal BC, the abundance of marine mammals suggests that hunting of marine mammals was an important part of the diet. The occurrence of cod and ling as well as fishhooks confirms that fishing was also practiced. The importance of fishing seems to increase in the later Middle Mesolithic. The Middle Mesolithic faunal assemblages exhibit remarkable species diversity, with terrestrial mammals, sea mammals, birds, and fish. This is suggestive of a broad- spectrum economy. There is a wide variety of marine fish, in particular different species of the cod family (Gadidae). The most common fishing equipment from the north-eastern Skagerrak Middle Mesolithic takes the form of small fishhooks without barb. The fishhook and other bone implements were made of antler and ungulate metapodials; thus, these animals provided important raw material in addition to calories.

• Persson, Per (2017). The Earliest Settlement in the Middle Scandinavian Inland: A Discussion about Joel Boaz's Pioneers in the Mesolithic. In Persson, Per; Riede, Felix; Skar, Birgitte; Breivik, Heidi Mjelva & Jonsson, Leif (Ed.), The Ecology of Early Settlement in Northern Europe. Conditions for Subsistence and Survival. The Early Settlement of Northern Europe, Volume 1. Equinox Publishing. ISSN 9781781796030. p. 197–219. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A new set of 101 radiocarbon datings on burned bone from inland sites in central Scandinavia is used here. These show a similar pattern to the previously used 261 datings on charcoal. The two dating methods thus confirm each other. They also show a great resemblance to a model proposed by Joel Boaz in 1999, based on excavation results from two inland areas. Boaz’s model has two main periods of Mesolithic inland settlement, separated by low inland use after 6000 BC, also known as the “classic hiatus.” This hiatus marks the end of what is here considered the pioneer phase. There is also an Early Mesolithic phase of inland settlement, not known in Eastern Norway, but represented in Western Norway and West Sweden. After the Early Mesolithic there was a change from the use of both inland and coast to a concentration of settlement at the coast. This period of low inland use lasted for more than 1,000 years. At 6900 BC inland settlement takes off, showing an exponential increase until 6200 BC. Here it is argued that this is not the result of an expansion from the coast, but rather a separate inland population originating from the north and east. The explanation could be the contemporary increase in woodland and in the elk population. This leads to the highest density of inland settlement during the entire Stone Age at c. 6200 BC.

• Nilsson, Björn; Sjöström, Arne & Persson, Per (2017). Seascapes of Stability and Change: The Archaeological and Ecological Potential of Early Mesolithic Seascapes, with Examples from Haväng in the Southern Baltic, Sweden. In Persson, Per; Riede, Felix; Skar, Birgitte; Breivik, Heidi Mjelva & Jonsson, Leif (Ed.), The Ecology of Early Settlement in Northern Europe. Conditions for Subsistence and Survival. The Early Settlement of Northern Europe, Volume 1. Equinox Publishing. ISSN 9781781796030. p. 335–353. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The sea level low-stand period during the Early Mesolithic in the south-eastern Baltic (c. 9500–6500 BC) was followed by the transgression of vast areas. Some of the now submerged sites have yielded extensive remains of lagoonal and riverine sediments, as well as areas with trees preserved in situ. Investigations at one of the sites—Haväng in eastern Scania—have resulted in archaeological finds from the entire period. The preservation of organic materials is very good, and gives new insights into material culture and fishing technologies. Extensive surveying and hydro-acoustic mapping make it possible to draw conclusions about the timing of the introduction of stationary fishing and how this relates to cultural and natural changes. The paper proposes that riverine stationary fisheries in the southern Baltic were introduced during the Boreal period (7000 BC or earlier). These Maglemose fisheries are proposed as indirect evidence of early seascape territorialization, which must be understood in a cultural and ecological context.

• Solheim, Steinar & Persson, Per (2016). Marine Adaptation in the Middle Mesolithic of South-eastern Norway. In Bjerck, Hein Bjartmann; Breivik, Heidi Mjelva; Fretheim, Silje Elisabeth; Piana, Ernesto; Skar, Birgitte; Tivoli, Angélica M. & Zangrando, Atilio Francisco (Ed.), Marine Ventures - Archaeological perspectives on Human-Sea relations.. Equinox Publishing. ISSN 9781781791363. p. 261–276. doi: 10.1558/equinox.24568.Nov2016. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  During 2010-2012 the Museum of Cultural History excavated several sites dated to the Middle Mesolithic (8300-6300 BC) in the western parts of the Oslofjord region. This has provided us with an opportunity to discuss several aspects of the period. The sites show diversity in lay out, size and organisation. This allows for well-founded interpretations of the Middle Mesolithic society, settlement systems and economy based on empirical data of high quality. Here two sites are presented as case studies: Hovland 3 with a well-dated (c. 7500 BC) dwelling structure and the contemporary site Prestemoen 1 with preserved bones. These recently excavated sites from the Oslofjord region have parallels in the Late Mesolithic period, rather than the assumed more mobile Early Mesolithic society. Already from around 7500 BC we see traces of a more stable settlement pattern and lifestyle.

• Eigeland, Lotte Christin; Mansrud, Anja & Persson, Per (2016). Littisk avfallsmateriale som kilde til datering : en case-study fra Sandholmen ved Glomma, Østfold. Primitive tider. ISSN 1501-0430. 18, p. 7–23. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2014). Molecular genetics and the introduction of agriculture to Northern Europe. In Sellevold, Berit J. (Eds.), Old Bones. Osteoarchaeology in Norway: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Novus Forlag. ISSN 9788270997831. p. 237–260. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2014). Gunnarsrød Myr – spår av medeltida aktivitet. In Reitan, Gaute & Persson, Per (Ed.), Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind 2 Seinmesolittiske, neolittiske og yngre lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788283140118. p. 311–319. Full text in Research Archive
• Melvold, Stine Annette & Persson, Per (2014). Sundsaasen 2. En boplats från tidigneolitikum. In Reitan, Gaute & Persson, Per (Ed.), Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind 2 Seinmesolittiske, neolittiske og yngre lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788283140118. p. 116–130. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2014). Prestemoen 2. En provundersökning av en nøstvetboplats. In Reitan, Gaute & Persson, Per (Ed.), Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind 2 Seinmesolittiske, neolittiske og yngre lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788283140118. p. 413–417. Full text in Research Archive
• Carrasco, Lotte; Persson, Per; Eggen, Inger Margrete; Eigeland, Lotte Christin; Fossum, Guro & Melvold, Stine Annette [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2014). Gunnarsrød 6. Et boplassområde fra overgangen mellommesolitikum–seinmesolitikum. In Melvold, Stine Annette & Persson, Per (Ed.), Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind I: Tidlig- og mellommesolittiske lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788283140095. p. 277–308. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2014). Prestemoen 1. En plats med ben från mellanmesolitikum. In Melvold, Stine Annette & Persson, Per (Ed.), Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind I: Tidlig- og mellommesolittiske lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788283140095. p. 202–227. Full text in Research Archive

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• Damlien, Hege; Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie; Melheim, Anne Lene; Mjærum, Axel; Persson, Per Åke & Schülke, Almut [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Steinalderen i Sørøst-Norge. Faglig program for steinalderundersøkelser ved Kulturhistorisk museum. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 9788202737030. 260 p. doi: 10.23865/noasp.141. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Steinalderen i Sørøst-Norge. Faglig program for steinalderundersøkelser ved Kulturhistorisk museum inneholder en helhetlig oversikt over utgravinger av 430 boplasser, begravelser, depoter, fangstanlegg m.m. fra år 2000 til 2017, og presenterer en bred og oppdatert redegjørelse for forskningsstatus knyttet til steinalderen (ca. 9500–1700 f.Kr.) i regionen. I presentasjonen av forskningsstatus synliggjøres ikke bare det vi vet per i dag, men også betydelige kunnskapshull. Den manglede kunnskapen har dannet utgangspunkt for formuleringen av fire framtidige satsingsområder: Teknologi Bosetning og landskapsbruk Ressursgrunnlag og økonomi Ritualer og ritualisert praksis I dette faglige programmet for steinalderundersøkelser presenteres konkrete forslag til strategier og tiltak som vil bidra til å tette disse kunnskapshullene, skape faglig utvikling og danne grunnlag for videre forskning. Steinalderen i Sørøst-Norge er skrevet for forskere, forvaltere, studenter og andre som vil gjøre dypdykk i vår eldste forhistorie. Boken vil være et viktig verktøy for planlegging og gjennomføring av kommende steinalderutgravninger ved Kulturhistorisk museum. Den vil også danne et grunnlag for de rådene museet gir i forbindelse med forvaltningen av våre eldste kulturminner.

• Damlien, Hege; Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie; Melheim, Anne Lene; Mjærum, Axel; Persson, Per & Schülke, Almut [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Steinalderen i Sørøst-Norge: Faglig program for steinalderundersøkelser ved Kulturhistorisk museum. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 9788202737030. 260 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per; Riede, Felix; Skar, Birgitte; Breivik, Heidi Mjelva & Jonsson, Leif (2017). The Ecology of Early Settlement in Northern Europe. Conditions for Subsistence and Survival. The Early Settlement of Northern Europe, Volume 1. Equinox Publishing. ISBN 9781781796030. 500 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Reitan, Gaute & Persson, Per (2014). Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind 2 Seinmesolittiske, neolittiske og yngre lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Portal forlag. ISBN 9788283140118. 430 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Jaksland, Lasse & Persson, Per (2014). E18 brunlanesprosjektet bind I. Forutsetninger og kulturhistorisk sammenstilling. Universitetet i Oslo. ISBN 9788280840547. 320 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Melvold, Stine Annette & Persson, Per (2014). Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind I: Tidlig- og mellommesolittiske lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Portal forlag. ISBN 9788283140095. 319 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Persson, Per; Sørensen, Rolf; Høeg, Helge Irgens; Gälman, Veronika; Moltsen, Annine S. A. & Henningsmoen, Kari Egede [Show all 19 contributors for this article] (2026). Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind 3. Stone Age in Telemark. Archaeological results and scientific analysis from Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2025). Non human aDNA from Mesolithic "chewing-gums”. Full text in Research Archive
• Allentoft, Morten E.; Sikora, Martin; Refoyo-Martínez, Alba; Irving-Pease, Evan K.; Fischer, Anders & Barrie, William [Show all 164 contributors for this article] (2024). Publisher Correction: Population genomics of post-glacial western Eurasia (Nature, (2024), 625, 7994, (301-311), 10.1038/s41586-023-06865-0). Nature. ISSN 0028-0836. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07044-5. Full text in Research Archive
• Eigeland, Lotte Christin; Fossum, Guro; Rosenvinge, Carine Sofie & Persson, Per (2023). Oslofjordens gåtefulle øksemakere. Aftenposten Historie. ISSN 1894-5775. p. 28–33. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2023). Hällkistorna i Aremark. Wiwar. p. 5–11. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2022). Svante Pääbo nobelpristagare. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2022). Hellekisterne i Aremark. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2021). Mesolithic resource use inferred from DNA captured in birch tar pitch. Full text in Research Archive
• Mansrud, Anja; Nielsen, Svein Vatsvåg; Austvoll, Knut Ivar; Denham, Sean Dexter; Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie & Persson, Per [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2021). Rethinking the sub-Neolithic in Norway: Submissive and vulgar or creative and affluent? Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per; Manninen, Mikael Antonio; Mattila, Tiina M; Nordqvist, Bengt & Kashuba, Natlija (2020). Mesolithic resource use inferred from DNA captured in birch tar pitch. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2020). Spännande ting från aDNA-forskningens värld. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2020). Ancient DNA with an example from Scandinavia in the third millennium BC. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2020). Tuggummina från Huseby klev. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2019). Neolitikum runt Oslofjorden - megalitkultur och boplatskultur. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2019). Cultural dualism in Neolithic Scandinavia. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2019). Systematisk registering i våtmarksområder erfarenheter i KHMs distrikt 2018. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2019). KJENN PUSTEN FRA STEINALDEREN! Full text in Research Archive
• Knutsson, Kjel; Manninen, Mikael Antonio; Damlien, Hege; Kleppe, Jan Ingolf; Murashkin, Anton & Niemi, Anja Roth [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2019). First encounters in the north: Cultural diversity and gene flow in Early Mesolithic Scandinavia. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  For over a decade now, the field of paleogenomics has been a key source of information for studies of prehistoric human mobility and dispersal. Although the samples of ancient DNA in these studies derive from archaeological contexts, and interpretations of the sources of detected genomic variation are made using archaeological cultures as background information, due to varietyof reasons archaeological discussion is rarely at the centre of papers that combine DNA and archaeology. With this in mind, we discuss the Early Mesolithic in Scandinavia, a case where cultural variability is great in the archaeological record but not necessarily fully grasped in studies that have attempted to combine genes and culture to create a model of early postglacial human dispersal. A common problem for all DNA studies concentrating on Mesolithic north-western Europe, is that the currently available sample material postdates the archaeologically identified timing of the pioneer colonization process and many of the subsequent cultural processes that took place alongside and after the region had been occupied. In this presentation we present an up-to-date synthesis of available archaeological data from Fennoscandia predating 7500 cal BCE and discuss it in relation to the current model of single event gene-culture co-dispersal. We specifically scrutinize the idea that the eastern component detected in Mesolithic Scandinavian hunter-gatherers in studies of ancient DNA can be directly linked to a single population event evidenced by the spread of eastern pressure blade technology along the Norwegian Atlantic coast.

• Persson, Per (2019). Genetics of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in Scandinavia. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2018). Cultural dualism in Neolithic Scandinavia? Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2018). Genetics and migration during Stone Age. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Svein Vatsvåg; Solheim, Steinar & Persson, Per (2018). Accumulating cultures: exploring prehistoric demography combining radiocarbon. Dates and material culture (Southern Norway). Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Modelling combinations of radiocarbon dates using Bayesian statistical principles is becoming an increasingly common method for research into prehistoric population dynamics. It has recently been suggested that results from such analyses should be linked with multiple proxies in order to secure a more robust validation. This paper explores population dynamics in southern Norway throughout the Neolithic period (3900-1800 BCE) by comparing two different proxies: (1) radiocarbon dates and (2) trends in material culture from occupation sites. For this study, 643 14C-dates derived from 204 Neolithic sites were analysed using SPD’s (UCL-method), while trends in material culture from 180 occupation and mortuary sites were analysed using kernel density modelling. The analysis of radiocarbon dates identified three phases of intensified relative population size in the Neolithic, which correlated well with regional changes in material culture, indicating a ‘rise and fall’ of cultural complexes. However, the three phases in the SPD’s did not follow a predictable pattern with regard to the character of the documented settlement activity, e.g. hunting, fishing and gathering compared to local food production. These findings are discussed in terms of how expected grand mediators in prehistoric societies such as migration and food production techniques are to be deciphered from results of demographic research.

• Solheim, Steinar & Persson, Per (2018). Populating Coastal Landscapes: The case of shorebound Mesolithic settlement in southeastern Norway. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The early and mid-Holocene landscape of southeastern Norway was under a constant process of change due to shifting sea level and constant land rise. This dynamic landscape offered Stone Age hunter-gatherers concentrations of aquatic and terrestrial resources. Unlike most parts of Europe, no Holocene transgressions are documented in this region but the degree of land uplift and sea level changes has varied between the different parts of southeastern Norway. A recent study by the authors has demonstrated temporal stability in the coastal population in southeastern Norway during the early and mid-Holocene by using C14-dates as proxy. In this paper we will explore this further at a more detailed level by using the same data set to investigate the connection between settlement sites and the shifting shorelines and sea level. While earlier studies of settlement patterns have focused on limited regions we will expand on these studies and explore the coastal settlement pattern further by investigating Mesolithic sites from the entire Oslo fjord region. In order to so we will compare the temporal distribution of dates with the changing sea levels. In our approach we will adjust all C14-dated sites to the same “nill-curve” in order to directly compare different parts of the region and to investigate the connection between settlement and changing shorelines. Can we expect a clear pattern of continuity in shorebound settlement as indicated by previous studies? If and consequently when we observe variation or breaks in shorebound settlement, what are the reasons for this? Here we offer a new approach to investigate the temporal development in coastal settlement pattern in southeastern Norway. This study will also give a more detailed picture of the general temporal development in human activity in the coastal areas of southeastern Norway.

• Persson, Per (2018). Faculty examiner: Dissertation: Fraser, M. 2018. People of the Dolmens and Stone Cists. An archaeogenetic Investigation of Megalithic Graves from the Neolithic Period on Gotland. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2018). Kulturdualism under neolitikum runt Oslofjorden. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2018). Systematisk registrering i våtmark, Inledning med internationella utblickar och norska erfarenheter. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2017). Key note speaker sesjon 3 Bosetningsmönster.. Full text in Research Archive
• Philippsen, Bente & Persson, Per (2017). Datierung und Isotopenanalysen an Grübchenkeramik im Kattegat-Gebiet. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2017). Genetics of the Scandinavian Mesolithic. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2017). Karin Boys, gammalt DNA och stenåldersarkeologi. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2017). Pioneers of North-Western Europe. Ancient DNA and archaeology. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2016). Agent based modeling. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2016). News on genetics and human refugia during LGM. Full text in Research Archive
• Bente, Philippsen & Persson, Per (2016). The cuisine of the Pitted Ware Culture. Stable isotope analysis and radiocarbon dating in the context of a multidisciplinary project. Full text in Research Archive
• Manninen, Mikael Antonio; Daskalaki, Anna Evangelina & Persson, Per (2015). Determining the hidden sources of human colonization of Norway - KHM Pioneers Project. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Pioneers of North-Western Europe project (KHM Pioneers Project) focuses on the prevalent model of early postglacial human colonization of Norway by combining aDNA and lithic technological studies. A two-way colonization pattern has been observed for most terrestrial pioneer and boreal forest species in Scandinavia after the last glacial period: one route from the south-west and another through northernmost Fennoscandia. It is generally accepted that these routes represent plant and animal populations spreading from separate glacial refuges which is manifested by genetic differences.

• Persson, Per; Manninen, Mikael Antonio & Daskalaki, Anna Evangelina (2015). Pioneers of North-Western Europe. Determining the hidden sources of human colonization of Norway. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Pioneers of North-Western Europe project (KHM Pioneers Project) focuses on the prevalent model of early postglacial human colonization of Norway by combining aDNA and lithic technological studies. A two-way colonization pattern has been observed for most terrestrial pioneer and boreal forest species in Scandinavia after the last glacial period: one route from the south-west and another through northernmost Fennoscandia. It is generally accepted that these routes represent plant and animal populations spreading from separate glacial refuges which is manifested by genetic differences.

• Solheim, Steinar & Persson, Per (2015). Coast-inland relations in Mesolithic southern Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2014). Pioneers of North-Western Europe, new version. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2014). Naturvetenskap. In Melvold, Stine Annette & Persson, Per (Ed.), Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind I: Tidlig- og mellommesolittiske lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788283140095. p. 76–87. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2014). Forskningshistoria. In Melvold, Stine Annette & Persson, Per (Ed.), Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind I: Tidlig- og mellommesolittiske lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788283140095. p. 48–54. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2014). Registrering av stenålderslokaler inför Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. In Melvold, Stine Annette & Persson, Per (Ed.), Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind I: Tidlig- og mellommesolittiske lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788283140095. p. 55–57. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2014). Lokalt landskap. In Melvold, Stine Annette & Persson, Per (Ed.), Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med ny jernbane mellom Larvik og Porsgrunn. Bind I: Tidlig- og mellommesolittiske lokaliteter i Vestfold og Telemark. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788283140095. p. 24–35. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2014). Pioneers of North-Western Europe. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2014). Sources of human colonisation of Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2013). Havets betydelse för Norges pionjärbosättning, En maritim värld- från stenåldern till idag. Bricoleur Press. ISSN 9789185411245. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per; Reitan, Gaute; Melvold, Stine Annette; Fossum, Guro; Eigeland, Lotte Christin & Eggen, Inger Margrete (2013). Sista fältsäsongen med Vestfoldbaneprosjektet. Nicolay: Arkeologisk tidsskrift. ISSN 0332-8937. p. 23–34. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per & Solheim, Steinar (2013). Shoreline and radiocarbon dating. Stone Age settlement in the Oslofjord area. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per (2013). Stone Age archaeology along an new railway. Scale and approcaches on lithic scatters and landscapes around the Oslofjord. Full text in Research Archive
• Sørensen, Rolf; Høeg, Helge Irgens; Gälman, Veronika & Persson, Per (2013). En begravd holocen myr i sydøstre Telemark - Sedimentologi, vegetasjonshistorie og klima. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Per & Glørstad, Håkon (2025). Rapport. Arkeologisk Registrering. Neolittisk Boplass på Gjerstad. Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i Oslo, Arkeologisk seksjon . Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I perioden 19. til 22. mai 2025 ble det foretatt en mindre prøveundersøkelse på steinalderboplassen Gjerstad. Undersøkelsen ble gjennomført som et samarbeidsprosjekt mellom Stavanger maritime museum, Agder fylkeskommune, NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet og Kulturhistorisk museum. Formålet med undersøkelsen var dels å avklare omfanget av bosetningsspor, dels å få klarlagt om deler av boplassen hadde spesielt gode bevaringsforhold for organisk materiale. Det ble totalt gravd 35 prøvestikk spredt på tomten, hvorav 33 var positive med funn fra steinalder. I 11 av prøvestikkene ble det også påvist et eldre dyrkingslag med varierende tykkelse. Det ble gjort funn av flint i dyrkingslagene og ned til undergrunnen. Det ble totalt innsamlet 736 funn, hovedsakelig av flint, men også gjenstander av kvarts, bergart og bergkrystall. I tillegg ble det funnet 12 skår av keramikk der ett var dekorert. Boplassen dateres hovedsakelig til mellomneolittisk tid.

• Persson, Per; Eigeland, Lotte; Amundsen, Tina; Gebremariam, Kidane Fanta & Nyland, Astrid Johanne (2022). Stein fra inlandets steinalder. Rapport fra arkeologiske undersøkelser knyttet til sektoravgiften, 2016-2022. Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i Oslo, Arkeologisk seksjon . Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sektoravgiftsprojektet för Nordre och Mellom Røgden startade med ett förprojekt 2016; ”Inn i det ukjente…” (Mjærum 2015, Amundsen 2017). Det blev sedan en del av projektet "Stein fra inlandets steinalder" vars projektplan fastställdes 2017 (Persson, Amundsen & Nyland 2017). Den ursprungliga planen från 2017 har uppdaterats ett par gånger, senast 2022, men projektets målsättning har inte förändrats. Planen består i att 1/ lokalisera stenåldersboplatser runt Nordre Røgden (Fallsjøen) och Mellom Røgden (Rotbergsjøen), 2/ genomföra bergartsbestämningar av stenåldersfynd från Røgdensjöarna och Osensjöen i östra Hedmark/Innlandet fylke, figur 1. Projektet; "Stein fra inlandets steinalder", har pågått mycket längre än vad det var tänkt. Enligt planen från 2017 skulle projektet avslutas redan samma höst. Planen var då att registreringar skulle genomföras vid Røgden under våren 2017, något som visade sig vara omöjligt. Problemet är välkänt för arkeologi i kraftverksdammar; det är lågvatten i dammarna under slutet av vintern men då ligger det is på botten och när isen smälter är vattennivån redan på väg att höjas. Eftersom stenåldersboplatser i stor utsträckning låg vid stränderna före uppdämningen ligger de idag mestadels under vatten. Røgden består av tre sjöar varav de två nordligaste ingår i vårt registreringsprojekt. De är reglerade upp till 4,5 respektive 2,7 meter över ursprunglig nivå och stränderna från tiden före regleringen är tillgängliga bara tidigt på våren. Registreringarna vid Røgden genomfördes 2018 och 2019 (Amundsen 2018, 2020). Det påträffades totalt 12 nya boplatser och vid kontrollregistrering av tre äldre boplatsfynd gjordes nya fynd på två av dessa. Tillsammans med några äldre fynd är det nu registrerat 23 stenåldersboplatser runt Røgdensjöarna. En av dessa är utgrävd 2010 (Jensen 2011). Projektet; "Stein fra inlandets steinalder" omfattar även en genomgång av stenåldersfynd från Osensjöen. Bakgrunden är sektorsavgiftsprojektet ”Osensjöen på vippen” som genomfördes 2016 (Bratlie et al. 2017). Det projektet omfattade flera delmoment som alla syftade till att undersöka om sjön tippat söderut genom större landhöjning i norr än i söder. Projektet lyckades inte visa på en sådan effekt, men det gjordes stenåldersregistreringar och provgrävningar på flera stenåldersboplatser (Bratlie et al. 2017, Persson 2017, Bjørkli 2018). Från Osensjöen finns dessutom fynd från tidigare stenåldersregistreringar och lösfynd (Nielsen 1950:28ff, Marten 1962, Boaz 1998, Stafseth 2009, H. Amundsen 2011:tab. 24). Vidare har det framkommit ett stenåldersmaterial vid undersökningar på Skavernodden i samband med ett annat sektoravgiftsprojekt (Stene 2019). Inom ramen för projektet "Stein fra inlandets steinalder" har vi katalogiserat stenåldersfynden från Skavernodden (Vedlegg 1). Totalt har vi har behandlat fynd från 32 stenåldersboplatser runt Osensjöen. Vid såväl Røgden som Osensjöen är det förväntat att ett stort antal olika bergarter har använts till att tillverka stenredskap. Det är ett omfattande och komplicerat arbete att försöka spåra varifrån alla dessa kommer. Under projektet ”Osensjöen på vippen” noterades att det förekom kambrisk flinta ibland fynden från sjön, något som inte varit känt sedan tidigare. Sedan tidigare var det känt att det förekom jaspis bland fynden Osensjön (Sjurseike 1994:fig. 11). I rapporten från utgrävningen av Lukashaugen vid Røgden nämner Theis Z.T. Jensen att det bland flintfynden förekommer Kinnekulleflinta (2011:10). Vi menar att jaspis, sydskandinavisk och kambrisk flinta är relativt lätta att känna igen och vi koncentrerar bergartsbestämningar till dessa. Vår undersökning är huvudsakligen genomförd genom att fynden jämförts med referensprover. Det är många naturvetenskapliga metoder som har kommit till bruk när det gäller att bestämma ursprungsplatsen för sten som använts som råmaterial till redskap med skärande eggar. En del av metoderna är destruktiva och en del är dessutom mycket kostsamma. "X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy" (XRF) kan utföras med ett handhållet instrument, metoden är icke-destruktiv, billig och snabb. Om den fungerar så kan ett stort material (1000-tals prov) undersökas relativt enkelt. Vi har genomfört en pilotstudie för att bestämma hur pass användbar en handhållen XRF ær för en bestämning av jaspis från brottet i Flendalen.

• Rosenvinge, Carine Sofie; Persson, Per; Damlien, Hege; Lyby, Solveig Synnøve; Søbakken, Alexander Henie & Havstein, John Asbjørn [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). Oslofjordforbindelsen, trinn 2. Delrapport: 4 Vedlegg: Froen (38/1), Rommerud (39/1), Stubberud (40/1), Kongsdelene (356/1), Verpen (353/13, 358/1), Frogn og Asker kommuner, Viken. Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i Oslo, Arkeologisk seksjon . Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Prosjektet omfatter utgravninger i forbindelse med utbygging av Oslofjordforbindelsen trinn 2 i Frogn og Asker kommuner, Viken. Til sammen ni automatisk fredete kulturminner i form av steinalderlokaliteter ble utgravd, hvorav åtte omtales i denne rapportserien. Utgravningene ble gjennomført over to sesonger i perioden 16.09-02.11.2019 og 11.05-6.10.2020. Kulturminnene ligger 85-40 moh., og spenner over tidsrommet mellommesolitikum til senneolitikum/eldre bronsealder. I tillegg er det innslag av opphold i yngre perioder på enkelte av boplassene. Et hovedfokus for undersøkelsen har vært å kartlegge sammenhenger eller variasjon på tvers av Oslofjorden. Denne hovedproblemstillingen er undersøkt gjennom kartlegging av nærtopografi, boplassfunksjon og kronologisk utvikling. Alle lokalitetene ligger i utmark, og er relativt velbevarte. Det er utarbeidet fire delrapporter fra prosjektet. Denne rapporten, delrapport 4 omfatter vedlegg knyttet til utgravningen. Prosjektleder: Per Persson.

• Rosenvinge, Carine Sofie; Persson, Per; Damlien, Hege; Lyby, Solveig Synnøve; Havstein, John Asbjørn & Stubberud, Sverre Magnus [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). Oslofjordforbindelsen, trinn 2. Delrapport 3: Steinalderlokaliteter på vestsiden av Oslofjorden. Kongsdelene (356/1), Verpen (353/13, 358/1), Asker kommune, Viken. Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i Oslo, Arkeologisk seksjon . Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Prosjektet omfatter utgravninger i forbindelse med utbygging av Oslofjordforbindelsen trinn 2 i Frogn og Asker kommuner, Viken. Til sammen ni automatisk fredete kulturminner i form av steinalderlokaliteter ble utgravd, hvorav åtte omtales i denne rapportserien. Utgravningene ble gjennomført over to sesonger i perioden 16.09-02.11.2019 og 11.05-6.10.2020. Kulturminnene ligger 85-40 moh., og spenner over tidsrommet mellommesolitikum til tidligneolitikum. I tillegg er det innslag av opphold i yngre perioder på enkelte av boplassene. Et hovedfokus for undersøkelsen har vært å kartlegge sammenhenger eller variasjon på tvers av Oslofjorden. Denne hovedproblemstillingen er undersøkt gjennom kartlegging av nærtopografi, boplassfunksjon og kronologisk utvikling. Alle lokalitetene ligger i utmark, og er relativt velbevarte. Det er utarbeidet fire delrapporter fra prosjektet. Denne rapporten, delrapport 3 presenterer resultatene fra undersøkelsene av fem lokaliteter på vestsiden av Oslofjorden i Asker kommune, Viken; Verpen 3, Verpen 4, Verpen 6, Verpen R57 og Verpen 1. Prosjektleder: Per Persson.

• Rosenvinge, Carine Sofie; Persson, Per; Damlien, Hege; Lyby, Solveig Synnøve; Havstein, John Asbjørn & Stubberud, Sverre Magnus [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). Steinalderlokaliteter. Oslofjordforbindelsen, trinn 2. Delrapport 1: Sammenfattende rapport, Froen (38/1), Rommerud (39/1), Stubberud (40/1), Kongsdelene (356/1), Verpen (353/13, 358/1), Frogn og Asker kommuner, Viken. Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i Oslo, Arkeologisk seksjon . Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Prosjektet omfatter utgravninger i forbindelse med utbygging av Oslofjordforbindelsen trinn 2 i Frogn og Asker kommuner, Viken. Til sammen ni automatisk fredete kulturminner i form av steinalderlokaliteter ble utgravd, hvorav åtte omtales i denne rapportserien. Utgravningene ble gjennomført over to sesonger i perioden 16.09-02.11.2019 og 11.05-6.10.2020. Kulturminnene ligger 85-40 moh., og spenner over tidsrommet mellommesolitikum til senneolitikum/eldre bronsealder. I tillegg er det innslag av opphold i yngre perioder på enkelte av boplassene. Et hovedfokus for undersøkelsen har vært å kartlegge sammenhenger eller variasjon på tvers av Oslofjorden. Denne hovedproblemstillingen er undersøkt gjennom kartlegging av nærtopografi, boplassfunksjon og kronologisk utvikling. Alle lokalitetene ligger i utmark, og er relativt velbevarte. Det er utarbeidet fire delrapporter fra prosjektet. Denne rapporten, delrapport 1 presenterer en oversikt over bakgrunnen og organiseringen av prosjektet, og inneholder dessuten en sammenfatning av resultatene av utgravningene. Prosjektleder: Per Persson.

• Rosenvinge, Carine Sofie; Persson, Per; Damlien, Hege; Lyby, Solveig Synnøve; Havstein, John Asbjørn & Lindboe, Karin Kaldhussæter [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). Oslofjordforbindelsen, trinn 2. Delrapport 2: Steinalderlokaliteter på østsiden av Oslofjorden, Froen (38/1), Rommerud (39/1), Stubberud (40/1), Frogn kommune, Viken. Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i Oslo, Arkeologisk seksjon . Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Prosjektet omfatter utgravninger i forbindelse med utbygging av Oslofjordforbindelsen trinn 2 i Frogn og Asker kommuner, Viken. Til sammen ni automatisk fredete kulturminner i form av steinalderlokaliteter ble utgravd, hvorav åtte omtales i denne rapportserien.. Utgravningene ble gjennomført over to sesonger i perioden 16.09-02.11.2019 og 11.05-6.10.2020. Kulturminnene ligger 85-40 moh., og spenner over tidsrommet mellommesolitikum til tidligneolitikum. I tillegg er det innslag av opphold i yngre perioder på enkelte av boplassene. Et hovedfokus for undersøkelsen har vært å kartlegge sammenhenger eller variasjon på tvers av Oslofjorden. Denne hovedproblemstillingen er undersøkt gjennom kartlegging av nærtopografi, boplassfunksjon og kronologisk utvikling. Alle lokalitetene ligger i utmark, og er relativt velbevarte. Det er utarbeidet fire delrapporter fra prosjektet. Denne rapporten, delrapport 2 presenterer resultatene fra undersøkelsene av tre senmesolittiske lokaliteter på østsiden av Oslofjorden i Frogn kommune, Viken; Stubberud 2, Stubberud 3 og Vassum. Prosjektleder: Per Persson.

• Austvoll, Knut Ivar; Reitan, Gaute & Persson, Per (2022). Undersøkelser av lokalitet fra steinalder i forbindelse med feltkurs 2021. Brukjerr 3. Molland 82/1, Grimstad, Aust-Agder. Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i Oslo, Arkeologisk seksjon . Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I forbindelse med arkeologisk feltkurs for masterstudenter ved institutt for arkeologi, konservering, og historie, i samarbeid med Kulturhistorisk Museum, UiO, har man utgravd deler av en neolittisk boplass (ID 135321) ved gården Molland (82/1) i Grimstad kommune, Agder. Lokaliteten har fått navnet Brukjerr 3. Undersøkelsen 2021 er en videreføring av utgravningene fra 2017-2018 (Mansrud 2018) og 2019 (Austvoll m.fl. 2020). Det ble undersøkt 3,25 m2 i 2021. Totalt ble det gjort 4358 funn av flint, bergart, kvarts, pimpstein, metarhyolitt og skifer på lokaliteten. Det ble også funnet 362 keramikkskår og 380 brent bein. Funn av flintredskaper, keramikk og brent bein i tykke kulturlag gir innblikk i en boplass med en intensiv bruk i tidlig- og mellomneolitisk tid. Prosjektet fokuserer på den kulturhistorisk utvikling i steinalderen, med særlig fokus på ervervsstrategien i mellomneolitikum. Utfra lokalitetens topografi og fra osteologiske undersøkelser av beinene fra de tidligere utgravningene på plassen er det fangst av fisk og annet vilt har vart hovedfokus. Prosjektleder: Per Persson.

• Persson, Per (2021). En steinalderboplass vid Svinesund. Hjelmkollen, Svinesund, 17/1, Halden, Østfold. Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i Oslo, Arkeologisk seksjon . Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Undersökningen gäller ett område invid tullstationen vid gamla Svinesundsbron på Hjelmkollen 17/1. Utgrävningen genomfördes av Kulturhistorisk museum i samarbete med Østfold fylkeskommune i augusti 2018. Undersökningen bestod framförallt av provstick längs vägsträckan. På två platser utvidgades med vardera två kvadratmeterrutor. Tillsammans framkom 1379 fynd varav huvuddelen var flintföremål. Området sträcker sig i höjd mellan 48 och 33 möh. Fynden framkom framförallt på tre nivåer och dessa behandlas vara för sig: • Över 46 möh fynd från typisk Nøstvet-kultur med en datering till ca. 5000 f.Kr. utifrån höjd och C14-datering av andra lokaler på samma höjd. Bl.a. fynd av 2 nøstvetyxor,hög andel bergartsavfall, hög andel mikroflekker. • Mellan 41 och 46 möh, antagligen Nøstvet, men lite bergartsföremål, hög andel mikroflekke. Dateras till ca. 4500 f.Kr. utifrån höjd och C14-datering av andra lokaler på samma höjd. • Under 41 möh (lägsta fynd på 33 möh). Färre fynd men en tvärpil och en Limhamnsyxa stödjer en datering till tidigneolitikum. Dateringen ca. 3900 f.Kr. Det undersökta området är förstört av såväl vägbygget som av en ravin. Ravinen har antagligen uppkommit pga Halden kommune slamavskiller. I övre delen av det undersökta området kring 50 möh, finns en registrering från 1991 som visar att boplatsen antagligen sträckt sig ca. 100 m längs den dåtida stranden. På lägre nivåer finns ingen registrering annat än den längs den aktuella vägsträckan som utgör en östlig utkant av boplatsområdet. Fynden stämmer väl in i vad som är känt om den kronologiska sekvensen för tiden 5000 -3900 f.Kr. Det är sannolikt att platsen varit i bruk kontinuerlig under detta tidsavsnitt och att detta visar på en lokal befolkningskontinuitet även under den tid då jordbruket introducera des. Boplatsens lokalisering är antagligen bestämd av jakt, fångst och fiske. Prosjektleder: Per Persson.

• Winther, Torgeir & Persson, Per (2016). Osensjøen-på vippen? Delrapport 1: Osneset. Undersøkelse av steinalderboplass med flere aktivitetsområder. Osneset gård, 73/37 og Osneset kirkegård, 73/127, Åmot, Hedmark. Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i Oslo, Arkeologisk seksjon . Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I perioden 13.5 til 24.5.2016 gjennomførte Kulturhistorisk museum en begrenset undersøkelse av steinalderlokaliteten ID129155 på Osneset i Åmot kommune, Hedmark. Undersøkelsen inngikk i trinn 1 av prosjektet Osensjøen – på vippen? som gjennomføres i forbindelse med fornying av konsesjon for kraftproduksjon i Osensjøen. En av prosjektets hovedmålsettinger er knyttet til å avklare hvorvidt Osensjøen har vært utsatt for en vippeeffekt, et resultat av ujevn landheving i den sørlige og nordlige delen av sjøen. Undersøkelsen av lokaliteten på Osneset er en del av prosjektets tilnærming landhevingsprosessen. I praksis resulterte dette i at feltundersøkelsene ble innrettet mot å fremskaffe best mulige dateringer av aktiviteten på de undersøkte boplassene med minimale inngrep i kulturminnet. På id129155 ble det gravd ti prøveruter langs to profiler, samt at det det ble gravd to frittstående prøveruter på et lite høydedrag. Det ble funnet 231 gjenstander av littisk materiale og 3487 fragmenter av brent bein fra fisk og pattedyr fordelt på tre funnkonsentrasjoner, K1 til K3. To av beinbitene var bearbeidete og kan muligens stamme fra en lyster. Det littiske materialet indikerer at funnkonsentrasjonene er resultatet av en rekke opphold i løpet av siste del av mellommesolitikum (8250-6350 f.Kr.) og senmesolitikum (6350-3800 f.Kr.), samt at K3 også har en yngre fase med opphold i senneolitikum eller eldre bronsealder. Osteologisk analyse av beinmaterialet identifiserte fem fiskearter – gjedde, abbor, lake, sik og en ubestemt karpefisk – samt fem pattedyrarter – bever, hare, villsvin, rein og elg. Prosjektleder: Per Persson.

• Jaksland, Lasse; Persson, Per; Eigeland, Lotte; Fossum, Guro; Henningsmoen, Kari Egede & Høeg, Helge Irgens [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2014). Varia 79 E18 Brunlanesprosjektet. Bind 1. Forutsetninger og kulturhistorisk sammenstilling. Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet I Oslo, Fornminneseksjonen. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  E18 Brunlanesprosjektets undersøkelser er publisert i tre bind. Dette bind (Bind I) inne­holder bakgrunnen for undersøkelsene, naturhistoriske forutsetninger og kulturhistorisk sammenstilling. Bind lI og Bind Ill inneholder beskrivelser av de enkelte lokalitetene. E 18 Brunlanesprosjektet ble etablert 1. mai 2007 og avsluttet 31. juli 2011. I 2007 og 2008 undersøkte prosjektet ti tidligmesolittiske boplasser, en senneolittisk boplass og en jorbruks­lokalitet fra eldre jernalder. Undersøkelsene foregikk i to delparseller for nye E 18 gjennom Vestfold og Telemark, der tiltakshaver var Statens vegvesen, Region sør.

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