Steinar Solheim

• Solheim, Steinar; Riris, Phil; Silva, Fabio; Crema, Enrico; Palmisano, Alessio & Robinson, Erick [Vis alle 14 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Frequent disturbances enhanced the resilience of past human populations. Nature. ISSN 0028-0836. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07354-8. Vis sammendrag

  The record of past human adaptations provides crucial lessons for guiding responses to crises in the future1,2,3. To date, there have been no systematic global comparisons of humans’ ability to absorb and recover from disturbances through time4,5. Here we synthesized resilience across a broad sample of prehistoric population time–frequency data, spanning 30,000 years of human history. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of population decline show that frequent disturbances enhance a population’s capacity to resist and recover from later downturns. Land-use patterns are important mediators of the strength of this positive association: farming and herding societies are more vulnerable but also more resilient overall. The results show that important trade-offs exist when adopting new or alternative land-use strategies.

• Arthur, Frank; Hatlestad, Kailin; Lindholm, Karl-Johan; Loftsgarden, Kjetil; Löwenborg, Daniel & Solheim, Steinar [Vis alle 8 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). The impact of volcanism on Scandinavian climate and human societies during the Holocene: Insights into the Fimbulwinter eruptions (536/540 AD). The Holocene. ISSN 0959-6836. doi: 10.1177/09596836231225718. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Recent paleoclimatic research has revealed that volcanic events around 536–540 AD caused severe, short-term global cooling. For this same period, archeological research from various regions evidences significant cultural transformation. However, there is still a lack of understanding of how human societies responded and adapted to extreme climate variability and new circumstances. This study focuses on the effects of the 536/540 AD volcanic event in four Scandinavian regions by exploring the shift in demographic and land use intensity before, during, and after this abrupt climate cooling. To achieve this, we performed climate simulations with and without volcanic eruptions using a dynamically downscaled climate model (iLOVECLIM) at a high resolution (0.25° or ~25 km). We integrated the findings with a comprehensive collection of radiocarbon dates from excavated archeological sites across various Scandinavian regions. Our Earth System Model simulates pronounced cooling (maximum ensemble mean −1.1°C), an abrupt reduction in precipitation, and a particularly acute drop in growing degree days (GDD0) after the volcanic event, which can be used to infer likely impacts on agricultural productivity. When compared to the archeological record, we see considerable regional diversity in the societal response to this sudden environmental event. As a result, this study provides a more comprehensive insight into the demographic chronology of Scandinavia and a deeper understanding of the land-use practices its societies depended on during the 536/540 AD event. Our results suggest that this abrupt climate anomaly amplified a social change already in progress.

• Schülke, Almut; Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie; Mjærum, Axel Johan; Roalkvam, Isak & Solheim, Steinar (2023). New Perspectives on Old Shores: Current Approaches to the Mesolithic in South-Eastern Norway and their Potential. Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique Française. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Research on coastal societies in Mesolithic south-eastern Norway (9300-3900 cal. BC) has increased significantly in recent years, against the backdrop of a much larger, more substantial and constantly growing source material over the last two decades, but also through the adoption of different theoretical frameworks and methodological tools. Thus, various new insights into Mesolithic coastal living have been gathered. However, the diversity in theoretical and methodological approaches has received rather little theoretical reflection concerning the aims and potential of these various ways of dealing with the archaeological material. This article presents and discusses a number of current approaches on human relations with the shore in the Mesolithic in south-eastern Norway. It reflects on differences and similarities with respect to underlying concepts, theory, and methodology within these approaches. We ask which aspects of our topic do the different approaches actually shed light on, and whether the approaches are compatible. By comparing these approaches this article aims at clarifying the investigatory breadth present, but also at highlighting challenges and limitations pertaining to individual analytical perspectives. This can contribute a better understanding of hunter-gatherer lifeways on the Mesolithic coast, potentially through a combination of approaches that have so far been applied separately. We will focus on five thematic areas and on the potential for combining them: population dynamics and radiocarbon dates, settlement patterns and site location, adaptation and choice of place, moving and dwelling, and technology as tradition.

• Solheim, Steinar & Loftsgarden, Kjetil (2023). Uncovering population dynamics in Southeast Norway from 1300 BC to AD 800 using summed radiocarbon probability distributions. I Ødegaard, Marie Kjærnet & Ystgaard, Ingrid (Red.), Complexity and dynamics : Settlement and landscape from the Bronze Age to the Renaissance in the Nordic Countries (1700 BC–AD 1600). Sidestone Press. ISSN 9789464270426. s. 99–112.
• Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie; Mjærum, Axel; Roalkvam, Isak; Solheim, Steinar & Schülke, Almut (2023). Coast-concepts in Norwegian Stone Age archaeology. Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique Française. 19, s. 45–60. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The sea and coast have always been central to Norwegian Stone Age research, and most of the archaeological sites we know from the period are located along the coast. Natural conditions associated with the land uplift after the last Ice Age have provided unique opportunities for exploring the coastal settlement of the Stone Age. The general sentiment in the literature is that the Stone Age hunter-gatherers on the Scandinavian Peninsula mainly hunted, moved and settled along the coastline. Less attention has been paid to the areas behind the coast – the coastal hinterland –, although a number of sites are also known further inland and in mountain areas. Central to this perception is the ‘shoreline model’, which has developed gradually over a century of research. While this model has resulted in the identification of thousands of sites, it does have a simplistic eco-functional foundation. Is it possible that such a conceptual starting point in some ways limits our opportunities to explore the coastal landscape from other perspectives, or even prevents us from discovering archaeological material in other landscape settings? To explore this possibility, we ask whether there are conditions in our research, or circumstances in its underlying framework that have contributed to the strong coastal focus. How did today’s concepts and knowledge of the Stone Age coastal settlement come about, and what roles have been played by the natural environment and topographical character of the landscape? How has this influenced our perception of Stone Age settlement, and what other factors have been important? We identify five main factors that each work toward strengthening the coastal focus in different ways. Furthermore, we examine strengths and challenges of the coastal concepts employed in present research and suggest possible future exploration of Stone Age coasts within a broader perspective of a ‘landscape of practice’. Although the coast was central to the people of the Stone Age, this article argues that a one-sided focus on the coast and coastline may hinder a broader knowledge of Stone Age society and human life. Keywords: Stone Age, Mesolithic, shoreline displacement, coastal adaption, archipelago landscape, hinterland, site location, archaeological survey methods, site concepts, Norway.

• Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie; Hårstad, Silje; Granados, Tina Jensen; Reitan, Gaute; Romundset, Anders & Johannessen, Linnea Syversætre [Vis alle 7 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2022). Enculturating Coastal Environments in the Middle Mesolithic (8300-6300 cal BCE)-Site Variability, Human-Environment Relations, and Mobility Patterns in Northern Vestfold, SE-Norway. Open Archaeology. ISSN 2300-6560. 8(1), s. 634–669. doi: 10.1515/opar-2022-0251. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The coastal settlement in Middle Mesolithic (MM) Southeast Norway is generally described as a dynamic system of small, short-lived sites and large sites that were visited repeatedly over a long time. It has been suggested that in this period – compared to the preceding Early Mesolithic (EM) – an increased attraction towards the large archipelagos along the Norwegian coast, and their broad spectrum of both marine and terrestrial food sources, took place. This has, however, been debated. An important background for the discussion is the documented population influx and the abrupt shift in tool technology around 8300 cal BCE. The question remains whether this great social and technological upheaval was followed by a transformation or break in the environmental knowledge and changes in the ways of living, such as new human–environment relations, settlement systems, and mobility patterns. We propose that the continuous process of enculturation of the land and environment would have played a decisive role in the societal development. In this article, we therefore investigate details of site construction and mobility patterns, as well as the marking of the land by the establishment of settlement sites and exploitation of lithic raw materials on a larger scale. We concentrate our investigation on the on-site activity, site location, lithic raw material economy, and technological organisation, which brings renewed opportunities for discussing enculturation processes in the period. Our results document a diverse settlement pattern, as well as diachronic variation, suggesting an internal duality within the sociocultural development process in the area. The article presents the new results from the InterCity Vestfold project, situated by the Oslofjord west coast. Our data comprise a total of eight excavated and 69 surveyed sites from 4 municipalities. A strong isostatic land uplift caused continuous and rapid changes in the shoreline configuration and its nearby environments, in the Oslofjord area throughout the Mesolithic. To enable the discussion of human–environment relations, we therefore present a new relative sea level (RSL) curve, supplying detailed data on the shoreline development in the project area.

• Mjærum, Axel; Loftsgarden, Kjetil & Solheim, Steinar (2022). Human-vegetation dynamics in Holocene south-eastern Norway based on radiocarbon dated charcoal from archaeological excavations. The Holocene. ISSN 0959-6836. 32(7), s. 690–702. doi: 10.1177/09596836221088242. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Charcoal from archaeological contexts differs from off-site pollen samples as it is mainly a product of intentional human action. As such, analysis of charcoal from excavations is a valuable addition to studies of past vegetation and the interaction between humans and the environment. In this paper, we use a dataset consisting of 6186 dated tree species samples from 1239 archaeological sites as a proxy to explore parts of the Holocene forest development and human-vegetation dynamics in South-Eastern Norway. From the middle of the Late Neolithic (from c. 2000 BC) throughout the Early Iron Age (to c. AD 550) the region’s agriculture is characterized by fields, pastures and fallow. Based on our data, we argue that these practices, combined with forest management, clearly altered the natural distribution of trees and favoured some species of broadleaved trees. The past distribution of hazel (Corylus avellana) is an example of human impact on the vegetation. Today, hazel is not even among the 15 most common tree species, while it is one of the most prevalent species in the archaeological record before AD 550. The data indicate that this species was favoured already by the region’s Mesolithic hunter-fisher-gatherers, and that it was among the species that thrived extremely well in the early farming landscape. Secondly, our analysis also indicates that spruce (Picea abies) first formed large stands in the south-eastern parts of Norway c. 500 BC, centuries earlier than previously assumed. It is argued that this event, and a further westward expansion of spruce, was partly a consequence of a specific historical event – the first millennium BC farming expansion.

• Bird, Darcy; Miranda, Lux; Linden, Marc Vander; Robinson, Erick; Nicholson, CHris & Bocinsky, R. Kyle [Vis alle 20 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2022). p3k14c, a synthetic global database of archaeological radiocarbon dates. Scientific Data. ISSN 2052-4463. 9(27). doi: 10.1038/s41597-022-01118-7. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Archaeologists increasingly use large radiocarbon databases to model prehistoric human demography (also termed paleo-demography). Numerous independent projects, funded over the past decade, have assembled such databases from multiple regions of the world. These data provide unprecedented potential for comparative research on human population ecology and the evolution of social-ecological systems across the Earth. However, these databases have been developed using diferent sample selection criteria, which has resulted in interoperability issues for global-scale, comparative paleodemographic research and integration with paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental data. We present a synthetic, global-scale archaeological radiocarbon database composed of 180,070 radiocarbon dates that have been cleaned according to a standardized sample selection criteria. This database increases the reusability of archaeological radiocarbon data and streamlines quality control assessments for various types of paleo-demographic research. As part of an assessment of data quality, we conduct two analyses of sampling bias in the global database at multiple scales. This database is ideal for paleo-demographic research focused on dates-as-data, bayesian modeling, or summed probability distribution methodologies.

• Solheim, Steinar (2021). Timing the emergence and development of arable farming in Southeastern Norway by using summed probability distribution of radiocarbon dates and a Bayesian age model. Radiocarbon: An International Journal of Cosmogenic Isotope Research. ISSN 0033-8222. 63(5), s. 1503–1524. doi: 10.1017/RDC.2021.80. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The paper explores the emergence and development of arable farming in southeastern Norway by compiling and analyzing directly dated cereals from archaeological contexts. By using summed probability distributions of radiocarbon dates and Bayesian modeling, the paper presents the first comprehensive analysis of the directly dated evidence for farming in the region. The models provide a more precise temporal resolution to the development than hitherto presented. The results demonstrate that the introduction of arable farming to southeastern Norway was a long-term development including several steps. Three different stages are pointed out as important in the process of establishing arable farming: the Early and Middle Neolithic, the Late Neolithic, and the Early Iron Age.

• Solheim, Steinar; Damlien, Hege & Fossum, Guro (2020). Technological transitions and human-environment interactions in Mesolithic southeastern Norway, 11 500–6000 cal. BP. Quaternary Science Reviews. ISSN 0277-3791. 246. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106501. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  In Northern Europe, the Holocene is characterized by climatic and environmental variations. A central question is how hunter-gatherer in different regions coped with these changes. In this article, we explore the temporal co-variance between environmental change and transitions in lithic technology during the Mesolithic of southeastern Norway. The empirical starting point comprises technological analysis of lithic assemblages from sites dated between 11 500 and 6000 cal. BP. We focus on two transitions identified in the lithic assemblages: 1) the introduction of the conical core pressure blade technology and ground macro tool technology, c. 10 300–10 100 cal. BP, and 2) the introduction of microblade production on handle cores and changes in the macro tool assemblage, c. 7700-7500 cal. BP. The main objective is to investigate the factors influencing transitions in material culture, and contribute to the discussion of the complexity and diversity of human-environment interactions during the Mesolithic of Northern Europe. The results from this study contribute to an increasing knowledge on the diversity and complexity of hunter-gatherers relation with environmental and climatic variation, and add more insight to the vital question of how we can understand culture change among past populations.

• Solheim, Steinar; Glørstad, Håkon & Persson, Per (2020). Culture and context of the Scandinavian Neolithic. I Gron, Kurt J.; Sørensen, Lasse & Rowley-Conwy, Peter (Red.), Farmers at the Frontier: A Pan-European Perspective.. Oxbow Books. ISSN 978-1-78925-140-1. s. 363–379. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Solheim, Steinar (2020). Mesolithic coastal landscapes: Demography, settlement patterns and subsistence economy in southeastern Norway. I Schülke, Almut (Red.), Coastal landscapes of the Mesolithic : Human engagement with the coast from the Atlantic to the Baltic Sea. Routledge. ISSN 9781138303607. s. 44–72. doi: https:/doi.org/10.4324/9780203730942. Vis sammendrag

  Norway offers good opportunities to study coastal adaptation in human societies during the early and mid-Holocene. This chapter aims to demonstrate how the coastal region of southeastern Norway and its resources were of central importance for the people who settled here during the Mesolithic. In order to investigate settlement strategies a case from the western coast of the Oslo fjord region is presented. Here settlement strategies and site location are discussed in terms of location near the shoreline by correlating radiocarbon dated contexts of anthropogenic origin with the shoreline displacement curve. Furthermore, the relative population size during the Mesolithic and Neolithic is studied by using radiocarbon dates as proxy. Finally, the subsistence economy is investigated by looking at the available faunal data from excavated sites in the region as well as isotopic evidence of human remains from Norway and the neighbouring regions.

• Solheim, Steinar & Iversen, Frode (2019). The mid-6th century crises and their impacts on human activity and settlements in southeastern Norway. I Brady, Niall & Theune, Claudia (Red.), SETTLEMENT CHANGE ACROSS MEDIEVAL EUROPE OLD PARADIGMS AND NEW VISTAS. Sidestone Press. ISSN 978-90-8890-806-4. s. 423–434. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  AD 536 is a poignant date in European history and marks the advent of a series of documented environmental changes that affected societies across Europe in various ways. Sudden and severe climate deterioration led to vast crop failures and was followed by plague epidemics in the following decades. In this article, we examine the timing of the changes in human activity with a detailed investigation of 855 radiocarbon determinations from Vestfold, Norway. The modelled radiocarbon data show a decrease in activity concurrent with the climatic events and plague epidemics that took place in the mid-6th century, and provide another proxy for the significant changes that occurred during this time. The results may support the idea that fimbulvetr was the start of a long-lasting cooling period combined with severe population declines and a dramatic decrease in cultural activity. In the past and present, the investigated area represents a heartland of rural production and settlements in Scandinavia. The time span of the crises is fundamental to our academic understanding of the character and societal impacts of the crises, and this study examines it more precisely than previous work.

• 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, s. 82–91. doi: 10.1016/j.jaa.2018.11.004.
• 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, s. 334–343. doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.03.007. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  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.

• Wieckowska-Lüth, Magdalena; Solheim, Steinar; Schülke, Almut & Kirleis, Wiebke (2018). Towards a refined understanding of the use of coastal zones in the Mesolithic: New investigations on human–environment interactions in Telemark, southeastern Norway. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. ISSN 2352-409X. 17, s. 839–851. doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.12.045. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The study of the effects of human presence on vegetation in the Mesolithic has been controversial. It is often assumed that hunter-gatherers did not change or affect their environment in a way that can be detected by means of pollen analysis. In this paper, we explore potential human impact on the vegetation during the Mesolithic by comparing pollen data from a high-resolution sediment core from Lake Skogstjern with archaeological data obtained through extensive excavation and survey in Bamble, in the county of Telemark, southeastern Norway. The aim of this interdisciplinary approach is to reach a better understanding of the development and use of Mesolithic woodlands with regard to the availability of different resources, but also to put the question of human impact on Mesolithic vegetation on the agenda. Mesolithic settlement in southeastern Norway was to a very large degree shore bound, and the pollen analysis from Lake Skogstjern, situated in the coastal hinterland, allows for new perspectives on and interpretations of the use of the coastal wider landscape.

• Solheim, Steinar; Fossum, Guro & Knutsson, Helena (2018). Use-wear analysis of Early Mesolithic flake axes from South-eastern Norway. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. ISSN 2352-409X. 17, s. 560–570. doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.12.017. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The flake axe is one of the most debated stone tools of the Scandinavian Mesolithic. Few analysis have however been carried out in order to investigate the actual function and use of the tool. In this paper we present the results from use-wear analysis of 42 flake axes from nine Early Mesolithic sites (9200–8400 cal. BC) from Southeastern Norway. This study demonstrates that the flake axe was a multi-tool used for several tasks and for working different raw materials. The results from the use wear analysis are related to morphological variation among the analysed specimens. This suggests that there is no clear cut relation between morphological variation and function.

• Breivik, Heidi Mjelva; Fossum, Guro & Solheim, Steinar (2018). Exploring human responses to climatic fluctuations and environmental diversity: Two stories from Mesolithic Norway. Quaternary International. ISSN 1040-6182. 465(B), s. 258–275. doi: 10.1016/j.quaint.2016.12.019. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  This paper explores environmental variations in time and space, adaptive strategies and possible cultural responses to climatic changes as manifested through archaeological data in terms of lithic tool technology, site density and settlement patterns. The objective is investigated by two case studies from Mesolithic Norway. The first case deals with the earliest settlement phase of Norway (c. 11,500–10,000 cal. BP), which climatically encompasses gradual changes from cold, arctic conditions, to a milder sub-arctic climate, as well as the rapid Preboreal Oscillation (PBO) cold event. The second case explores the 8200 cal. BP cold event and its effect on culture and settlement in Southeast Norway. The studies suggest that the coastal settlement, in terms of site density, was not affected by either the PBO or the 8200 cal. BP event. Changes in site location patterns seem to have occurred gradually and on a long-term scale. Shifts in lithic technology are detected within the Mesolithic periods, but a correlation between abrupt climatic alterations and cultural changes are yet to be proved. We argue, therefore, that in these northern, coastal environments, declining temperatures may have had less impact than on the Continental Plains, and may in fact have improved the living conditions for a range of marine species. Also, the Mesolithic populations seemed to have employed a generalized lithic toolkit and a flexible mobility system – adaptive strategies that was able to withstand environmental variations in time and space.

• Damlien, Hege & Solheim, Steinar (2017). The Pioneer Settlement of Eastern Norway. I Blankholm, Hans Peter (Red.), The Early Economy and Settlement in Northern Europe. Pioneering, Resource Use, Coping With Change.. Equinox Publishing. ISSN 9781781796054. doi: 10.1558/equinox.30736. Vis sammendrag

  The pioneer settlement of eastern Norway has been the subject of a long research history. The Post-Glacial colonisation as a social process, and the long-term social implications related to settling in new landscapes, has, however, received sparse attention. During the last decade, new excavations have provided source material of high quality from both the early and late pioneering phase of eastern Norway, corresponding to the Early (10,000-9000 BP/9500-8250 cal. BC) and Middle Mesolithic (9000-7500 BP/8250-6350 cal. BC) periods. Both inland and coastal settlements have been excavated, giving us opportunity to investigate the colonisation process in two very different ecological and economic settings. Whereas the earliest evidence of human pioneer settlement in the coastal areas of eastern Norway can be dated to c. 9900-9800 BP (9400-9300 cal. BC), the inland areas first became habitable after the ice retreated c. 8850 BP (8000 cal. BC) and groups moving into the area can be characterized as the last pioneers of eastern Norway. In earlier models on Mesolithic inland-coastal relationship, the interior of eastern Norway has been treated as resource caches for a coastal population and peripheral to broader concerns of understanding change during the colonisation process (Boaz 1999). With the purpose of contributing to a better understanding of the adjustment to regional circumstances and traditions in the enculturation of new landscapes, we study raw material and technological strategies as well as settlement strategies at coastal sites from the Oslofjord region and interior sites along the Rena River/Gråfjell area, Hedmark County. By using a multilateral approach we will argue that stable settlement can be seen at the coast and in the inland c. 2000 years earlier than previously suggested, and that the development in the interior regions must be perceived as a parallel to the increased regionalisation and general social development in Scandinavia during the colonisation process.

• Solheim, Steinar & Havstein, John Asbjørn (2017). En seinmesolittisk lokalitet med produksjon av bergartsøkser, E18 Rugtvedt-Dørdal. Arkeologiske undersøkelser av lokaliteter fra steinalder og jernalder i Bamble kommune, Telemark fylke.. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788202566241. s. 455–476.
• Solheim, Steinar & Nielsen, Svein Vatsvåg (2017). En tidligmesolittisk lokalitet med reduksjon av strandflintknoller, E18 Rugtvedt-Dørdal. Arkeologiske undersøkelser av lokaliteter fra steinalder og jernalder i Bamble kommune, Telemark fylke.. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788202566241. s. 171–187.
• Solheim, Steinar (2017). Introduksjon til undersøkte lokaliteter og området, E18 Rugtvedt-Dørdal. Arkeologiske undersøkelser av lokaliteter fra steinalder og jernalder i Bamble kommune, Telemark fylke.. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788202566241. s. 97–103.
• Solheim, Steinar & Ødeby, Kristine (2017). Formidling av E18-prosjektet, E18 Rugtvedt-Dørdal. Arkeologiske undersøkelser av lokaliteter fra steinalder og jernalder i Bamble kommune, Telemark fylke.. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788202566241. s. 77–83.
• Solheim, Steinar (2017). Naturvitenskap og andre ekspertanalyser, E18 Rugtvedt-Dørdal. Arkeologiske undersøkelser av lokaliteter fra steinalder og jernalder i Bamble kommune, Telemark fylke.. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788202566241. s. 63–76.
• Solheim, Steinar (2017). Utgravningsstrategi og metode, E18 Rugtvedt-Dørdal. Arkeologiske undersøkelser av lokaliteter fra steinalder og jernalder i Bamble kommune, Telemark fylke.. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788202566241. s. 43–52.
• Solheim, Steinar (2017). Kunnskapsstatus og faglig bakgrunn for undersøkelsene, E18 Rugtvedt-Dørdal. Arkeologiske undersøkelser av lokaliteter fra steinalder og jernalder i Bamble kommune, Telemark fylke.. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788202566241. s. 29–42.
• Solheim, Steinar (2017). Erfaringer og prosjektevaluering, E18 Rugtvedt-Dørdal. Arkeologiske undersøkelser av lokaliteter fra steinalder og jernalder i Bamble kommune, Telemark fylke.. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788202566241. s. 19–25.
• Solheim, Steinar (2017). Innledning og prosjektbakgrunn, E18 Rugtvedt-Dørdal. Arkeologiske undersøkelser av lokaliteter fra steinalder og jernalder i Bamble kommune, Telemark fylke.. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788202566241. s. 11–18.
• Koxvold, Lucia Uchermann; Solheim, Steinar & Havstein, John Asbjørn (2017). Hegna Øst 7. En boplass fra overgangen fra mellom-til seinmesolitikum. E18 Rugtvedt-Dørdal. Arkeologiske undersøkelser av lokaliteter fra steinalder og jernalder i Bamble kommune, Telemark fylke.. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788202566241. s. 397–412.
• Solheim, Steinar; Koxvold, Lucia Uchermann & Havstein, John Asbjørn (2017). Dørdal. En lokalitet fra tidligmesolitikum. E18 Rugtvedt-Dørdal. Arkeologiske undersøkelser av lokaliteter fra steinalder og jernalder i Bamble kommune, Telemark fylke.. Portal forlag. ISSN 9788202566241. s. 137–152.

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• Damlien, Hege; Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie; Melheim, Anne Lene; Mjærum, Axel; Persson, Per & Schülke, Almut [Vis alle 7 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2021). Steinalderen i Sørøst-Norge: Faglig program for steinalderundersøkelser ved Kulturhistorisk museum. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 9788202737030 . 260 s.
• Damlien, Hege; Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie; Melheim, Anne Lene; Mjærum, Axel; Persson, Per Åke & Schülke, Almut [Vis alle 7 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2021). Steinalderen i Sørøst-Norge. Faglig program for steinalderundersøkelser ved Kulturhistorisk museum. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 9788202737030. 260 s. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  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.

Sjå alle arbeida i Cristin

• Solheim, Steinar (2024). Farming, population growth and cultural change in the Late Neolithic of south-eastern Norway.
• Solheim, Steinar & Zilmer, Kristel (2024). Runesteinen fra gravfeltet ved Svingerud – verdens eldste daterte runestein.
• Spangen, Marte & Solheim, Steinar (2024). Ingen nye argumenter. Aftenposten (morgenutg. : trykt utg.). ISSN 0804-3116. Vis sammendrag

  https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/debatt/i/zEnRwq/ingen-nye-argumenter?fbclid=IwAR3Q_LwfTrY7e3wy3SBJlWTFJdPKOvBDc10BW-dWJTnyPoVHKrA_GGzrmMo

• Spangen, Marte & Solheim, Steinar (2024). Boken «12000 år med norsk historie» bidrar mer til forvirring enn forklaring. Aftenposten (morgenutg. : trykt utg.). ISSN 0804-3116. Vis sammendrag

  https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/debatt/i/9z99jW/boken-12000-aar-med-norsk-historie-bidrar-mer-til-forvirring-enn-forklaring

• Solheim, Steinar (2023). The start of farming in Eastern Norway. .
• Gulliksen, Øivind; Solheim, Steinar & Zilmer, Kristel (2023). Om formidling av runesteinen fra Svingerud, Hole.
• Solheim, Steinar & Zilmer, Kristel (2023). Foredrag om verdens eldste runestein.
• Zilmer, Kristel; Solheim, Steinar & Orie, Amarachi (2023). World’s oldest dated runestone discovered in Norway – with a mysterious inscription. [Internett]. CNN.
• Solheim, Steinar; Zilmer, Kristel; Påsche, Eirik Sørenmo & Brock, Tina (2023). Skal finne ut mer om mystisk kvinne fra år 0. [Internett]. NRK Buskerud.
• Solheim, Steinar & Zilmer, Kristel (2023). God morgen Norge. [TV]. TV 2 God morgen Norge.
• Zilmer, Kristel & Solheim, Steinar (2023). TV2 Nyheter - direkte intervju om runesteinen fra Hole. [TV]. TV2.
• Solheim, Steinar; Zilmer, Kristel & Rustad Carlsen, Marianne (2023). Eldste runestein. [TV]. NRK Dagsrevyen.
• Solheim, Steinar; Zilmer, Kristel & Ramsrud, Knut Andreas (2023). På den aller siste dagen gjorde de et sensasjonelt funn. [Avis]. Ringerikes blad.
• Zilmer, Kristel; Solheim, Steinar & Estep, Mette (2023). Verdens eldste runestein funnet ved Tyrifjorden. [Internett]. NTB.
• Zilmer, Kristel; Solheim, Steinar & Toft, Martin (2023). Verdas eldste runestein funnen av UiO-arkeologar i Hole på Ringerike. [Internett]. Uniforum.
• Zilmer, Kristel; Solheim, Steinar & Mauren, Arnfinn (2023). Unikt funn av runestein: – Alle runeforskeres drøm. [Avis]. Aftenposten.
• Zilmer, Kristel; Solheim, Steinar; Rustad Carlsen, Marianne & Hirsti, Kristine (2023). Fant 2000 år gammel runestein i Hole : – Dette er en verdensnyhet. [Internett]. NRK.
• Zilmer, Kristel; Solheim, Steinar & Zawalska, Judyta (2023). Verdens eldste runestein - infofilm til utstilling på Historisk museum. [Internett]. Utstilling.
• Zilmer, Kristel & Solheim, Steinar (2023). Verdens eldste runestein.
• Solheim, Steinar (2023). Migration is in your bones! . I Hofmann, Daniela; Frieman, Catherine J & Nyland, Astrid Johanne (Red.), Migration narratives in Archaeology. Sidestone Press. ISSN 9789464262025. s. 46–48.
• Solheim, Steinar & Zilmer, Kristel (2023). Norsk runestein er trolig verdens eldste. [Radio]. NRK - Studio 2.
• Solheim, Steinar (2023). Her stikker verdens eldste runestein ut av bakken. Slik fant forskerne ut hvor gammel den er. [Internett]. Forskning.no.
• Spangen, Marte & Solheim, Steinar (2023). Utdaterte spekulasjoner om DNA og kultur blir presentert som fakta. Det er et problem. Aftenposten (morgenutg. : trykt utg.). ISSN 0804-3116. Vis sammendrag

  https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/kronikk/i/3EAvjP/utdaterte-spekulasjoner-om-dna-og-kultur-blir-presentert-som-fakta-det-er-et-problem

• Solheim, Steinar (2023). Introduksjon - stordata i norske arkeologi.
• Solheim, Steinar (2023). Forskere mener vestlendinger spiste hai i steinalderen. [Internett]. Forskning.no.
• Solheim, Steinar (2023). Exploring temporal trends in human activity, lithic technology and tool assemblages in South-Eastern Norway.
• Solheim, Steinar (2023). Utviklingen i arkeologiske metoder og arkeologiens forhold til andre fag.
• Solheim, Steinar & Zilmer, Kristel (2023). Scene HumSam: Verdens eldste runestein .
• Solheim, Steinar (2023). Svingerudsteinen - verdens eldste runestein. Omvisning for Riksantikvaren. .
• Solheim, Steinar & Zilmer, Kristel (2023). Svingerudsteinen – verdens eldste runestein. Utstillingsåpning Veien kulturminnepark.
• Solheim, Steinar & Zilmer, Kristel (2023). Svingerudsteinen - verdens eldste runestein.
• Solheim, Steinar (2023). Fellesprosjektet Ringeriksbanen og E16. Arkeologiske undersøkelser og verdens eldste runestein.
• Schülke, Almut & Solheim, Steinar (2022). Participation in CAS-project "Exploring the Archaeological Migration Narrative: The introduction of farming and animal husbandry in Southern Norway" .
• Solheim, Steinar (2022). Arkeologiske utgravninger i Hole. [Radio]. NRK Nyhetsmorgen.
• Solheim, Steinar (2022). Utgravninger langs FRE16. [TV]. NRK Distriktsnyheter Oslo og Viken.
• Solheim, Steinar (2022). Studio 2 - Steingammel stekt fisk. [Radio]. NRK P2. Vis sammendrag

  I Israel er restene av verdens eldste «middag» blitt funnet: 780 000 år gamle rester av stekt fisk ved jordanelven tyder på at menneskers forgjengere begynte å tilberede mat med ild mye tidligere enn antatt.

• Solheim, Steinar & Zilmer, Kristel (2022). Svingerudsteinen - verdens eldste runestein.
• Solheim, Steinar & Schülke, Almut (2022). Exploring the Archaeological Migration Narrative: The Introduction of Farming and Animal Husbandry in Southern Norway.
• Solheim, Steinar & Kay, Andrea (2022). Introduction to session 404 “Socio-environmental systems and resilience to disturbance regimes".
• Schülke, Almut; Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie; Mjærum, Axel Johan; Solheim, Steinar; Roalkvam, Isak & Damlien, Hege (2021). Forskergruppe PrehCOAST - Status og veien videre.
• Solheim, Steinar (2021). The emergence and development of arable farming in Southeastern Norway.
• Bjørnstad, Lasse; Ørmen, Torfinn & Solheim, Steinar (2021). Hvor gamle ble egentlig folk i steinalderen? [Internett]. Forskning.no.
• Solheim, Steinar (2021). Data: Timing the emergence and development of arable farming in Southeastern Norway by using summed probability distribution of radiocarbon dates and a Bayesian age model. Vis sammendrag

  The repository contains radiocarbond data and code for the paper TIMING THE EMERGENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF ARABLE FARMING IN 7 SOUTHEASTERN NORWAY BY USING SUMMED PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION 8 OF RADIOCARBON DATES AND A BAYESIAN AGE MODEL Published in Radiocarbon 2021 (DOI:10.1017/RDC.2021.80)

• Solheim, Steinar (2021). Det kan ha vært folk på Azorene flere hundre år før portugiserne kom. [Internett]. Forskning.no.
• Solheim, Steinar (2021). Population studies in the Nordic Past: Where does gender fit in.
• Solheim, Steinar (2021). P3K: Presentation of research groups and current research .
• Solheim, Steinar; Reitan, Gaute & Roalkvam, Isak (2020). 2000 år på 200 meter. Norark.no.
• Schülke, Almut; Solheim, Steinar; Roalkvam, Isak; Mjærum, Axel & Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie (2020). New Perspectives on Old Shores: Current approaches on the Stone Age in Eastern Norway. Vis sammendrag

  The coastal and inland areas landscapes of southeastern Norway offered resource rich environments for Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to settle in. This human activity has left an extensive dataset for archaeologist to study settlement and activity from the seashores to the high mountain areas. In recent years, there has been a development in archaeological analysis of human activity in the region applying the large amount of data generated by recent archaeological excavations and surveys in novel ways, especially in the regions former coastal areas. The use of archaeological big-data, such as radiocarbon dates and surveyed sites, has given new insights to past population dynamics, and coupled with environmental data this has offered us possible explanations to variation in settlement patterns. Further, detailed analysis of lithic technology have provided insight into raw material procurement, movement of people and shifting social networks. Moreover, the identification of some hinterland sites opens up for a better understanding of the importance and use of the coastal hinterland. In this paper, we will look closer at the recent development in archaeological research on coastal societies in southeastern Norway. We will present cur-rent perspectives as well as which future avenues we will explore in order to increase our knowledge on hunter-gatherers settlement, mobility and economy in coastal areas.

• Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie; Mjærum, Axel; Roalkvam, Isak; Solheim, Steinar & Schülke, Almut (2020). Coast-concepts in Norwegian Stone Age Archaeology. Vis sammendrag

  The coast plays a major role in Norwegian Stone Age archaeology. Hundreds of sites from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods were situated close to or directly at the shorelines. They witness of the economic, social and ritual importance of the coastal zone. However, the “normality” of coastal sites seems to have prevented further reflections about the concepts that have been applied to study coastal sites and the relevance of the coast in the Stone Age. Our talk will identify concepts and epistemological perspectives of how archaeologists have dealt with coastal issues in Stone Age archaeology in a research historic perspective – from early geoarchaeological studies focus-sing on land uplift and coastal sites (“the beach model”), via more processually oriented division of landscape spaces and their environmental characteristics. We will also discuss the sites’ economic functions, based on more recent, ethnoarchaeologically influenced, perspectives on taskscapes, movement in and experience of the coastal zone.

• Damlien, Hege; Koxvold, Lucia Uchermann & Solheim, Steinar (2020). Colonization and the enculturation of landscapes. A case from Mesolithic Southeast-Norway.
• Mjærum, Axel Johan & Solheim, Steinar (2019). Feltkurs som læringsform. 50 år med arkeologisk feltutdanning ved Universitetet i Oslo. Primitive tider. ISSN 1501-0430. 21, s. 121–141. Vis sammendrag

  The archaeological field course is the forum where many archaeology students meet and take part in an archaeological excavation for the first time. To excavate and generate scientific data through excavations is at the core of the archaeological discipline. For that reason, introducing students for theoretical and practical knowledge about field archaeology have been a central part of the discipline for the last 150 years at Norwegian universities. In this paper, we look closer at how the field course has developed at the University of Oslo during the last half century. Based on a compiled overview of field courses, we discuss how the field course has developed and changed over time in relation to the development in the discipline and higher education at large. A central question is whether the field course succeed in giving the students skills to perform an excavation and document the process. A main find is that collegial knowledge transfer run as a thread through the disciplines’ history as the most important way of training new archaeologists.

• Solheim, Steinar (2019). PEOPLE 3000 Vernal workshop The case of South-eastern Norway.
• Schülke, Almut; Berg-Hansen, Inger Marie; Mjærum, Axel & Solheim, Steinar (2019). The Coast and Coastal Societies - Concepts and Terminology. Southeastern Norway.
• Solheim, Steinar (2019). Early and mid-Holocene coastal settlement and population. The case of Eastern Norway .
• Solheim, Steinar (2019). Fra Bamble til ”big-data” Hvorfor bygge en C14-database ved KHM?
• Solheim, Steinar (2019). Demografi og dateringer.
• Solheim, Steinar (2019). Radiocarbon dates as proxies for prehistoric population size: Methods and data, problems and potential.
• Solheim, Steinar; Damlien, Hege & Koxvold, Lucia Uchermann (2019). Exploring long-term variation in spatial organization in Mesolithic southeastern Norway, c. 11 400-9500 cal.BP .
• Solheim, Steinar (2019). Holocene coastal landscapes and marine adaptation.The case of Eastern Norway, c.9000-­2000 cal.BC.
• Solheim, Steinar (2018). Steinalderfolk levde det gode liv langs Oslofjorden. [Internett]. Forskning.no.
• Nielsen, Svein Vatsvåg; Solheim, Steinar & Persson, Per (2018). Accumulating cultures: exploring prehistoric demography combining radiocarbon. Dates and material culture (Southern Norway) . Vis sammendrag

  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 & Hinz, Martin (2018). At the interface. Investigating coupled human and natural system from natural scientific and archaeological perspectives. Introduction to session #684. Vis sammendrag

  During the Holocene period, the trajectories of both environmental and human history were influenced by marked changes. These changes emerged on different spatial and temporal dimensions. It can be assumed that the developments were mutually influencing each other, even if this happened in asynchronous intensity. It is precisely this asynchronousness that has often caused research to see the human in this equation as a passive element, especially in contrast to the present situation of the Anthropocene. On the other hand, we can also observe concomitant changes in environmental and human history at different spatial and temporal scales. The reasons for this cannot always be identified directly from the data. In recent years it has become clear that in order to write a meaningful history of the development of human societies in their environment, it is necessary to combine both humanities and natural sciences in increasingly close cooperation. It is not enough merge the results of individual disciplines at the end of the research process. The nature of coupled human-environment systems also necessitates a closely interlinked investigation of these systems. In this paper, we will give a short introduction to the session and a brief overview of a few cases where the causal interdependencies in human-environment relationships are in focus.

• Solheim, Steinar; Hinz, Martin & Castillo, Agustin Diez (2018). Cross the streams. Multiproxy approaches to demography and population dynamics. Introduction to session #627. Vis sammendrag

  In the last decades, approaches dealing with demographic assessments based on archaeological data have experienced enormous popularity. One reason for this is certainly that almost all aspects of past societies, which are archaeologically interesting, are related to the question of the size of these societies. A variety of different methods have developed in this course. These include the number of sites per time period and relative site density, size of sites, density of artefacts, 14C data, paleoanthropological or paleobotanical methods as well as oral and written history. While most investigations rely on only one of the methods, linking of different proxies is the only way to check their validity and to calibrate the proxies because of the lack of ground truth. What knowledge can be gained from combining different methods? Which approaches have proven their worth, and which ones confirm each other? Have we developed methods of correlating the individual proxies with each other that go beyond observing correlation or forming mean values? How can we correlate proxies with different temporal resolution? In this introductory paper we will give a short introduction to the session and present a brief overview of recent developments in approaches to demography and population dynamics.

• Solheim, Steinar (2018). Bosetning og populasjonsendringer i Øst-Norge gjennom 7500 år.
• Solheim, Steinar (2018). Coupling human and natural systems and the matter of scale.
• Solheim, Steinar & Persson, Per (2018). Populating Coastal Landscapes: The case of shorebound Mesolithic settlement in southeastern Norway . Vis sammendrag

  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.

• Solheim, Steinar (2017). Prosess eller revolusjon? Overgangen til neolitikum og spredningen av jordbruk til Sør-Norge, 3900-2400 f.Kr. Fortid. ISSN 1504-1913. 1, s. 41–50.
• Solheim, Steinar (2017). Historiens største lureri. [Avis]. Morgenbladet. Vis sammendrag

  Det som begynte som en smart innovasjon, endte i mer jobb, dårligere helse og kjønnskamp.

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