THE 11TH-CENTURY SKJOLDEHAMN GRAVE is a remarkable accidental find, discovered in a bog in coastal Arctic Norway in 1936. The grave consisted of a fully clothed skeleton wrapped in a wool blanket, lashed with leather straps and tin ring-ornamented woven bands. The body was laid on a reindeer pelt, which in turn was placed on sticks of birch. Finally, the body was covered with birch bark, and potentially ...

In this study, we used stable isotope analysis and radiocarbon dating to study diet, mobility and chronology in two late medieval/historical coastal populations in northern Norway. We have shown that the individuals buried at Kirkegårdsøya date between 1331 and 1953 cal AD and had a homogenous marine diet, whereas the individuals buried at Gullholmen had a more heterogeneous diet, consisting of both ...

In 1936 an extraordinary find of a clothed skeleton wrapped in a blanket and covered with birch bark appeared in a bog at Skjoldehamn on Andøya Island. The wrapped body was laid on a reindeer pelt, which in turn was placed on sticks of birch. The grave dates to the 11th century, probably the later half. Compared with relevant Norse, Sámi, and Christian graves and burial customs, the Skjoldehamn grave ...