Exploitation of Outfield Resources: Joint Research at the University Museums of Norway

This book contains papers presented at an interdisciplinary workshop held at The Norwegian Institute in Rome 3–4 December 2012, entitled “Utmarksarkeologi i Norge” (Outfield archaeology in Norway).

The concept “utmark”, which in Scandinavian literature is normally translated as “outfield”, lacks a corresponding denotation in English. The outfield comprises all uncultivated land outside settlement areas and agricultural areas, i.e. lakes, bogs, forests, wasteland and mountains. When agricultural areas and settlement areas are excluded, the outfield comprises 96% of the land area in Norway.

The natural resources of the outfield have throughout the ages been of great importance in the form of hunting, fishing, gathering, grazing, forestry and raw material exploitation. The traces of such activities from prehistoric and medieval times are today cultural monuments and sites. As such they are important research items, and outfield archaeology is a central and extensive research theme at the University Museums.