New data for the reconstruction of the natural topography in Viking Age Borgund

In the Viking Age and medieval period, sea levels were higher than today. Centuries of activity in Borgund have left behind thick cultural layers across Borgundgavlen, reshaping the terrain over time. Around the year 1000, the landscape looked very different. The shorelines of Katavågen and Klokkersundet reached much further inland than they do now.

By: Gitte Hansen

Published: (Updated: )

Natural to points m tekst
Map of the Borgund Kaupang area. 1850 measure-points where the transition between cultural deposits and the natural topography have been documented in the Nordre felt by Katavågen and Søndre felt by Klokkersundet. Photo: Map: Gitte Hansen

Spring 2025 Lissia Schneider (Erasmus student from University of Freiburg), Lillian Time and Rosa E. Vaksdal (AHKR201-praksis i arbeidslivet students UIB) contributed to the Borgund Kaupang Project. They collected data so we can reconstruct the natural topography in Borgund before a town emerged here. 

Rosa studerer plantegninger
Rosa E. Vaksdal studies a plan drawing to find relevant data. Once data was identified, measures were digitized into GIS. The plan drawing is from Søndre felt which saw large scale excavations between 1953 and 1975. Photo: Lillian Time

 

Lissia legger inn punkter i GIS
Lissia Schneider digitizes information about the transition between cultural layers and the natural found on a plan drawing from Nordre felt. Nordre felt was excavated between 1965 and 1967. The plan drawing covers an excavation unit of 7m X 7m and the numbers noted on the right hand side on the drawing are measures given as MOH 'meters above the sea' of the archaeological finds in the unit. Photo: G. Hansen

 

Natural top points søndre
Søndre felt with points. Photo: Map: G. Hansen

The field observations of the transition between the cultural layers and the natural soil were retrieved and about 1850 points georeferenced! 

Now we have data which will be the point of departure for reconstruction of the natural topography and the sea level around the year 1000. 

Thank you Lissia, Lillian and Rosa!