The Prehistoric slate acquisition site at Djupvik. Excavation report from activity areas investigated 15-18 June 2020 Alta municipality, Finnmark county

Erlend Kirkeng Jørgensen

doi:10.7557/7.8291

Authors

Erlend Kirkeng Jørgensen UiT The Arctic University of Norway https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8573-4489

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/7.8291

Keywords:

ground slate technology, Arctic Norway, Alta fjord, archaeology

Abstract

The Djupvik site, located on the Altenes peninsula in Alta Fjord, Finnmark, represents the first formally excavated prehistoric slate raw material acquisition site in Arctic Europe. Investigations conducted in 2019 and 2020 revealed evidence of slate tool production, including bifacial and saw-and-snap techniques, alongside ochre concentrations and a hearth structure dated to approximately 6000 cal BP. Despite challenges in distinguishing natural from humanly worked slate, the excavation uncovered diagnostic lithic materials and activity areas, suggesting repeated short-term use. The findings emphasize the site's role in raw material procurement and its integration into broader technological and adaptive strategies.

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Author Biography

Erlend Kirkeng Jørgensen, UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Erlend Kirkeng Jørgensen is a researcher at the Arctic University Museum of Norway – UiT, focusing on human behavioral ecology and circumpolar maritime hunter-gatherer adaptations, with special emphasis on demographic modelling and human/environment-interactions on which he did his PhD. He is particularly engaged in the use of anthropogenic cave deposits as archives to reconstruct past ecosystems.

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