Abstract
Archaeological documentation from surveys and excavations in Norway are created by a limited number of actors. Excavations are mainly carried out by the five university museums. NIKU (Norwegian Institute for Cultural Research) is responsible for excavations of medieval cities and churches. Maritime museums excavate in lakes, rivers, and below past and present sea level. Archaeological surveys are mainly the responsibility of the counties. Riksantikvaren (Directorate of National Heritage) is responsible for the national Historic Environment Records (HER), Askeladden, which offers the possibility to upload or insert links to reports from archaeological investigations. Riksantikvaren also archives excavation documentation from churches and medieval cities. The Norwegian university museums have, since the 1990s, cooperated on digitising a national repository and making the collections available online. Presently there are also repositories at the maritime museums, Riksantikvaren and the counties. The infrastructure ADED (Archaeological Digital Excavation Documentation) is a repository for detailed excavation documentation, and the BItFROST infrastructure project contributes to better storage and availability of 3D data. Future development will be more complete national databases, and towards closer international cooperation, creating better integration and availability of several repositories.
Highlights
Archaeological surveys and excavations in Norway are carried out by a restricted number of actors, comprising the university museums (Figure 1), maritime museums, the counties, and NIKU (Norwegian Institute for Cultural Research)
Artefacts and coins belong to the state, and the university and maritime museums are responsible for curating this material
MUSIT ended in 2021 but the university museums with cultural historical collections continue to cooperate in UniMus:Kultur
Summary
Archaeological surveys and excavations in Norway are carried out by a restricted number of actors, comprising the university museums (Figure 1), maritime museums, the counties, and NIKU (Norwegian Institute for Cultural Research). The Museum of Cultural History (KHM) in Oslo represents a good example to illustrate the flow of data and objects, the structure of the archiving workflow, and the interaction between different organisations and their responsibilities (Figure 2). Further details of this process are presented below. Artefacts and coins belong to the state, and the university and maritime museums are responsible for curating this material
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