Middelalderfiske, fellefangst og fraflytting: En dendrokronologisk undersøkelse av et 1300-talls stasjonært fiskeanlegg i Nord-Mesna, Sørøst-Norge

Abstract

Fishing in rivers and lakes has traditionally been a longstanding and dependable means of sustenance for the people of inland Scandinavia. However, our understanding of pre-modern fishing traditions has been hampered by a lack of written sources, as well as a scarcity of archaeological data. However, a recent excavation and comprehensive dendrochronological analysis of a fish trapping enclosure system in Lake Nord-Mesna (520 masl.), in the boreal forests of inland Norway, has provided unique insight into freshwater fishing traditions, techniques and organization. The excavated structure, believed to be a fish weir with lath screen traps set into shallow water, was established in the late 1200s. In the following years it was regularly maintained in the spring/early summer. The last documented repair was in 1343. Its abandonment is interpreted as resulting from a recession likely induced by factors such as plague and climatic deterioration, that affected inland areas of Scandinavia in the 1300s. These results provide archaeological evidence of medieval utilization of effective enclosure traps in the region. This contradicts the prevailing notion that this form of fishing was later introduced by Forest Finns who migrated to the area in the 17th century. In addition, the findings give new and significant information about the organization and practice of medieval fishing in inland Scandinavia.