Work

Making the Invisible Visible: The Applicability and Potential of Non-Invasive Methods in Pastoral Mountain Landscapes—New Results from Aerial Surveys and Geophysical Prospection at Shielings Across Møre and Romsdal, Norway

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Shielings are seasonal settlements found in upland pastures across Scandinavia and the North Atlantic. New investigations in the county of Møre and Romsdal, Norway, demonstrate the existence of this transhumant system by the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages. Sub-terranean features in these pastoral mountain landscapes have been identified by remote sensing technologies, but non-invasive methods still face challenges in terms of practical applicability and in confirming the presence of archaeological sites. Generally, aerial surveys, such as LiDAR and image-based modelling, excel in documenting visual landscapes and may enhance detection of low-visibility features. Thermography may also detect shallow subsurface features but is limited by solar conditions and vegetation. Magnetic methods face challenges due to the heterogeneous moraine geology. Ground-penetrating radar has yielded better results but is highly impractical and inefficient in these remote and rough landscapes. Systematic soil coring or test-pitting remain the most reliable options for detecting these faint sites, yet non-invasive methods may offer a better understanding of the archaeological contexts—between the initial survey and the final excavation. Altogether, the study highlights the dependency on landscape, soil, and vegetation, emphasising the need to consider each method’s possibilities and limitations based on site environments and conditions.

Source: Remote Sensing

DOI: 10.3390/rs17071281

Authors: Kristoffer Dahle, Dag-Øyvind Engtrø Solem, Magnar Mojaren Gran, Arne Anderson Stamnes

Institutions: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Møre og Romsdal Fylkeskommune, Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research

Language: English

Topic: Geophysical Methods and Applications

Subfield: Ocean Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life on land

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,258