Ørlandet Iron Age settlement pattern development: Geoarchaeology (geochemistry and soil micromorphology) and plant macrofossils

Macrofossil and geoarchaeological data from a variety of contexts and periods at Vik can provide either in situ or proxyinformation on the human – environment interactions at the site through time. The aim of this paper is to discuss settlementactivity patterns through time and space, with special emphasis on agriculture and animal husbandry strategies. The calcareousshell bank deposits at the site led to a reduction of the amount of analysed citric soluble phosphate and are apparentlyalso linked to very poor macrofossil preservation. The analysis shows that farming in the pre-Roman Iron Age involvedanimal management and manuring of fields where naked and hulled barley were cultivated. Stock was kept in the long houses.There are also indications that animals grazed along the shore. In the Roman Iron Age there is no clear evidence of keepinglivestock indoors; byre residues were instead found in house-associated waste heaps, where chemical data indicate thatdung was left to ferment. Near-house Roman Iron Age waste deposits were also characterised by latrine and fish processingwaste, as well as by high temperature artisan residues – fuel ash and iron working materials. Analysis of soil chemical samplesindicates an increase and intensification of occupation over time during the pre-Roman Iron Age and the Roman Iron Age.Viking-medieval features were also a remarkable source for monitoring latrine, byre and industrial waste, including the secondaryuse of water holes and wells that supplied water to both people and animals