Øksnes Museum
The beautiful Alsvåggården, a building with a history dating back at least 450 years. Enjoy a cup of coffee in historic surroundings. Exhibition in the main building every summer.
22 May 2026
In week 21, Ole-Andreas Sagmo, archaeologist and assistant conservator at Lofotr Viking Museum, visited Vesterålen to give a lecture on the Viking Age, and give us a new perspective on our surroundings.
Ole-Andreas visited Øksnes Museum and Melbo Manor. Visitors were given an introduction to the life and society of the Vikings, how they organized themselves and what they believed in. Ole-Andreas talked about how Vikings were described by contemporary and later sources, as well as what has influenced how they are portrayed in popular culture today. He referred to gender roles, and that women probably had more power and autonomy in Viking society than one might think.
In Øksnes, Ole-Andreas highlighted cultural monuments from the Late Iron Age in the area around Alsvåg, including the recently discovered yard facility and a sacrificial stone nearby. This indicates that the area around Straumen was active in the Viking Age. You can see where these cultural monuments are on Cultural Heritage Search.
At the end of the lecture, he pointed out that, most likely, far from everything has been discovered and documented. Thus, the public is encouraged to look around when they are out in nature, and actively use Cultural Heritage Search and Elevation Data to see where there are strange formations and previously registered cultural monuments in the landscape. You can also search or find loose finds with a metal detector. He also mentioned LiDAR as a tool archaeologists use to scan their surroundings without having to disturb the grounds.
Thank you to everyone who participated, and to Ole-Andreas Sagmo for an exciting lecture!