Lecture tour in Ofoten
Published 12 October 2026
The museums and libraries in Ballangen, Kjøpsvik and Narvik invite you to a lecture tour with Arne Håkon Thomassen from the Sami Parliament!
29 June 2026
Last week, we had the pleasure of gathering the audience for an in-depth and fascinating lecture with archaeologist Stephen Wickler from UiT at Lofotr Viking Museum. For the participants, this meant new insight into how settlement and the use of both land and sea have developed over the centuries. Especially in the area around Borg and the Leknesfjord.
The landscape through 3400 years
To give a comprehensive picture of the region’s history, the lecture raised the gaze beyond the archaeological finds alone. By analysing lake sediments, pollen, traces of fire and data on historical sea level changes in the Borg area. The researchers have reconstructed 3400 years of environmental changes and human activity. This work provides a deeper understanding of how nature and humans have mutually influenced each other over several thousand years. And how the landscape has developed in step with settlement, agriculture and resource utilization.
Storeidøya boathouse complex
The lectures were also based on the extensive archaeological excavations on Storeidøya in 2023. Here, the researchers uncovered a well-preserved coastal environment, consisting of three boathouse ruins, a boat pier, a stone pier and several other maritime structures. The finds testify to almost 1000 years of continuous maritime activity – from the early Viking Age and all the way up to the early modern era.
Wickler conveyed in an engaging way how traces of cod liver oil production, boat maintenance and historical traffic arteries provide a rare insight into the everyday lives of the people who lived and worked along the coast. The results underline the importance of boathouse clusters, not only as storage places for boats and tools. But as central hubs in the social and economic life of the coastal community.
We thank Stephen Wickler for sharing this research-based knowledge with us. At the same time, we would like to thank everyone who showed up for their curiosity, reflections and good questions. It is through such encounters with the past that we gain a deeper understanding of our own present. And the value of the common cultural heritage we manage.