Tales of the iron bloomery : : ironmaking in southeastern Norway-- foundation of statehood, c. AD 700-1300 / / by Bernt Rundberget ; translated by John Hines.

• Superior document: The Northern world : North Europe and the Baltic c. 400-1700 A.D. peoples, economics and cultures, volume 76
• VerfasserIn: Rundberget, Bernt,
• TeilnehmendeR: Hines, John,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, [2017]; 2017
• Year of Publication: 2017
• Language: English; Norwegian
• Series: Northern world ; v. 76.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (502 pages) :; illustrations (some color), maps.

"In Tales of the Iron Bloomery, Bernt Rundberget examines the ironmaking in southern Hedmark in Norway in the period AD 700-1300. Excavations show that this method is distinctive and geographically limited; this is expressed by the technology, organization, development and large-scale production. The ironmaking practice had its origins in increasing demands for iron, due to growth in urbanization, church power, kingship and mercantile networks. Rundberget's main hypothesis is that iron became the economic basis for political developments, from chiefdom to kingdom. Iron extraction activity grew from the late Viking Age, throughout the early medieval period, before suddenly collapsing around AD 1300. This trend correlates with the rise and fall of the kingdom"--Provided by publisher.

Table of Contents

Research backdrop -- Jernvinna in the Grafjell area : conformity in distinctiveness -- A regional tradition -- The dating of the Hedmark tradition -- The volume of production from the Hedmark tradition -- The study area in the light of archaeological and historical sources -- Tales of the iron bloomery -- The economic role of iron in an inter-regional perspective -- Appendix Ia: Bloomery sites excavated in the Grafjell area : data and interpretation -- Appendix Ib: Excluded bloomery sites, not archaeologically investigated -- Appendix IIa: 14C-datings and dendrochronological datings from the Grafjell area -- Appendix IIb: Excavated and dated bloomery sites of the Hedmark tradition -- Appendix IIc: Excavated and dated charcoal pits of the Hedmark tradition -- Appendix III: Calculation of volume and estimation of weight of slag in slag heaps.