Research and Archaeology
The museum was built as a direct result of the on-site archaeological excavations. Borg has been the object of a wide range of research projects.
Research
A considerable amount of research has been carried out on Borg since the museum opened in 1995. In addition to the publication of material about the excavations during the period from 1981 to 1989 and the work on the reconstruction of boats (1992), boathouse and buildings (1994-59 and the blacksmith’s, this also applies to:
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- Excavation of Borg III
- Geomagnetic mapping of Innerpollen bay and the Borg area
- Preliminary excavation of boathouse sites around Innerpollen bay
- Surface examination of cultural monuments in the Borg area
- Surface work on visible traces (cooking pits, pillar sockets, etc.) south of the Chieftain’s House
- Definition of area with regionally important cultural monuments. Re. geono.no Area 102
- Climate research based on Innerpollen bay
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Research Plan
Lofotr Viking Museum’s research plan aims to pursue traditional archaeological research and involves concrete suggestions to this effect submitted in the chapters “On site” and “Take the Vikings”. This means more research about Borg and Borg in a northern European context. In the sections about “Experimental archaeology” and “Museology and Attraction Research”, greater emphasis on unconventional archaeological research is advocated. At present, no new research plan has been developed. The 2008-2011 research plan is available here.
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Borg is one of three Iron Age centres in Lofoten (Buksnes, Borg and Gimsøy) along with about a dozen other such centres in North Norway. Borg “on site” is defined as synonymous with the elements which constitute an Iron Age centre of power. That is to say the traces of settlement on Borghøyden heights (Borg I-IV), the burial sites and burial mounds at Borg farm, the big boathouses at Borgsjøen, the circular group of buildings at Bøstad (by the Bøstad river which separates the Borg farmstead and Bøstad) and other cultural relics, are part of the cultural environment at a centre of power seen over time.
Lofotr er et ”on site archaeological living history museum” (jf. diskusjonen på den 3. LiveArc konferansen, Foteviken Museum i Sverige 8. – 10. november 2007) og således vesentlig forskjellig fra museer bygget opp rundt originale gjenstandssamlinger. Gjenstandssamlingene i museets eie eller hvordan disse oppbevares/behandles er betinget av eksperimentell arkeologi og attraksjonsutvikling med filosofien at alle ting eller fasiliteter skal kunne berøres av den besøkende. Unntaket er utgravde gjenstander som er deponert fra Tromsø Museum. De ligger sikret i klimaregulerte montre.
Lofotr is an “on site archaeological living history museum” (re. discussions at the 3rd LiveArc conference, Foteviken Museum, Sweden, 8-10 November 2007) and is as such essentially different to museums built up around an original collection of exhibits. The collections of exhibits owned by the museum, or the way in which these are kept/treated is dependent on experimental archaeology and attraction development and based on the philosophy that all objects or facilities may be touched by visitors. Exceptions to this rule include the excavated objects deposited here by Tromsø Museum. These are stored securely in climate regulated showcases.
Using “the Viking”, the fields of “on-site” research, “ experimental archaeology” and “museology/attraction research” are intended to present Lofotr Viking Museum in a national, Scandinavian or European context. Borg has already been established as a centre of power and an important location during the Viking Age by way of earlier research (Brodshaug and Solli 2006:289-306, Roesdahl 1993:35, 267, Roesdahl 1994:123f, Stamsø Munch, Johansen and Roesdahl (eds.) 2003, Solli 2006:281-297, Storli 2006:134).
This position is maintained on the basis of external research and the continued implementation of important projects at Lofotr. “The Viking” is dependent on cooperation with other institutions, taking part in various research networks and being present where relevant research is taking place. The Chieftain’s Seat at Borg has been the object of many articles, particularly within the fields of archaeology and history. A major publication is available for purchase at our shop. It is entitled “Borg in Lofoten – A Chieftain’s Farm in North Norway” and was edited by Gerd Stamsø Munch, Olav Sverre Johansen and Else Roesdahl.
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Dissertations
The following are dissertations on the Chieftain’s Seat at Borg and Lofotr Viking Museum:
Lise Mariann Bolstad Alsli
Mere trickery? A qualitative study of children and authenticity at museums.
Master’s Dissertation in Archaeology (M.A.), May 2009. Museum of Science, Section for Archaeology and Cultural History. NTNU, the Norwegian University of Technology and Natural Science, Trondheim.
Egil Brodshaug
The soapstone material from the archaeological excavations of Borg III, Vestvågøy, Lofoten.
Post-graduate Thesis in Archaeology, Spring 2005, Tromsø University.
Linda Merete Høie
Cultural institutions and their accounts of the Viking Age.
Post-graduate Thesis in Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, Autumn 2003, University of Bergen.
Gørill Nilsen
Conflict between local and academic knowledge of cultural relics – An analysis of conceptions of the past in Northern Troms and Lofoten.
Thesis (Ph.D.) Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, University of Tromsø, 2003.
Leonie Rebecca Peter
Integrating cultural heritage into a tourist destination, illustrated by the Lofotr Viking Museum in Borg, Norway.
Master’s Dissertation Academic Year: 2009
Submission Date: May 2009, University of Lugano, Switzerland Faculties of Economics and Communication
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