Animating soils : geoarchaeological approaches to past human-environment relationships in the Arctic

Abstract: In this thesis, soils and sediments have been used as sources of information on past human activity in Arctic environments. The study has combined geoarchaeological methods and techniques with information from historical documents, ethnographic accounts, and archaeological remains to create integrated narratives of human-landscape interactions in the past. The thesis consists of two parts: an introductory text and four research papers.In the first paper, social and cultural aspects of the spatial organisation of Sámi hearth-row sites are presented and discussed through an analysis of the soil from two sites in northern Norway (Steintjørna and Brodtkorbneset) and one from northern Sweden (Hobergsträsk). Based on spatial patterns in the excavated and analysed materials, a socio-spatial ethnographic model of the Sámi goahti (tent/hut) was challenged and new insights into spatial organisation were generated.The second paper revisits Steintjørna in Norway and presented a geoarchaeological methodology for identifying spaces used for corralling or controlling reindeer.The third paper deals with the human impact on soils from two contemporary sites representing short term, low intensity use, but under different socio-economic conditions. Snuvrejohka was a Sámi viste (camp site) in a high-altitude location connected to 19th and 20th century reindeer herding, whilst Maiva, was initially a farmstead that was turned into a tourist station, that later became a holiday cottage and lastly a research outpost. The interaction of humans with soils and sediments was explored using stratigraphic and spatial soil sampling strategies and analysis to provide interpretable data on land use.The fourth paper approaches human impact from a different perspective, namely the introduction of invasive soil fauna in Arctic environments. An integrated cultural and natural historical approach, including soil sampling and analysis, was used to study archaeological and historical information at Maiva. The results suggest that earthworm driven bioturbation is a remnant of 19th and 20th century agricultural settlements, showing that ecological imperialism is present in Arctic Fennoscandia.These studies have collectively and conclusively shown that human impact on soils is detectable, measurable, and essential for interpreting and understanding past events in human-environment relationships.