Stephen Wickler, PhD
Researcher
Tromsø University Museum
My principle research focus in northern Norway lies within the sphere of maritime archaeology where I have a long-standing interest in coastal / island settlement and the transformation of waterscapes since the Iron Age. This has led to interdisciplinary projects where multiple proxy sources play a key role. Ongoing international projects involve collaboration with specialists within the fields of zoology, etymology, genetic science, palynology, geology, and climatology. Research topics within archaeological science include paleoenvironmental reconstruction of cultural landscapes related to climate change and human impacts from sites in the vicinity of Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands, the pioneering development of tephrochronology as a dating method for archaeological site contexts, and morphological and aDNA analyses of organic archaeological remains (feathers, insects, textiles, animal hair). Maritime research themes include medieval settlement mound histories on small islands, fishery commercialization and trade, the role of maritime archaeological features such as boathouses and slab-lined pits for the production of marine mammal oil, multiethnic materiality and Sami-Norse maritime interaction, waterborne coastal-inland networks, and the development of nautical technology based on boat remains from bogs. Archaeological and geochemical analyses documenting the extraction and maritime distribution of stone resources including soapstone objects, querns / millstones, and bakestones is another research theme involving interdisciplinary collaboration.
Contact
Tromsø University Museum
University of Tromsø – The Artic University of Norway
N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
https://en.uit.no/om/enhet/ansatte/person?p_document_id=42610&p_dimension_id=88178
