Saurbekken- a discussion of food subsistence strategies

Abstract

The zooarchaeological material from the North Norwegian settlement mound known as Saurbekken is examined using the number of identified specimens. The aim is to gain knowledge about food subsistence strategies at the site, food subsistence strategies through the ages, and whether the settlement took part in the preparation and/or export of stockfish. Based on available material from Saurbekken, the main staple was fish from around AD 1000 to AD 1300, with a seeming change from fish during the last 50 years of settlement, towards an economy more predominantly based on mammals. Based on the evidence at hand, fish was an important part of the diet for the occupants as Saurbekken, but as the amount of material recovered from the excavation produced a small sample size, it was not possible to infer if the inhabitants partook in the stockfish industry.