Introduksjonen av dreiekvernen i Sørvest-Norge

Abstract

The introduction of the rotary quern in South West Norway This article presents the main findings of the work on early rotary querns in Rogaland, as part of The Norwegian Millstone Landscape research project initiated by the Norwegian Geological Survey (NGU). Querns are heavy and bulky, and usually considered an uninteresting class of objects. Despite their crucial role in subsistence and household economy, they have received very little attention by archaeologists. The present study concentrated, therefore, on the classification of querns, their production and raw materials, and their chronology. Two main types of upper and lower stones were identified in the prehistoric material. They were produced from erratic blocks collected on the surface, reflecting the local basement. Querns made from garnet mica schist by true bedrock extraction are only found in medieval and later contexts in Rogaland. Querns from the quarries in Hyllestad and Saltdal were identified. The chronological study revealed that the rotary quern had been introduced at least 150 years earlier than previously thought and rapidly replaced the saddle quern, and that its introduction was not directly connected to the introduction of new cereal crops.