vegaøyan world heritage
The Stone Age at Vega
Vega probably became the center for the marine hunting groups that lived on the Helgeland coast in the early Stone Age.
Along the foothills of Vega are traces of the very first people who settled on Vega. This part of the World Heritage Site traces its lineage back more than 10,000 years. Then the island was used by Stone Age people, this was one of the very first ice-free areas in this country.
Vega was presumably the center of the marine fishing groups that lived on the Helgeland coast in the early Stone Age. Bones from cod, haddock, saithe, redfish, cusk and herring, ling and halibut show that they caught many types of fish. In addition, they collected shells and beach snails, and hunted sharks and cobia. Seabirds were also an important resource. Between 6500 and 3000 BC, the average temperature was 2-3 degrees higher than today.
Oldest in the Nordics
The Stone Age people chose to settle in places with good harbor conditions, where they could find shelter from storms and protection from enemies and invaders. Central areas in addition to Åsgården are Mohalsen and Middagskarsheia.
108 sites from the Stone Age have been registered on Vega, most of which are settlements. However, it is estimated that this only constitutes a small part of what is found on the island . The rich finds mean that archaeologists see the area as very important from a cultural and historical perspective. The oldest finds are located 80-90 meters above sea level. The archaeologists found these by following the elevations on the map. People have moved down into the terrain as the shoreline changed.
It was a tough environment. The boat was important, it was a main place of residence for the first families who came to Vega. In 1974, the over ten thousand year old settlements at Mohalsen were discovered. The site of the oldest house in the Nordic countries is probably located at Mohalsen. The Stone Age population apparently had their main base in Åsgården near Sundsvoll. Around the entire the island Trap stations and settlements have been discovered, but these places are not signposted to the public.
Åsgården
Åsgården was the center of late medieval settlement on Vega, and the largest Stone Age settlement in the Nordic region. There have been around 20 houses, the oldest of which are around 9,500 years old, at this settlement. The settlement area is 2,300 m2 in size, and the amount of finds suggests that Stone Age people may have left as many as 280,000 objects in the area.
The settlement is located at the top of a lush valley. A river winds its way down through the valley. The path runs between large rock outcrops that were once islets. Beneath the mountain lies the old pebble spring. In it are the pits of houses that were dug down between the rocks. These houses were built of whalebone and covered with turf. A larger house has been excavated in the transition to Porsmyrdalen.
Source
Vegaøyan World Heritage. Cultural history travel book by Inga E. Næss and Rita Johansen.