In this issue, we take a deep dive into the theme of “water.” Water as a resource, as a foundation for life, and as a destructive force is something all people, across all time periods, have had to relate to. Throughout history, water has influenced how we live, where we settle, where we travel, and which resources we exploit. Rivers, seas, and lakes have provided opportunities for both past and present individuals—from utilizing marine food resources to forming vast trade networks through seafaring. Water also creates both opportunities and challenges in archaeology today due to its preservative and erosive effects on archaeological material. The versatile relationship all humans, cultures, and groups have had with water is reflected in the thematic diversity of the texts we’ve received. Geographically, the contributions span from Sudan in the south to Norway in the north. Chronologically, they range from the Stone Age all the way to the present day.

 

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Content:

Helene Robinson: Interview: Water and the Desert

Simon Malmberg: Hvordan fungerte Roma som havneby i antikken?

Elin Hulda Gussiås: Development of Irrigation Throughout the Predynastic and Dynastic Periods of Ancient Egypt

Anika Stoll: Does Bergen Need More Rain? A thought experiment on the impact of climate change on the archaeological deposits below Bryggen and other sites in Bergen

Sandra Knutsen: Fiskehandel i norske middelalderbyer

Dawn Elise Mooney: Human-Ocean Interactions Past, Present and Future

Astrid J. Nyland: Tsunami, klimaendringer og samfunnssikkerhet i mesolitikum

Quiz

 

Editorial staff:

Idunn M. J. Abelsnes
Elin Hulda Gussiås
Marie Hansteen Hagness
Malin Røgenes,
Bendik Nilsen Bergendal
Julie Fjesme Sundby
Birte Elise Viddal Dybvik
Helene Robinson
Edvind Kjærstad
Ada Harboe
Rosa Vaksdal
Tonje Jokiel
Lena Marie
Eriksen Mæland
Julieta Suarez
Marita Træet Heimsæter
Kristin Tobiassen
Yrja Skjærum
Anika Stoll
Sandra Knutsen

 

Title page: Malin Røgenes. The illustration is inspired by a mosaic panel (from house VIII.2.16) found in Pompeii, ca. 100-1 BC.

Graphic design: Marie Hansteen Hagness

Illustrators: Malin Røgenes, Julieta Suareaz og Lena Marie Eriksen Mæland.