Stockholms universitet

Markus FjellströmPostdoktor

Om mig

I have a background in Saami archaeology and studies on food cultures using different stable isotope (carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, and strontium) and elemental anlaysis. In my research I have mainly been focusing on past human economies, pre-Christian and Christian societies through the study of food cultures, mobility patterns and climate changes in Northern Fennoscandia and Sápmi from Late Iron Age to early historical period (ca. 900-1800 AD) (Fjellström 2020).

I am also co-ordinating the project Archaeological surveys of melting glaciers and snow patches in Swedish Sápmi (GLAS) financed by the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg foundation between 2020 and 2024. The project, led by Kerstin Lidén, focuses on surveying organic and inorganic material of artefacts and ecofacts that melts out from glaciers and snow patches. The focus of the project is to radiocarbon date and study human and faunal mobility patterns, as well as changes in the environment. For that we also apply different stable isotope and elemental analysis to better understand the past use of the landscapes in northern Fennoscandia and Swedish Sápmi. This project in collaboration with Jamtli, Västerbotten, Norrbotten, Silvermuseet/INSARC and Ájtte Mountain and Sámi museum. You can read more about the project here: https://glacialarchaeologysweden.wordpress.com/

Between 2020 and 2022 I have had a postdoctoral project at the University of Oulu in the project Domestication by Action – Tracing Archaeological Markers of Human-Animal Interaction (Salmi 2022). The project is lead by Anna-Kaisa Salmi and funded by the ERC Starting Grant and the Academy of Finland. My focus within the project is to study reindeer domestication processes, diet, mobility, and environmental changes through time using different stable isotope methods applied to different archaeological approaches. You can read more about the project here: https://domesticationinaction.wordpress.com/

I am also involved in a project on Saami Tax land system in northern Sweden called Markfördelning och maktstrukturer 1000 - 1800 e. Kr. De samiska skattelandens ursprung (2020-2024). The overall aim of the project is to study how land and resources were used within the Saami communities in Swedish Sápmi from 1000 to 1800 CE. You can read more about the project here: https://silvermuseet.se/projekt/de-samiska-skattelandens-ursprung/

I am also working on a new postdoctoral project at Lund University (2022-2024) in collaboration with the Archaeological Research Laboratory and Aarhus University in Denmark. The project s about reindeer diet, as well as mobility and environmental changes during the Late Palaeolithic and the very early Mesolithic in connection to the changes of the ices and eventual land bridges to the Scandinavian peninsula.

Forskningsprojekt

Publikationer

I urval från Stockholms universitets publikationsdatabas

  • Food, Mobility, and Health in a 17th and 18th Century Arctic Mining Population in Silbojokk, Swedish Sapmi

    2021. Markus Fjellström (et al.). Arctic 74 (2), 113-238

    Artikel

    Established in 1635, the silver mine of Nasafjall and the smeltery site in Silbojokk in Swedish Sapmi were used during several phases until the late 19th century. Excavations in Silbojokk, c. 40 km from Nasafjall, have revealed buildings such as a smeltery, living houses, a bakery, and a church with a churchyard. From the beginning, both local and non-local individuals worked at the mine and the smeltery. Non-locals were recruited to work in the mine and at the smeltery, and the local Semi population was recruited to transport the silver down to the Swedish coast. Females, males, and children of different ages were represented among the individuals buried at the churchyard in Silbojokk, which was used between c. 1635 and 1770. Here we study diet, mobility, and exposure to lead (Pb) in the smeltery workers, the miners, and the local population. By employing isotopic analysis, delta C-13, delta N-15, delta S-34, Sr-87/Sr-86 and elemental analysis, we demonstrate that individuals in Silbojokk had a homogenous diet, except for two individuals. In addition, both local and non-local individuals were all exposed to Pb, which in some cases could have been harmful to their health.

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  • Fishing at Vivallen – stable isotope analysis of a south Sámi burial ground

    2021. Markus Fjellström, Gunilla Eriksson, Kerstin Lidén. Fornvännen

    Artikel

    Vivallen is a Late Iron Age / Early Middle Age south Sámi site in Härjedalen, Sweden. We investigated the relative importance of various foodstuffs at this site, performing δ13C and δ15N analysis of human and faunal bones. As the site was located along a pilgrimage route, we performed δ34S analysis to study mobility. The results showed that freshwater fish was an important part of the diet, whereas reindeer and big game do not seem to have been a major protein source. They further demonstrated low mobility among the individuals, with one exception, a female who evidently grew up somewhere else.

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  • Approaching historic reindeer herding in Northern Sweden by stable isotope analysis

    2020. Markus Fjellström (et al.). Journal of Nordic Archaeological Science 19, 63-75

    Artikel

    A strong cultural connection exists between reindeer and modern Sámi identityand economy. Reindeer domestication is, however, a rather late event, andthere are many Sámi who live off resources other than reindeer herding. Theuse of stable isotope analysis on historic reindeer from different geographicareas can contribute to analysing both the processes involved in reindeer domesticationand different environmental utilization by the Sámi. In this study,reindeer bones from six different sites in northern Sweden, ranging in datefrom the 11th to the 20th century, were analysed for stable isotopes to studyhow reindeer have been utilized in various historic contexts – settlements,offering sites and a marketplace. The stable isotope analysis demonstrateddifferent practices in utilization of reindeer, such as foddering. Foddering issuggested to have caused the elevated δ15N values found in reindeer at theoffering sites Vindelgransele and Unna Saiva, as well as at the settlementVivallen. The analysis further indicates that the offering sites were used bysingle Sámi groups. An important outcome of our study is that the biologyof reindeer in Sápmi was culturally influenced by the Sámi even before thereindeer was domesticated.

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  • Food Cultures in Sápmi: An interdisciplinary approach to the study of the heterogeneous cultural landscape of northern Fennoscandia AD 600–1900

    2020. Markus Fjellström.

    Avhandling (Dok)

    The aim of this thesis is to highlight the heterogeneous cultural landscape in Sápmi through the study of food. By studying food and the choices of specific foodstuffs in Sápmi AD 600–1900, a greater understanding can be gained on the history of this area during the period. A number of well-known archaeological sites in Sápmi have been chosen as the focus, dating from the Late Iron Age in north-central Sweden to the late-19th century in northern Norway. By means of stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S and 87Sr/86Sr) and elemental analysis on human and animal skeletal remains, the diversity in food culture has been studied. The chronological range in this thesis is rather broad but has been determined by the available archaeological skeletal material from the area. The overarching questions are how cultural diversity is reflected in different food practices, how individual life history and studies of mobility contribute to the understanding of life in Sápmi, what role the reindeer had in the diet in Sápmi during the period studied, and finally, what impact mining activities had on the local population in Sillbajåhkå/Silbojokk in terms of lead poisoning?

    Through the different case studies, it has been demonstrated that food consumption was by no means uniform and static during the period, and that the differences in food consumption reflect a multicultural landscape. Individuals buried in Vivallen had a diet based on terrestrial and freshwater resources, in contrast to individuals from Guollesuolu/Gullholmen and Kirkegårdsøya, who had diets based predominantly on marine protein. However, the diet of individuals buried at Gullholmen was much more varied than at Kirkegårdsøya, indicating a multi-ethnic presence. The intra-individual analysis of diet and mobility provided information on a more complex society. Whether they were Sámi or non-Sámi is difficult to assess, but they were clearly a culturally heterogeneous group of people. The individuals that were buried in Rounala and Sillbajåhkå/Silbojokk in northern Sweden had a mixed diet, including foodstuffs from terrestrial, freshwater and/or marine environments. The sites overlap chronologically, with Rounala dating from the 14th to the 18th century, and Silbojokk from the 17th to the 18th century. While individuals buried in Rounala had a mixed diet, focused on freshwater fish, individuals buried in Silbojokk had a much more varied diet. Through the analysis of sulphur and strontium isotopes, it was possible to investigate intra-individual change in diet and mobility. Further, the results indicated that reindeer protein was not a major food source at the sites studied.

    The mining activities at Silbojokk can be seen as the result of colonial infraction on nature and people in Sápmi by the Swedish state, with an immense and negative impact on the environment and for people there. This thesis includes the analysis and handling of human skeletal remains, which always has ethical implications: even more so in areas subjected to colonialism, such as Sápmi. My aim has been to highlight the importance of discussing reburial and repatriation and offer some thoughts on how this may be handled in the future.

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  • Zooarchaeological and stable isotope evidence of Sámi reindeer offerings

    2020. Anna-Kaisa Salmi (et al.). Journal of Archaeological Science 29

    Artikel

    This paper presents new osteometric and stable isotope evidence of Sami reindeer offerings. Previous archaeological studies have shown that reindeer domestication and intensification of reindeer herding transformed Sami indigenous religion. However, because of the methodological challenges in the identification of wild and domesticated reindeer in the archaeological record, the exact nature of the relationship between people and offered reindeer has remained elusive. To address this problem, we analyze zooarchaeological and stable isotope data from thirteen Sami offering sites situated in Finland and Sweden and dating to c. 1200-1700 CE. We employ zooarchaeological analysis of age, sex and size and explore the possibilities of these analyses to identify domestication and other characteristics of reindeer selected for offering. Analyses of stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur are utilized to identify human influence on reindeer feeding patterns and mobility. Our results show that many kinds of reindeer with different engagements with people were offered. The results confirm that people had different motives for giving offerings and that a simple dichotomy of wild/domesticated does not adequately reflect the range of relationships the Sami had with reindeer.

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  • Food and Cultural Traits in Coastal Northern Finnmark in the 14th-19th Centuries

    2019. Markus Fjellström (et al.). Norwegian Archaeological Review 52 (1), 20-40

    Artikel

    In this study, we used stable isotope analysis and radiocarbon dating to study diet, mobility and chronology in two late medieval/historical coastal populations in northern Norway. We have shown that the individuals buried at Kirkegardsoya date between 1331 and 1953 cal AD and had a homogenous marine diet, whereas the individuals buried at Gullholmen had a more heterogeneous diet, consisting of both terrestrial and marine proteins and date between 1661 and 1953 cal AD. We have demonstrated that reindeer protein was not an important part of their diet, and also discussed the importance of correcting for the marine reservoir effect in populations with a coastal subsistence. Our interpretation is that individuals buried at Kirkegardsoya primarily belonged to a Coastal Sami community, although Norwegians with a similar diet (and likely comprising a minor population in the area) cannot be ruled out. The more varied diet and mobility at Gullholmen could, as predicted, indicate that these individuals may have had a more diverse cultural affinity.

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  • Tradition and transformation in Sámi animal-offering practices

    2018. Anna-Kaisa Salmi (et al.). Antiquity 92 (362), 472-489

    Artikel

    Archaeological evidence for ritual animal offerings is key to understanding the formation and evolution of indigenous Sámi identity in Northern Fennoscandia from the Iron Age to the seventeenth century AD. An examination of such evidence can illuminate how major changes, such as the shift from hunting to reindeer pastoralism, colonialism by emerging state powers and Christianisation, were mediated by the Sámi at the local level. To explore the chronology of, and local variations in, Sámi animal-offering tradition, we provide a synthesis of archaeozoological data and radiocarbon dates from 17 offering sites across Norway, Sweden and Finland. Analysis reveals new patterns in the history of Sámi religious ritual and the expression of Sámi identity.

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  • CONSIDERATION OF FRESHWATER AND MULTIPLE MARINE RESERVOIR EFFECTS: DATING OF INDIVIDUALS WITH MIXED DIETS FROM NORTHERN SWEDEN

    2018. Jack P. R. Dury (et al.). Radiocarbon 60 (5), 1561-1585

    Artikel

    Human burials from the cemetery at the Rounala church, northern Sweden, were radiocarbon (C-14) dated to shed light on the use of the cemetery. Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur stable isotope analysis of bone collagen from 19 distinct individuals indicated that these individuals had a mixed diet consisting of freshwater, marine and terrestrial resources. Dietary modeling using FRUITS was employed to calculate the contributions of the different resources for each individual. These data were then used to calculate individual Delta R values, taking into account freshwater and multiple marine reservoir effects, the latter caused by Baltic and Atlantic marine dietary inputs, respectively. C-14 dating of tissues from modern freshwater fish species demonstrate a lack of a freshwater reservoir effect in the area. Two OxCal models were used to provide endpoint age estimates. The calibrated data suggest that the site's cemetery was most likely in use already from the 14th century, and perhaps until at least the late 18th century.

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  • Integrating isotopes and documentary evidence: dieatary patterns in a late medieval and early modern mining community, Sweden

    2018. Ylva Bäckström (et al.). Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 10 (8), 2075-2094

    Artikel

    This study explores the relationship between dietary patterns and social structure in a pre-industrial mining community in Salberget, Sweden c. 1470 to 1600 A.D. using a combination of different research approaches and tools, including archaeology, osteology, bone chemistry and history. The correlation between demographic criteria (sex and age) and archaeological variables (burial type and burial location) shows that Salberget was a highly stratified community. Group diets were investigated through analyses of stable isotopes (carbon, δ 13C, and nitrogen, δ 15N) of bone collagen from a sub-sample of individuals buried at the site (n = 67), interpreted alongside data from human dental lesions and deficiencies, animal bone waste and information on eating habits extracted from the extensive historical documents regarding mining activities at Salberget. These integrated analyses provide a clear association between social status and diet and confirm that social status, and to a lesser extent sex, gender and age, likely governed food choice and opportunity in this diverse community.

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  • Animal offerings at the Sámi offering site of Unna Saiva: changing religious practices and human-animal relationships

    2015. Anna-Kaisa Salmi (et al.). Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 40, 10-22

    Artikel

    Unna Saiva is a Sámi offering site situated in Gällivare in Northern Sweden. The site was excavated in the early 20th century. It yielded a large number of finds, including objects of silver, pewter and other metals, coins, and animal bones. The metal objects and coins date mainly to the late 10th century and 11th century AD, whereas the animal bone finds date from the 6th to the 17th centuries AD. Zooarchaeological analysis, radiocarbon datings of animal bones and stable isotope analyses conducted in this study reveal new information about religious ritual, religious change, and human–animal relationships among the Sámi. We argue that there was a change in the offering tradition, intertwining with changes in the subsistence economy and especially reindeer domestication. Our results indicate that reindeer domestication, acknowledged to have had a major impact on social organization and economy, was also a major factor in the transformation of Sámi indigenous religion. However, the underlying nature of the offering tradition remained consistent although the focal species of economic and religious interest changed.

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