ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN NORTH-WEST WEDEL JARLSBERG LAND

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1 Vadim F. STARKOV Institute of Archaeology Russian Academy of Sciences Ulianov Moscow, RUSSIA Marek E.JASIŃSKI Department of Archaeology University of Trondheim/Vitenskapsmuseet N-7004 Trondheim, NORWAY Wyprawy Geograficzne na Spitsbergen IV Zjazd Geomorfologów Polskich UMCS, Lublin 3-6 czerwca 1998 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN NORTH-WEST WEDEL JARLSBERG LAND STANOWISKA ARCHEOLOGICZNE NW CZĘŚCI ZIEMI WEDELA JARLSBERGA The north-west of Wedel Jarlsberg Land, particularly its part adjacent to Bellsund and Recherchefjorden, is one of the most archaeologically remarkable areas of Spitsbergen. Archaeological explorations there have been conducted since 1979 and discovered 10 old settlements of which four have been excavated (Fig. 1). The sites are dated to be of the 17th-18th centuries. 17th CENTURY Most of old settlements found on Wedel Jarlsberg Land relate to the 17th century, two of them left by Russian sea hunters and five by English and Dutch whalers*. One of the Russian settlements, Dunderbukta, is located in the south-eastern corner of the bay bearing the same name, 450 m to the south-west of the Dunderelva mouth. Remains of dwellings and two graves are found on a cape protruding from the 5 m terrace (Figs. 2 i 3). The earlier one of the dwellings was almost completely dismantled in old times (Fig. 4). Dendrochoronological analysis of six wood samples gave the year 1647 for dwelling No. 2. Obtained tree growth charts perfectly correlate with each other (Chernykh 1990: 111; 1996: 159). The date is further confirmed by * There are other dates for the Russian sites. The above opinion of V. F. Starkov is disputed by some scholars who believe that Russians appeared on Spitsbergen only in the 18th century. 261

2 finds containing articles typical for the I7th century such as a shortened axe and an archaic iron dipper. The second site of that period was discovered on Renardodden and designated as Renardodden-1. It is located on the edge of a poorly discernible terrace 1.9 m high, sloping down to the sea. Remains of two dwellings bear clear traces of sea impact and are therefore in a poor state. Excavations of dwelling No. 1 showed that despite the destructive impact the sea assisted the survival of the lower soil layer owing to coastal accumulations. The following finds are worth mentioning: a neck of an archaic glass bottle, gun flints, fragmented pottery and numerous animal bones. Sites relating to the whaling period are particularly remarkable. Generally they occupy a large area incorporation various structures: dwellings, fat rendering ovens, coastal structures, fire places, kitchen waste piles. Among them English whaler settlements are the earliest. English whalers appeared in this part of Spitsbergen as early as in 1610 and a year later started active hunting. By the 1620s they had been the only whalers in Bellsund and constructed a number of settlements there of which the largest is Robert River on the east shore of Recherchefjorden (Jasiński & Pękala 1994). A. Krawczyk (Krawczyk 1996) gave the site another name - Lagerneset. The settlements contains remains of about 10 stone houses, a fat rendering oven and a winch used to pull whales ashore. No excavations have been conducted at the settlement. To the south of Robert River remains of another seasonal whaler settlement are found called Lagerneset. The site was discovered in 1986 by an expedition of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin, Poland. Initially it was designated as Recherchefjorden Ost-A (Krawczyk 1996). It is located on a cape of a terrace 200 m from the shore. Remains of four tent dwellings may be traced looking like artificial swells edged by stones. Among surface finds there are fragments of pottery and faience smoking pipes. The site was most probably used by the whalers as an observation post. Some traces of a whaler settlement were also discovered on the western coast of Recherch Fjord near the Renard Glacier (Jasiński & Starkov 1993; Jasiński 1994). The settlement is almost totally destroyed, its soil remains are only found at the basis of the glacier moraine (Renardodden-1) and in the peripheral part of an outwash valley adjoining the moraine (Renardodden-2). Surface finds collected at Renardodden-2 include fragmented roof tiles, faience smoking pipes and other artifacts. Similar fragments of roof tiles and whale bone were discovered during the excavation of the moraine basis. In the past the two sites could form a single complex. Sites discovered on Renardodden are connected with Dutch whalers who appeared there about the middle of the 17th century. First descriptions of the sites were published in 1989 (Krawczyk 1989). 262

3 Renardodden-2 is situated 97 km to the south of Russian Renardodden-1 on the surface of an ancient swell 105 m from the water edge. It reveals remains of eight tent dwellings (low pebble swells), a large fire place and a fat rendering oven destructed by the sea. Renardodden-3 included a number of structures, i.e.five tent dwellings, seven fire places, a fat rendering oven and a kitchen waste pile. In the past (probably late in the 17th century) the site experienced the impact of sea abrasion and is presently destroyed by water erosion. 18th CENTURY Two sites dating from the second half of the 17th century are found in the northwestern part of Wedel Jarlsberg Land: Russian Lognedalen and the camp of the V. Ya. Chichagov expedition. Lognedalen was discovered in 1982 by an expedition of the Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, and partially excavated in 1992 and The site remains are located in the southern corner of Bellsund, close to the Logneelva on the edge of the first terrace 10 m high. The site includes four dwellings and a cross (Fig. 5). Excavations of dwellings No. 1 revealed a one-chamber structure 3.7 m by 3.4 m made of thick logs fixed in notches of corner pillars (Fig. 6). Dwelling No. 2 is in a poorer state and it is actually impossible to determine its design. It is only clear that it was made of cants and thick boards, its size being 2.6 m by 2.8 m. In the north-western corner of the dwelling a collapsed brick stove was found. The structures offered numerous finds such as fragmented pottery, chess-men, a glass bead, a fat lamp, parts of fire arms, fragmented Dutch smoking pipes with an I-shaped mark or an ornament of bird feathers strangled by a ribbon. Therefore the site was dated as of the second half of the 18th century. V. Ya. CHICHAGOV EXPEDITION CAMP Thefirst Russian Arctic expedition headed by V. Ya Chichagov explored the area around Spitsbergen in It was initiated by M.V.Lomonosov to find a passage to the Pacific via the circumpolar region. The camp at Recherchefjorden was arranged to provide the expedition with food and required supplies and the sailors spent two winters there. Remains of the camp were discovered in 1979 by an expedition of the Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. 263

4 They are located on a flat terrace 4 m high on the western coast of Recherchefjorden where an earlier Russian traders settlement can also be traced. Remains of the camp contain the foundations of seven dwellings traceable on the surface. Excavations showed that they included resident premises, a Russian bath and storage. The largest structure had six chambers and a length of 22 m. Excavations opened less than a half of the site area. Of special interest among the finds are carpenter and smith tools, trading equipment, various household articles. Despite the fact that the archaeological investigations of Wedel Jarlsberg Land were sufficiently fruitful to settle a number of important scientific problems connected with the history of the archipelago development they should be continued. An urgent task is to explore collapsing sites, first of all Renardodden-1 and -3 and the V. Ya. Chichagov expedition camp. Dating of the sites and deriving chronological reference points remain an important issue on the agenda. Archaeological and geomorphological investigations should become a primary line of any works performed by the Polish-Norwegian-Russian expedition. REFERENCES CHERNYKH N. В., 1988: The problem of dendrochronology of Russian buildings on Spitsbergen - Some notes regarding the discussion. Fennoscandia Archaeologica. CHERNYKH N. В.,1996: Dendrokhronologiya i arkheologiya. Moscow. JASIŃSKI M. E., 1994: Archaeological studies of Renard Glacier site 1, Spitsbergen - Recapitulation. Wyprawy Geograficzne na Spitsbergen, UMCS Lublin, JASIŃSKI M. Е., PĘKALA К., 1994: The Svarthameren archaeological site complex at Robert River, Recherchefjorden - Spitsbergen. Wyprawy Geograficzne na Spitsbergen. UMCS, Lublin, JASIŃSKI M. Е., STARKOV V. F., 1993: Archaeological investigation of a cultural layer in moraine deposits of Renard Glacier. Recherchefjorden, Svalbard. Field Season XX Polar Symposium. Lublin, JASIŃSKI M. E STARKOV V. F., ZAVYALOW. I., ZIMIN E. N.,1993: Archaeological sites at Cape Renard, Bellsund, Spitsbergen. XX Polar Symposium, Lublin. KRAWCZYK A., 1996: Remains of human activity in North-Eastern Wedel Jarlsberg Land, Spitsbergen. Wyprawy Geograficzne na Spitsbergen, UMCS, Lublin, STRESZCZENIE W północno-zachodniej części Ziemi Wedela Jarlsberga odkryto 10 osad z XVII-XVIII wieku. W pięciu spośród nich prowadzone są prace wykopaliskowe. Stanowiska z XVII wieku związane są z obecnością rosyjskich myśliwych polujących na zwierzęta morskie oraz wielorybników zachodnioeuropejskich. Rosyjskie osadnictwo w Dunderbukcie rozwinęło się na obrzeżach zatoki Dunder. Odkryto tam szczątki dwu domów, datowanych metodą dendrochronologii na 1647 r. Według Siarkowa także 264

5 siedemnastowieczna jest osada Renardodden 1, której lokalizacja jest typowa dla osadnictwa z tego okresu. Takie datowania potwierdzają znaleziska odkryte podczas prac wykopaliskowych. Angielski przemysł wielorybniczy istniał na Spitsbergenie prawdopodobnie do 1630 r. Z tych czasów pochodzą szczątki głównej bazy w Robertelva, znajdującej się na wschodnim wybrzeżu fiordu Recherche. Do naszych czasów przetrwały ruiny kamiennych domów, pieców do wytapiania tłuszczu i urządzenia cumownicze. Na południe od Robertelvy znajduje się niewielka osada Laegerneset. Zachowały sie tu ślady czterech namiotów. Z całą pewnością znajdował się tu punkt obserwacyjny łowców wielorybów. Z angielskimi łowcami wielorybów może być też związane stanowisko Renardbreen na zachodnim wybrzeżu fiordu Recherche, zniszczone w wyniku awansu lodowca Renarda. Holenderskie bazy Renardodden 2 i Renardodden 3 odkryto na przylądku Renarda (Renardodden). Charakterystyczne dla nich jest istnienie całego kompleksu różnych obiektów: śladów po namiotach, resztek pieców do wytapiania tłuszczu, urządzeń cumowniczych, miejsc do wyrzucania odpadków kuchennych. Obydwa stanowiska leżą na niskich powierzchniach terasy, poza zasięgiem współczesnych wód morskich. Na XVIII wiek datowane są rosyjskie osady w Lognedalen, leżące na południowym brzegu Bellsundu. Są to ślady (pozostałości) 4 budynków mieszkalnych i krzyża. W latach na zachodnim brzegu fiordu Recherche istniał obóz ekspedycji Cziczagowa, rozkopany w 1979 r. Zachowały się resztki drewnianych budynków. Wcześniej na tym miejscu istniało rosyjskie stanowisko przemysłowe.

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7 Fig. 2. Layout of Dunderbukta archaeological sites Rye. 2. Plan ogólny stanowisk archeologicznych - Dunderbukta Fig. 3. Dunderbukta - sections of archaeological sites Rye. 3. Dunderbukta - przekroje 267

8 Fig. 4. Dunderbukta - remains of dwellings Rye. 4. Dunderbukta - resztki zabudowań Fig. 5. Layout of Lognedalen archaeological sites and sections Rye. 5. Lognedalen - plan ogólny i przekroje

9 Fig. 6. Lognedalen - remains of dwelling No 1 Rye. 6. Lognedalen - resztki zabudowania No 1 269