Agricultural Development in the Context of the 6th Century Crisis – A Synthesis of Plant-Macrofossil Data from Southwestern Norway

Sara Westling

Environmental Archaeology, 2025, vol. 30, issue 5, 495-514

Abstract: The transition between the Early and Late Iron Age in Southwestern Norway, around AD 550, is a transformative time when the archaeological material displays major changes and the number of finds and settlement sites decreases significantly. This period coincides with the 6th century crisis when volcanic cooling and subsequent plague pandemic caused famine, demographic decline and disruption in Europe. Recent research suggests harsh conditions for crop cultivation in southwestern Norway, with up to 3.5° C lower temperatures. This paper synthesizes plant macrofossil data and radiocarbon dates from 20 settlement sites to explore agricultural development from AD 400–1050 and to investigate whether the crisis influenced the agricultural practices and strategies. Reduced settlement activity is suggsted from the time of the cooling. The plant macrofossil compilation shows a focus on barley and oat cultivation , but a decrease in oats in favour of barley is seen from AD 550 forward. Rye was temporarily introduced in the 7th century. An indicated increased focus on animal husbandry is most prominent from the late Merovingian Period (AD 650–800). A comparison between sites based on their main crop suggests that sites with a high ratio of oats relative to barley had a lower chance of surviving the crisis. .

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/14614103.2024.2307686

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