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Stein Farstadvoll

@steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social
315 followers 332 following 39 posts

Archaeologist interested in the North, contemporary environments and natural world 🌱🏚️🌱Associate Professor of Contemporary Archaeology at UiT

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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
The kitchen window, a portal to the world outside. Little by little, it has become less and less common to sit there in the morning with a cup of coffee, keeping an eye on the traffic, the neighbors, seasons and nature. In today's mode of production, time is money, so there is less time for this.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Do you want to be my colleague in Tromsø?
jobbnorge.no
Associate Professor of Archaeology (301602) | UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Job title: Associate Professor of Archaeology (301602), Employer: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Deadline: Tuesday, September 15, 2026
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Haphazard efforts to clear WWII barbed wire in Tromsø have led to complications due to a lack of consideration of the “afterlife” of things. Clearing intact coils and vegetation exposed rusted wire fragments that now act as caltrops. Corrosion have made the barbs needle thin and sharper than ever.
A hand holds a clump of dark red soil heavily mixed with countless small, reddish-brown flakes and fragments of decomposed barbed wire.A hand firmly grasps a large, dense, tangled mass of severely corroded barbed wire entanglements, the rust a vibrant orange-brown.Close up of barbed wire fragments and soil made from dark red rust.A pile of rusted barbed wire fargments.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
This summer, archaeology students from UiT are excavating “Slottet” in Harstad (68°N), possibly the northernmost hillfort in Scandinavia (or even the World). First described in 1874, but never never excavated. Is it Iron Age or medieval? A hillfort or a defense against Russian raids?
Panoramic view from an elevated position looking out over Harstad, a coastal town in northern Norway. The harbour, town center, surrounding islands, and snow-capped mountains are visible under a clear blue sky. The hillfort knoll is visible in the bottom right of the picture."A rocky outcrop partially hidden by dense young birch trees with fresh spring foliage. The exposed bedrock and stone face are visible through the vegetation, showing the natural defensive terrain of the site.Close-up of a dry stone wall built from flat, stacked stone slabs, partially overgrown with moss and grass. A yellow folding ruler provides scale, showing the wall stands roughly 0.5–1 meter at this section.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
Some photos from a recent short trip to Pasvik.

A field of purple fireweed with tall green stalks is in the foreground. Behind the flowers is a dense forest of dark aspen trees. In the center of the image, barely visible within the dark woods, is a small, ruin of a wooden house.This photo shows a grey, textured, dead pine tree with a jagged top standing in the middle of a forest. The tree's bark is rough and gray, with deep vertical grooves and highlights from dappled sunlight. The background is filled with tall, thin pine trees, creating a dense, dark green canopy. The forest floor is covered in lush green moss and low-lying shrubs.
A dirt and gravel road winds through a dark forest of pine trees. The road has tire tracks and is flanked by thick moss and low-lying shrubs. The sky is a sliver of light gray, visible through the tops of the tall, dark trees.
A dark, vertical photo of the interior of the ruins of a wooden building. A thick, teal-colored rope hangs in the right foreground. A sunbeam shines through a gap, illuminating a moldering wooden plank and creating a bright streak of light. The surrounding wood is dark.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
Tjeldsund roads. June stimmung.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Evening walk through the iron age landscape of Hov. Long houses, cairns and other vestiges hidden amongst the tussocks.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Back from inspecting this year’s archaeological field course site. A two-aisled longhouse, discovered using geo-radar several years ago. I’m thrilled to offer UiT students the chance to explore this potentially groundbreaking site. Even the lodging arrangements this year promise to be peculiar.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Chrono textures
A close-up view of a "tessellated" tree trunk with a section of a rusted metal wire embedded in it.A view of a forest floor covered in vibrant green moss, interspersed with ferns and small wildflowers. The vegetation covers completely the fallen timber of an old wood-building.A close-up view of a rusty metal pole wrapped with sea-weed and -grass.A close-up photograph showcasing the textures and details of a weathered wooden surface of a door and hinge of a old stave church.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 24/12/2024
A Jul evening walk to visit the old things in the forest. God Jul.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Looking forward to Jul vacation in Selbu. Grading finished. Now two weeks writing on a trollish chapter about Norwegian folklore and archaeological theory.
A house nestled amidst a dense forest of spruce trees against a backdrop of a deep blue sky. The windows glow with a faint orange light creating a contrast to the blue light. The scene suggests winter dusk. Snow-covered ground stretches out in a feild in front of the house.
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Reposted by Stein Farstadvoll
John Schofield @johnschofyork.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
I'm transitioning from X to Bluesky. Interested to see how this works out!
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Black listed and invasive golden caps (Phaeolepiota aurea) growing in the ruderal vegetaion on the UiT campus. This species was introduced to Norway in the early 20th century; probably with non-native garden plants and soil.
A large cluster of vividly orange Phaeolepiota aurea mushrooms growing in rudderal vegetation with some campus buildings visible in the background.A close up on a cluster of Phaeolepiota aurea mushrooms with golden stems and gills. The stems have "skirts".
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
New anthology out, "Unruly Heritage". Published November 14. Link: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/unruly-he... Send me a message if you are interested.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 19/10/2024
The rubies of the bog. Blood red, tart, and perfect for a Saturday evening drink. Run to the nearest mire like a open aire fridge. No, I will not stop posting about bog cranberries and gin.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 17/10/2024
A autumn evening visit to Tromsø museum for the opening of a exhibition by Alexander Rishaug. Also enjoying a stroll in the black of the neighboring copse.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 16/10/2024
Do you see it? In the middle of the photo is a thin fragment of copper alloy found in the middle of a woodland road in Pasvik. Sheets of copper alloy are very common finds on ancient Sámi sites. This was found in a hearth-row site dating back to around 900-1200 AD.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 06/10/2024
Under age-old crags, the past slumbers. Wonders what small detours can evoke.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 21/09/2024
Fungal bloom.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 20/09/2024
ystery items in the old reference collection: ætites and much more. Lots of artifacts to employ employ in lectures.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 18/09/2024
Commute to work. Formation of hollow roads with Vibrams and bicycle tires.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 07/09/2024
Last fall, I spotted strange slime en route to work, reminiscent of "star-jelly" or "rot of the stars" — from folklore about slimy residue found after shooting stars. Could it be animal waste or fungi?
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 31/08/2024
Something fire from the mire: Bog cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos) gin lemon sour.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 17/08/2024
This year’s fieldwork was brief but interesting. Mysterious inscribed stones and unusual structures in Várnjárga, Sápmi
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 02/08/2024
Kongshamn "Kings harbour", Berlevåg. Close to the ruins of a medieval multi-room building ruin.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 30/06/2024
Significant archaeological artefacts that no museum has bothered to collect or conserve: the improvised barrel-stove, commonly created by Soviet POWs (among others) in Arctic Norway/Sápmi during WWII. Notice the added hooks on the rim of the barrel.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 31/01/2024
Willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium) finding a vacant loft in Teriberka/Тери́берка. Human ruins, a terra nullius from a herbacentric perspective, a barren land suited for new roots establishing its own horticulture.
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Reposted by Stein Farstadvoll
Anatolijs Venovcevs @avenovcevs.bsky.social · 31/10/2023
For the multidisciplinary-minded people out there, check out Session 3, "Entangled Worlds, Entangled Methods: Archaeologies of Nature" organised by me and my colleagues at the University of Oulu. How does working beyond the nature-culture binary reconfigure our approaches to studying the past?
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 20/10/2023
In Norway, there's a tradition of burning pyres on Midsummer Eve. This tradition also involves burning old garbage opportunistically. Interestingly, in a 1962 film news bulletin, the reporter comments on the bad weather instead of the Nazi remnants of occupation, being burnt. Thrash for the pyre.
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Reposted by Stein Farstadvoll
Justin Hopper @oldweirdalbion.bsky.social · 21/09/2023
The Uncanny Landscapes podcast has passed 11,000 downloads which kinda 🤯 considering it's a one-dude operation that even I barely promote. 17 hours of interviews with contemporary landscape practitioners across the arts & beyond, all free, etc, here... uncannylandscapes.podbean.com
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 19/09/2023
Autumn walk to the office 🍂 It is a privilege to commute to work by just walking.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 10/09/2023
I searched for an early Iron Age longhouse but instead found heaps of WWII remnants, such as Organisation Todt stoves. Feeling more like being haunted by certain things rather than encountering haunting things.
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Stein Farstadvoll @steinfarstadvoll.bsky.social · 08/07/2023
Post-archaeology landscapes. A Mesolithic camp site that was excavated by Knut Odner in 1959. The site is named "Seilmerke" and the traces from the excavation are no longer visible. Approximately 70m above today's sea level.
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