Geophysical surveys at Stiklestad and Haug

Stiklestad National Cultural Center, the Association for Historical Monuments and the Sør-Innherad Church Council are having an exciting week. As part of the project "Stiklestad for a new thousand years", archaeologists from NIKU (Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research) are coming to Verdal to investigate the museum area at Stiklestad and the area around Haug church ruin. Using ground-penetrating radar, they will search for archaeological traces that can give us new knowledge about the past at Stiklestad.

"This study can be an important contribution to the storytelling of Stiklestad leading up to the new main exhibition that will open in 2029," says Kjersti Ellewsen, subject manager at Museene Arven.

Geophysical technology has developed greatly in recent years, and traces that were previously difficult to see with non-invasive methods may be possible to find with NIKU's equipment and expertise today. "We are bringing our latest generation of equipment," says Erich Nau, project manager at NIKU. Geophysical surveys can find both natural and cultural traces. "What makes this mission special is that there are so many different questions to be answered," says Nau, who will use his high-tech equipment to investigate both the extent of the clay deposits and archaeological traces.

Previous investigations have also been carried out at Stiklestad. Small and large peepholes into the ground, and not least the archaeological investigations in 2008, have added new pieces to the Stiklestad puzzle. "Now we will hopefully have more new pieces to add, so that we gain new knowledge about what the landscape looked like when Olav Haraldsson died here," says Per Steinar Brevik, senior advisor at Museene Arven.

The development of Olavshaugen, which is owned by the Norwegian Historical Society, is part of "Stiklestad for a new thousand years". An important part of this is to highlight the mound's many stories, all the way back to Olav's time. The work is being done in close collaboration between the Norwegian Historical Society and SNK/Museene Arven, and the mound is also included in this week's investigations. "We are very excited to see what archaeological traces they can find at Olavshaugen", says Merethe Skjelfjord Kristiansen, general manager of the Norwegian Historical Society's Trøndelag branch.

It is also very exciting that we are now finally able to investigate the traces of the church at Haug, the county church in Verdal, which was demolished in the Middle Ages. It has a history that is closely intertwined with Stiklestad Church.

We look forward to receiving the report during the summer.