Stone Age relic.
The first humans
No one knows when the first humans arrived in Gränslandet. It was probably around 8 000 years ago, soon after the inland ice melted away. People had already lived for several thousand years along the ice-free Norwegian coast. It’s likely that the first visitors to Gränslandet arrived from the west, on foot or in simple boats, but we can’t know for sure.
When you visit Gränslandet you are likely to choose your campsite with care. Preferably on flat ground, near running and fish-rich water, and with a good view in a sheltered location. When you find such a place, you can be certain that Stone Age people lived in this spot, thousands of years ago. They made hunting equipment and tools and cooked food. If you are observant, you can still find stone splinters from tool making or fragments of cooking stones. The traces are many but leave them where they are! They are ancient remains and protected by law.
No lightweight tents!
Archaeologists have found around a hundred Stone Age settlements along the shores of lakes Femunden and Rogen and a few along the river Røa. Stone Age people probably lived as nomads, maybe in mobile tents made of animal skins. They travelled on foot or in simple boats and stopped in places where hunting and fishing was good. Bows and arrows and spears were used to catch both fish and game.
Clever trapping pits
In many places in Gränslandet you can come across depressions in the ground. They are old trapping pits for moose and wild reindeer. They are found in places where it was easy to dig and where reindeer herds and migrating moose passed. With the aid of natural obstacles such as mountains, lakes and fences, large areas were sealed off to divert the animals. They were then hunted or lured into crossing the traps.
It’s not known exactly how old the trapping pits are. They may have been used in the Stone Age, but may also have been used as recently as a few hundred years ago. What we do know, is that this system of hunting involved a large group of people.
Rock carving by Lake Rogen.
Old hide for bowhunting.
Archaeologist looking into the past.
Photos: Naturcentrum AB.
Links
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Read more about the legislation:
Stone Age settlements and trapping pits...
... are just some examples of ancient remains in Gränslandet. Remember that all ancient remains are protected by law.