Mikael Fauvelle

Six newly discovered Bronze Age mines in Spain - May explain the origin of Scandinavian Bronze During an archaeological survey conducted in February, researchers from the Maritime Encounters programme at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, identified six previously unregistered Bronze Age min...

Updates from our latest fieldwork with the Maritime Encounters team in Spain:

Six newly discovered Bronze Age mines in Spain - May explain the origin of Scandinavian Bronze | University of Gothenburg share.google/tSIgB6vK4XF2...

Hot off the press! Check out our new book on the archaeology of seafaring, published today with the University Press of Florida! The whole book is available open access and is free to download!

floridapress.org/978081307949...

Fingerprint of ancient seafarer found on Scandinavia’s oldest plank boat YouTube video by Lund University

Check out this video describing our new research on the Hjortspring boat! We use GC-MS analysis to provide new clues as to the ancient boat's origins:

youtu.be/7C-d38UP3kI?...

New investigations of the Hjortspring boat: Dating and analysis of the cordage and caulking materials used in a pre-Roman iron age plank boat The Hjortspring boat is the only intact example of a prehistoric sewn plank boat ever found in Scandinavia. Built from lime wood planks lashed together with cordage, the boat represents the maritime t...

Very proud of the collaborative work behind this new research on the Hjortspring boat! Using GC-MS analysis of the boat's caulking material, we provide new evidence on the provenance of Scandinavia's oldest plank boat!

PLOS One share.google/Ln1IOTNFNJLh...

Experimental evaluation of a method for the removal of polyethylene glycol (PEG) from conserved wood npj Heritage Science - Experimental evaluation of a method for the removal of polyethylene glycol (PEG) from conserved wood

Have wooden artifacts that you want to carbon date but are concerned about contamination by conservation chemicals? Our new article evaluates protocols for the successful removal of PEG from wooden heritage materials:

rdcu.be/eQAw4

Maritime exchange during the Middle Neolithic: evidence of trade in ceramic figurines at the Pitted Ware Culture site of Tråsättra This paper presents a snapshot of a neolithic maritime exchange network centred on the Pitted Ware Culture (PWC) site of Tråsättra (circa 2630 to 2470…

New research on the exchange of ceramic figurines by neolithic hunters and gatherers in Scandinavia! Figurines were traded over water to Åland and Gotland and human-shaped figurines were traded more often than other forms.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Contrasting strategies: Social organization and interaction in the Early Bronze Age of northwestern Scandinavia The transition to the Nordic Bronze Age included new technological innovations, social institutions and sociopolitical structures pushed by extensive …

New article out with @mfauvelle.bsky.social and Johan Ling. We discuss the intricate trade networks and social dynamics of northwestern Scandinavia during the Bronze Age, and how local strategies shaped broader European interactions www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Presenting Counterpoints to the Dominant Terrestrial Narrative of European Prehistory - Oxbow Books Challenges the terrestrial focus of European prehistory, emphasizing the significance of seascapes, maritime networks, and coastal societies in shaping prehi...

Check out our new book on the maritime prehistory of Atlantic Europe. It's the first volume in our Maritime Encounters series and is available open access!

www.oxbowbooks.com/979888857184...

Money may have originated through long distance trade, new theory suggests Two of the most commonly accepted theories for the origin of money are the commodity theory and the chartalist theory. Both have drawbacks, but in recent years, the chartalist theory has gained much t...

My recent paper on trade and the origins of money was recently covered by phys.org!

Money may have originated through long distance trade, new theory suggests phys.org/news/2025-02...

Thanks for the shout out Quentin!

Rising seas endanger maritime heritage

In Science (p. 462) this week, my colleagues--Scott Fitzpatrick, Kristina Gill, Patrick Kirch, John Ruiz, Victor Thompson, Jason Younker--and I warn of the dire threat rising seas (0.81 cm in 2024!) and marine erosion pose for coastal archaeological sites worldwide.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Signed and shared - please do the same if you can

A multi-analytical study of the Montelirio beaded attires: Marine resources, sumptuary crafts, and female power in copper age Iberia Beaded attires made ~2800 BC with ~270,000 shell beads were worn by a select group of prominent women.

Some colleagues of mine just published this exciting paper in Science Advances on the Montelirio tholos tomb, which contains one of the largest quantities of shell beads found anywhere in the world:

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The Trade Theory of Money: External Exchange and the Origins of Money - Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory For over a century, scholars have debated the merits of two competing theories for the origins of money. The commodity theory of money has traditionally held that money developed as a medium of exchan...

New paper on the origins of money:

The Trade Theory of Money: External Exchange and the Origins of Money | Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory search.app/9dcq11xvuVG4...

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