Smie på Fangberget i Ringsaker

Abstract

In 2016 the Museum of Cultural History set out to excavate a large burial mound on the northern shores of Lake Mjøsa. The site, however, proved to be a smithy from the medieval period, placed on top of a natural mound. In addition to two forges and three refuse pits, some artefacts were found, including three knives, one fire steel and one brazing package used in the production of a padlock. In this paper the authors place the Fangberget site within a larger context of smithies from the medieval period of Norway. The origin of the iron, both from the two forges and from the artefacts, is also discussed. While the material has close relations to Swedish sites, due to its high levels of silicon dioxide, the origin of the Fangberget material should probably be sought locally, and an origin within the Oslo rift could explain the high levels of silicon dioxide.