Places with a story
Steinalderstien ved Fosnstraumen
Steinalderstien ved Fosnstraumen follows an archaeological coastal landscape in Austrheim and neighbouring Alver. Interpretation along the tidal strait explains why people settled here and how fishing, travel and changing shorelines shaped their Stone Age lives.
The place1
Museumssenteret i Hordaland describes dense settlement sites on both sides of the fish-rich Fosnstraumen. The concentration, including sites from the same period, has given rise to the description of a Stone Age village. The trail presents archaeological places in their landscape rather than a standing reconstructed settlement.
History and local connections1
People have used the area for more than 11,000 years. Large settlement sites suggest substantial periods of residence, while tools demonstrate connections further along the coast. Greenstone from near Bømlo and diabase from near Florø show how raw materials or finished objects travelled between coastal communities.
What to look for1
Try imagining the shoreline ten to fifteen metres above today's sea level, as the museum describes for the earlier Stone Age. Places now inland would then have stood close to the water. Interpretation also explains hunting equipment, bone fishhooks and harpoons, and how vegetation changed from woodland towards managed coastal heath.
Planning a visit1
The project provides trails on both banks of the strait and was developed by Austrheim, Alver, Vestland county and MUHO. Consult the museum's information for the trail and local approach. Keep archaeological deposits undisturbed: the attraction is the relationship between evidence, landscape and interpretation, not collecting prehistoric objects.
Sources
Last checked:
More places in Vestland
SamfunnPrep
Discover Norway. Prepare for the test.
Practice questions, clear explanations and mock exams.