MARGAIN

MARGAIN uses environmental archaeology to explore life along the North Atlantic coasts in the past, and asks how we can use this knowledge to work towards a more sustainable relationship with the ocean in the present and future.

Lead institution: University of Stavanger

There are many environmental issues affecting our coasts and oceans today, mostly caused by human activity. We hope that a better understanding of the importance of the ocean to our ancestors can help us be better stewards of the marine environment in the present and future.

MARGAIN focuses on how people in the past used gathered marine resources along the coast of Norway – such as driftwood, seaweed, shellfish, coastal plants and eiderdown – as these are often overlooked by archaeologists. People also collected goods and timber from shipwrecks, as well as other things that washed ashore: humans have always been drawn to beachcombing. Coastal places where drift material arrived were important to people in the past – they might be a good place to collect firewood, or an easy route to shore. We often find archaeological remains, especially of seasonal sites and boathouses, near drift beaches.