ABSTRACT
Iron production from bog ore, often referred to as 'bloomery' or 'primitive' iron production, is known in Scandinavia from the Early Iron Age up to the end of the Middle Ages. This chapter discusses the intensification of iron production from the late tenth century ad onwards. It focuses on the valleys and mountainous areas of South Norway. Today over 3,500 iron production sites are listed in the Norwegian database for cultural heritage, Askeladden; similarly, the number of such sites in the Swedish database for cultural heritage, Fornsök, is well over 5,000. The earliest iron production in Norway, currently known from a few sites dated to the Pre-Roman Iron Age, occurs in connection with central farming settlements. The sixth and seventh centuries ad witnessed major changes in material culture, language and social structure. On the other hand, remains from iron production in Denmark during the Viking Age and Middle Ages are few and far between.
