Pomor archaeology on Edgeoya, Svalbard (RiS ID 10194). August 19 - 28, 2016. Final fieldwork report

From August 19 – 28, 2015, two historical archaeologists and an archaeology
student from the Arctic Centre of the University of Groningen were on board the
Netherlands Scientific Expedition Edgeøya Svalbard (SEES.nl). The team
investigated as many Pomor sites as possible under the constraints of route, time,
weather, ice, and polar bears.
The Pomors were Russian hunters from the White Sea region, who came to
Svalbard in the 18th and 19th centuries to hunt primarily for walrus but also to exploit
other living resources. Their huts have been studied extensively but not enough is
known about their interaction with the environment. The research questions underlying
the fieldwork were therefore: 1) to what extent did the Arctic landscape dictate
the location of the Pomor sites? and 2) what was the lasting impact of the Pomor
activities on the environment of Edgeøya?