The site of Borgund Kaupang located on the western coast of Norway in the vicinity of Ålesund, is a Viking Age harbor and trade site where occupation and commerce continued until the Late Middle Ages. It was also a medieval ecclesiastic center with evidence of 4 churches, possibly even 5. It is not yet clear what the role of the site was, but it is thought that it could have been a hub of trade both internationally and within Norway during the Viking and medieval period and located between two larger urban centres: Bergen and Trondheim. The site was excavated from the 1920s through the 1950s but the material from it was never fully analyzed or published. It is currently the focus of a major project by the Bergen Museum and the University of Bergen, coordinated by Dr. Gitte Hansen. In the video Dr Hansen discuss the research currently taking place which is largely focused on working with existing collections also called “legacy collections”. Michele Hayeur Smith has been working on the textile collection from Borgund Kaupang looking not only for North Atlantic imports into Norway but also looking to characterize and pinpoint the unique features of this important collection.
Northern Women Arts Collaborative 