The Flatåsen cave dwellings, Brønnøysund

We had a reasonable amount of time ashore at Brønnøysund and so decided to take a short walk to visit one of the only archaeological sites of our trip – the cave dwellings at Flatåsen. Set in a wooded area it also gave us the opportunity to do some natural history exploration as well, and we managed a small but quality bird list, and some wildflowers under our belt.

Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)

Geranium sp.

Epilobium sp.

Buch Vetch (Vicia Cf sepium)

Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia)

Colt's-foot (Tussilago farfara)

Finding any literature on this archaeological site, has been difficult to be honest. There is a free and downloadable research paper available at Research Gate that discusses the finds / artefacts and context of both cave dwellings and rock shelters in Norway’s Roman and Migration period, but unless I am mistaken the Flatåsen cave dwellings are not mentioned in the text?

It makes for interesting reading but is beyond my current level of concentration to make any meaningful distilment of the text, such is its complexity.

Excuses aside, the information here is gleaned directly from the interpretation board at the site and this is only available due to the wonders of Google Translation. Having photographed and then copied and pasted the original Norwegian text into the online translation.

A summary of the Google Translation is as follows: the three cave dwellings at Flatåsen are dated to 500 BC - 500 AD and they record the first signs of human activity in Brønnøysund. Excavations between 1925 - 1926 produced many artefacts from hearths to a wide range of food remains including fish, fowl, animals (both wild and domesticated), shellfish and snails. Bone tools were also found to be typical of the period.

The small woodlands which also included a frisbee golf course provided the following:

Bird List:

Magpie (Pica pica)
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Coal Tit (Periparus ater)
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Willow Tit (Poecile montanus)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
Redwing (Turdus iliacus)
Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)
Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea)
Song Thrush (Turdus philmelos)
Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)

Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula)