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About SILA |
Contact:
Phone: +45 3347 3440
Fax: +45 3347 3322
Head of SILA, Bjarne Grønnow
E-mail: |
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Archaeology in Greenland: A great potential
SILA was established in 1999 to exploit the great potential for archaeological research in Greenland. The prehistoric and historic cultures have left clear traces in the landscape – from the Palaeo-Eskimos 4,500 years ago to the Inuit and Norse cultures. The preservation conditions are often unique. The archaeological sources do not stand alone. The rich Greenlandic oral tradition – the ethno-historical sources – and the written sources play an important part in the archaeological interpretations. Archaeology and natural sciences often collaborate as well.
SILA: research and education
SILA hosts an international and interdisciplinary scholarly environment consisting of the centre staff, senior and junior guest researchers and graduate students. The researchers of SILA may be stationed at the Greenland National Museum and Archives in Nuuk. It is the aim of SILA to support the continuity of Arctic archaeology in Greenland and Denmark through Ph.D. programmes, seminars, and field courses in Greenland.
The research topics are:
Arctic Cultural Landscapes
In Greenland unique cultural landscapes containing undisturbed traces of human activities through more than four millenniums are found. The two norse settlement areas include intact medieval landscapes showing traces of farms, fields, and churches. The cultural landscapes of the inuit hunting cultures consist of permanent traces of dwellings, hunting structures, quarries and graves in all parts of Greenland. It is our goal to enlighten, compare and understand the economic, cultural and social strategies, which these landscapes of the Arctic farmers and hunters reflect.
Cross Cultural processes in Greenland
The study of cross cultural processes is a focal topic of recent archaeological, anthropological, historical and ethnohistorical research in the Arctic. SILA’s research programme focuses on meetings and contacts between different cultures and inuit groups in different regions of Greenland where the research potential is great due to the diversity of sources and where a long term perspective from prehistory into historical times can be applied. It is the aim to explain the background for the different cultural, social and economic strategies, which the societies chose in relation to their interplay with dynamic cultural and natural environments.
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