This thesis examines whaling during the Iron Age in Scandinavia by investigating slab-lined pits and boathouses in northern Norway. Along the coast of northern Norway, more than 700 slab-lined pits, known as hellegroper, have been discovered. These features have been interpreted as processing installations for marine mammals used in the production of oil. The remains of boathouse foundations, known as nausttufts are often found in association with the slab-lined pits. The aim of the study is to investigate how the pits and nearby features such as nausttufts may be connected to whaling. The thesis focuses on five sites in Finnmark where whale bones have been found in the slab-lined pits. To interpret the material, contextual and comparative analyses are employed, through the use of ethnographic analogy, as well as archaeological and historical examples, the study seeks to illuminate possible conditions for early whaling. The location of the slab-lined pits within the landscape, together with their number, size, chronology, and association with other maritime features such as nausttufts indicate extensive oil production and hunting activities, possibly involving whales. 

This thesis examines whaling during the Iron Age in Scandinavia by investigating slab-lined pits and boathouses in northern Norway. Along the coast of northern Norway, more than 700 slab-lined pits, known as hellegroper, have been discovered. These features have been interpreted as processing installations for marine mammals used in the production of oil. The remains of boathouse foundations, known as nausttufts are often found in association with the slab-lined pits. The aim of the study is to investigate how the pits and nearby features such as nausttufts may be connected to whaling. The thesis focuses on five sites in Finnmark where whale bones have been found in the slab-lined pits. To interpret the material, contextual and comparative analyses are employed, through the use of ethnographic analogy, as well as archaeological and historical examples, the study seeks to illuminate possible conditions for early whaling. The location of the slab-lined pits within the landscape, together with their number, size, chronology, and association with other maritime features such as nausttufts indicate extensive oil production and hunting activities, possibly involving whales.