Control of preservation conditions

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De arkeologiske undersøkelsene i bykjernen i Skien pågår i 2026 og 2027. (Foto: Arkeolog Kristine Ødeby Haugan, NIKU – Norsk institutt for kulturminneforskning)

The archaeological excavations in the city centre of Skien will take place in 2026 and 2027 (Photo: Archaeologist Kristine Ødeby Haugan, NIKU - Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research)

Cautus Geo monitors ground conditions in the city centre of Skien. It provides real-time data on preservation conditions for cultural heritage sites from the Viking Age.

Problem statement

Skien is a medieval town. This means that the land is protected. In the 1970s, cultural artefacts from the Viking Age were unearthed. In 2026 and 2027, the city's water and wastewater network will be renovated. NIKU is carrying out archaeological investigations in the construction pits. Cultural monuments deeper down will not be excavated. They will be preserved in the ground. NIKU wants to keep control of the preservation conditions to ensure that non-renewable cultural artefacts can be excavated in the future and remain in the same condition as today.

Solution

Cautus Geo has instrumented the construction pits in the city centre. This ensures real-time data on conditions down in the ground. This includes conditions such as temperature, humidity, oxygen, acidity levels and other data. If the values being measured change, this could quickly lead to the loss of historical cultural artefacts and the knowledge base about historical settlements and cultures. If this happens, decisions on any new archaeological surveys can be made on the basis of actual knowledge that shows the threat to the cultural monuments located below ground level in the city centre.

Skien was established as a trading centre for whetstones and other commodities in the 10th century. This was revealed by excavations in the late 1970s. In 2026 and 2027, new archaeological investigations will be carried out. This is part of the renovation work for the water and wastewater system in the city centre.

The NIKU surveys take place in the construction trenches for the renovation work.

NIKU is therefore mapping where excavation is taking place. In addition, NIKU is keen to safeguard the cultural layers that lie close to and deeper than where excavation is currently taking place. That's where Cautus Geo comes in. The underground instrumentation provides real-time data that shows what is happening underground. Without a supply of oxygen, cultural artefacts can lie untouched for thousands of years without being destroyed.

Cautus Geo has previously instrumented continuous and automatic environmental monitoring in medieval cities such as Bergen, Stavanger, Tønsberg and Oslo.

Two environmental monitoring profiles will be established in Skien. One towards the harbour and one further up in the city. This will enable NIKU to monitor the preservation conditions in the cultural layers with time series of five years. This will provide important knowledge about what is happening underground and how preservation conditions are developing.

NIKU is an international leader in the use of technology for «in situ» conservation of cultural heritage. Instrumented monitoring provides new and reliable knowledge.