The Bear Trap

IF 0.5 4区社会学 Q1 Social Sciences

Arctic Anthropology Pub Date : 2023-05-01 DOI:10.3368/aa.58.2.200

Matthew J. Walsh, Daniel F. Carlson, Pelle Tejsner, Steffen Thomsen

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract A dry-stone structure known as the Bear Trap—“Bjørnefælden” in Danish and “Putdlagssuaq” (The Great Trap) in the local Greenlandic Kalaallisut—is a unique and enigmatic feature on the Arctic landscape of the Nuussuaq Peninsula in northwestern Greenland. Despite its suggestive name, the intended function of the Bear Trap has been the subject of scholarly debate since 1740. Here we present new findings on the Bear Trap, update the archaeological context of the site and its surroundings, and present the first three-dimensional (3D) digital reconstruction of the site and its surroundings. Investigations of the Bear Trap and its surroundings during the summer of 2019 revealed previously undocumented graves in the vicinity. Based on the newly discovered graves and quantitative data extracted from the 3D models, we concur with previous scholarly speculations (e.g., Rosenkrantz 1967) that the Bear Trap was possibly used as a grave or possible cenotaph rather than as a skemma, the typical stone storage structure of the Greenland Norse. In addition, we demonstrate the use of 3D modeling to digitally preserve cultural heritage in the rapidly changing Arctic and permit remote, quantitative analysis of archaeological sites.

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捕熊器

摘要一个被称为“熊陷阱”的干石结构——丹麦语为“Bjørnefælden”，当地格陵兰卡拉利苏特语为“Putdlagssuaq”（大陷阱）——是格陵兰西北部努苏阿半岛北极景观上一个独特而神秘的特征。尽管名称暗示性，但自1740年以来，捕熊器的预期功能一直是学术界争论的主题。在这里，我们展示了关于熊陷阱的新发现，更新了该遗址及其周围环境的考古背景，并展示了该遗址和周围环境的首次三维（3D）数字重建。2019年夏天，对熊陷阱及其周围环境的调查显示，附近有以前没有记录的坟墓。根据新发现的坟墓和从3D模型中提取的定量数据，我们同意之前的学术推测（例如，Rosenkrantz 1967），即熊陷阱可能被用作坟墓或可能的纪念碑，而不是作为北欧格陵兰岛典型的石头储存结构skemma。此外，我们还展示了使用3D建模对快速变化的北极地区的文化遗产进行数字保护，并允许对考古遗址进行远程定量分析。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Arctic Anthropology ANTHROPOLOGY-

CiteScore

1.20

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Arctic Anthropology, founded in 1962 by Chester S. Chard, is an international journal devoted to the study of Old and New World northern cultures and peoples. Archaeology, ethnology, physical anthropology, and related disciplines are represented, with emphasis on: studies of specific cultures of the arctic, subarctic and contiguous regions of the world; the peopling of the New World; relationships between New World and Eurasian cultures of the circumpolar zone; contemporary problems and culture change among northern peoples; and new directions in interdisciplinary northern research.