Abstract
In Greenland, Palaeoeskimo dwellings are mostly concentrated in the north and northeast parts of the island. Some are found in the southeast, in the west (from Nuuk to Disko Bay), and in the ...northwest (Inglefield Land and Washington Land). During the entire period, Palaeoeskimo dwellings show an emphasis on an axial element. In the Early Palaeoeskimo period (Saqqaq and Independence I) the fireplace is a separate square box inside two parallel rows of flags or boulders. Cooking and/or seething stones are common during Saqqaq and rare in Dorset. In Late Saqqaq, a shift in dwelling style to a platform-like dwelling is indicated by material from the Disko Bay region. During Independence II, the external borders of the axial feature often extend towards the front of the dwelling and may display "wings" at one or both ends. Late Dorset is only found in Northwest Greenland where the material from Inglefield Land documents the presence of at least four dwelling types with a clear axial element in the more substantial ruins.
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Northeast Greenland supports a large indigenous population of musk-oxen (Ovibosmoschatus). Radiocarbon dating of remains of this mammal collected on the terrain surface and from archaeological sites ...has yielded mid- and Late Holocene ages. The species probably arrived shortly before this part of Greenland became inhabited by the first hunter cultures. Only Late Holocene dates are available from the southern part of northeast Greenland, but the authors suggest that musk-ox spread south to this region at an early date, because there are no physical barriers. The lack of older dates may reflect the lack of palaeo-Eskimo sites with bones.
Northwest Greenland formerly supported a population of musk-ox (Ovibos moschatus). Radiocarbon dating of musk-ox remains collected on the terrain surface and from archaeological sites has yielded ...Late Holocene ages, indicating that the species was a late immigrant to this part of Greenland. Musk-ox arrived at a time when Greenland was uninhabited, and the species had at least several hundred years to expand and spread south, before the Late Dorset people arrived and began to hunt. The main reason that the species did not disperse south to West Greenland was probably because of the barrier presented by Melville Bugt, which was heavily glaciated in the Late Holocene. However, if there had been a longer period of time before hunting of the musk-ox occurred, there would have been an enhanced likelihood that chance dispersal south could have taken place.
The prehistory of the coastal areas of Amdrup Land and Holm Land adjacent to the Northeast Water polynya are introduced using the archaeological results obtained during fieldwork in 1993. Human ...occupation during the last 4,500 years in the area can be divided into three periods, of which the last two are well documented while the first is less well represented. Data presented in the paper are used in correlating human occupations in the area during these periods with the presence of the polynya.
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IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The recent mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet (Chen et al. 2006), the observed increases in the velocity of its fast-flowing outlets (Luthcke et al. 2006) and the melting of the permafrost ...demonstrate the profound changes occurring in the Arctic region as a result of global warming (ACIA 2005). This is corroborated by systematic satellite monitoring that shows there has been a progressive decrease in the extent of sea ice over the last 30 years, with a record low in 2007 (Comiso et al. 2008). Forward modelling predicts accelerated rates of sea-ice disintegration and the almost complete disappearance of Arctic Ocean summer sea-ice cover within this century. It is clear that the environment in the Arctic is changing at a pace not previously monitored by humankind. It is equally clear, however, that to place the current changes in a millennial time perspective, we need to know more about the Pleistocene natural variability and amplitude of, for example, the Greenland ice sheet, Arctic Ocean sea ice and permafrost. Such a longer time perspective can only be established through international collaborative and multidisciplinary studies of nature's own archives, such as marine and terrestrial stratigraphic records, sediment distribution and landforms.
Prior to 1981, the laws concerning Greenland's museums and antiquities were Danish and the National Museum in Copenhagen was the formal head of the administration of these laws. On January 1, 1981, ...this jurisdiction was transferred to the Greenlandic Home Rule authorities. The Museum Law determines the criteria under which the museums function and deals with the topics they should treat, mainly cultural history. A Museum Council has the authority to decide which museums to support financially and to specify guidelines for the museums. The Law of Preservation states mainly that all prehistoric sites are protected, and it also deals with Greenland's Museums' obligations to deal with these sites. In this paper, I discuss the different kinds of work carried out by the Greenlandic National Museum. Finally, a section describes some of the criteria used when foreigners apply to Greenland for a research permit. The main portions of the above mentioned laws are added as an appendix.
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