On Sunday, August 30, Archaeology Day will be held all over Sweden. This year, Norrbotten Museum, Luleå University of Technology and Niemisel Village Association are highlighting archaeological and historical environments in the Råne River Valley.
The day begins with two lectures about current projects in the area. For children, there will be a story time on the theme "What does an archaeologist do" and a playful archaeology bingo. The day ends with a guided tour of an ancient site at Gunnarsbyberget.
Archaeology Day is a collaboration between Niemisels Village Hall Association, Luleå University of Technology and Norrbotten Museum.
Red ochre graves represent the oldest known burial system in northern Europe. In Norrbotten there is something unique – namely around 7000 year old red ochre graves that have been marked by stone layers that are visible above ground. Around Niemisel there is potential for red ochre graves and Norrbotten Museum will carry out archaeological inventories to try to find previously unknown red ochre graves in the area.
Lecturer: Frida Palmbo, archaeologist at Norrbotten Museum.
Location: Niemisel Community Center Association – Älvens hus, Norra Niemisel 164.
What can historical maps tell us about Norrbotten's iron history? Based on maps from the late 1700th century, archaeologists and historians from Luleå University of Technology and Norrbotten Museum have searched for traces of local iron production in the Råne river valley. The lecture tells about the inventories and how iron production, natural resources and land use shaped the landscape and created both cooperation and conflicts in Norrbotten during the mining era.
Lecturer: Carina Bennerhag, researcher at Luleå University of Technology and archaeologist at Norrbotten Museum.
Location: Niemisel Community Center Association – Älvens hus, Norra Niemisel 164.
We investigate finds, and with the help of the story we travel back in time together with Annika, an educator at Norrbotten Museum. To conclude, we play a playful archaeology bingo.
Location: Niemisel Rural Community Association – Älvens hus, Norra Niemisel 164
Niemisel's community center sells sandwiches, hot dogs and coffee in Älvens hus.
At Gunnarsbyberget there is a signposted archaeological site with remains from the Stone Age right up to historical times. Here there are prehistoric settlements and remains of Stone Age houses, hearths and charcoal facilities. In the autumn of 2025, Umeå University and Norrbotten Museum carried out archaeological sampling in the archaeological site.
Archaeologists Carina Bennerhag and Frida Palmbo will give a guided tour of the area and tell you more about the different types of ancient remains, and about the results of the archaeological sampling.
Drive northwest along road 760 towards Gunnarsbyn.
After approximately 11 km from the four-way intersection in Niemisel you will come to the intersection between road 760 towards Gunnarsbyn and road 763 towards Norriån and Grundträsk.
Continue straight ahead on road 763 for approximately 2,5 kilometers.
The archaeological site is located on the right side of the road (in the direction of travel north) at the northwestern foot of Gunnarsbyberget. The location is marked with a white sign with the text "Ancient Archaeological Site". Park in the designated parking lot on the right side of the road (in the northbound direction) and along the road. Carpooling is welcome.
We gather for a joint hike to the settlement starting at 1:30 p.m. The hike is in easy terrain, approximately 500 meters one way.
The location will also be marked with a sign labeled "Archaeology Day".
For more information, contact Frida Palmbo, phone: 070-300 94 32.
Archaeology Day is a national theme day for anyone who wants to discover Sweden's cultural history and learn more about the workings of archaeology and exciting discoveries. During the day, people around Sweden can visit local events about archaeology and cultural history. Archaeology Day has been organized for over thirty years.
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The river's house,
North Niemisel 164
Free of charge.