depåhålen

Depåhålen are a class of archaeological features consisting of storage pits used by past communities to store foodstuffs and other goods. They are found primarily in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and they span a broad time range from the late Neolithic through the Iron Age and into the Viking Age.

Typically, depåhålen are circular to oval pits dug into the ground, often with a shallow or deeper profile and sometimes featuring a clay or stone lining. The pits are usually located within or near domestic spaces such as farmyards, though in some regions they occur in field or settlement contexts away from dwellings. The contents of the pit fills can include charred cereal grains (such as barley, wheat and oats), seeds, nuts, and other organic material, as well as occasional pottery fragments. The primary purpose was storage: to protect valuable surpluses from moisture, pests and decay, and to create centralized reserves for households, kin groups, or communities. Some pits show episodic use, with multiple fills representing successive storage periods.

Analytical work on depåhålen involves careful excavation and stratigraphic recording, flotation to recover plant remains, and radiocarbon dating of organic material. The resulting data provide insights into agricultural practices, crop choices, storage strategies, and socio-economic organization. In interpretation, depåhålen are seen as indicators of surplus production and risk management, and in some contexts they may also reflect ritual or communal aspects of storage.