Welcome!
My name is Jonas Holm Jæger. I am an archaeologist and a PhD-fellow in biomolecular archaeology at the University of Copenhagen University of Copenhagen.
I am currently in the process of finishing my PhD-project, Shearing Through Time - Biomolecular Insights Into Late Iron Age and VIking Age Sheep Husbandry in Denmark, which is part of the Textile Resources in Viking Age Landscapes-project hosted at the Centre for Textile Research, SAXO, UCPH, funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (grant no. DFF-2027-00204B).
My research
My research is centred around sheep and sheep husbandry practices during the Late Iron Age (c. AD 400-750) and Viking Age (c. AD 750-1050). Both the Late Iron Age and the Viking Age were times of significant cultural and socio-political change, some of which influenced the production of wool textiles.
During the Late Iron Age and the Viking Age, the demand for wool textiles increased. This was likely mediated by a number of factors: an increase in population size, the introduction of sailcloth, expanding maritime activities including raiding, warfare, colonisation, and the establishment of overseas trade networks. Furthermore, we start seeing archaeological evidence that the organisation of textile production begins to change from small-scale household production to larger-scale household industries in which textiles are produced in larger quantities than the individual household could consume, i.e. an output system.
In addition, the textile experts notice that around the beginning of the Viking Age, the wool fibres in the preserved textiles seem to become significantly coarser compared to earlier periods.
The question then becomes: with these sudden shifts towards a higher demand for wool, as well as wool of different qualities, how does this affect sheep husbandry practices? Does the number of sheep increase in order to meet the new demands? Are new sheep breeds being introduced? Are the sheep being reared differently in order to meet new demands?
These are some of the questions I’m trying to answer by using a multi-proxy, biomolecular approach by combining ancient DNA, palaeoproteomics, and stable isotope analyses with textile-, zoo-, and landscape archaeology.
About me
Before I started my PhD, I received both my BA and MA degrees in prehistoric archaeology from the University of Copenhagen. My BA thesis was an old-school lithic analysis for reconstructing early Mesolithic settlement dynamics at the famous Maglemosian site, Mullerup on Western Sjælland. Later, I wrote my MA thesis on ZooMS analyses of Swedish Late Iron Age and Viking Age ovicaprines (the prequel to my PhD). Apart from this, I also spent my years as an undergrad delving into topics such as zooarchaeology, biological anthropology, experimental archaeology, and forensic archaeology.
Nowadays I live an otherwise quiet life in the beautiful countryside of Northwestern Sjælland in a small-ish house I share with my wife, our two sons and our Finnish Lapphund. In what little spare time I have left between my research and taking care of an old house (and being a responsible family man) I enjoy spending time in nature, either running, hiking or kayaking, camping, mountain biking, rock climbing, hunting and fishing.