Archaeological
finds prove
that many
places along
the coast
were
inhabited
already in
the Stone
Age. The
inland area
remained
unsettled
until much
later. The
weapons and
tools which
have been
found from
this period
show a
similar
construction
to those
used in
England and
on the
European
continent at
the time.
Even the
contact by
sea was
widespread.
Bronze Age
stone
carvings on
the Lista
Peninsula
show
stylized
ships with
elegant
curves and
elongated
keels.
Among the
stone
carvings you
also find
saucer like
figures
which are
sun symbols.
Through the
worship of
the sun and
ships the
Bronze Age
man would
ensure
success for
his
agricultural
and
seafaring
endeavors.
In fact it
has been
farming and
shipping
which have
provided the
livelihood
for the
majority of
the
residents of
Vest- Agder
until recent
times.
Historians
claim
that the
almost
deserted
interior
regions
of Vest-
Agder
were not
populated
until
the
century
after
the
birth of
Christ.
During
the so
called
“Great
Migration”
in the
fifth
and
sixth
centuries
there
was a
considerable
amount
of
mobility
within
the
country.
Only
then was
the
county
settled
from the
mountains
to the
seashore.
This
population
growth
continued
throughout
the
Viking
Age.
When the
Viking
expeditions
were
over the
population
had to
once
again
resort
to what
natural
resources
the land
had to
offer.
Because
most of
the land
was now
cultivated
the
county
was then
too
densely
populated.
Land
could
not be
cleared
quickly
enough
to keep
up with
the
demands
of the
growing
population.
For
many
people
it was a
constant
struggle
for
survival.
This
situation
continued
until
1300
when the
Black
Death-
brutally
wiped
out
almost
two
thirds
of the
country’s
population.
It is
said
that
many
parishes
in Vest-
Agder
were
deserted
after
the
catastrophe.
It
wasn’t
until
the
seventeenth
century
that the
population
reached
its
former
heights.
Once
again
there
was a
rivalry
for land
acquisition,
but now
farming
was not
the only
option.
