Stadnamnet "Botn" som kortform av "Kolbotn"

The element ON botn m. ‘bottom, ground’ is highly frequent in Norwegian toponyms, typically signifying a cirque, depression, or the innermost part of a landform such as a valley, lake, or fjord. This article, however, posits that an additional denotation warrants greater attention – namely, ‘site for a charcoal stack’. This particular technique for charcoal production was introduced in the late 16th century and became a key factor in the substantial expansion of the Norwegian mining industry. For several centuries, a large proportion of peasants in the inner regions of Southern Norway were involved in the charcoal manufacturing, which was based on carbonizing wood in piles built on level ground, referred to as kolbotn (lit. ‘coal bottom’). Eventually, thousands of such sites were crafted, and the notion kolbotn became so commonplace that it was recurrently abbreviated to botn. This article argues that botn, similar to kolbotn, underwent a process of proprialisation, leading to the formation of numerous place names Kolbotn and Botn (with several variants). A key concern is that botn, in the sense of ‘site for a charcoal stack’, has been largely overlooked in toponymic interpretations. Undoubtedly, the variant referring to the physical characteristics of the landscape remains the most prevalent; however, given the widespread use of the kolbotn production method, this secondary denotation deserves more attention. Nevertheless, reliable identification will normally require archaeological investigations.