 The village of Tanem dates back to before the Viking era.The hill today known as "Tanemsåsen" was fortified in ancient times, the remnants of this still exist and have been excavated.This hill gave its name to the municipality "Klæbu" in which Tanem lies, the name Klæbu being derived from the old "Klæppabu", which means "the place where people live under the hill with a fort on it".