This paper aims to increase knowledge about how discourse is represented in the evaluation and management of tangible cultural heritage by a comparative analysis of the management of two of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites located in Sweden. By examining the motivations for inscription and the sites’ management plans through critical discourse analysis, this study approaches questions regarding how heritage is constructed and managed. Through a comparison of the case studies and a subsequent discussion of their relation to Laurajane Smith’s concept of Authorized Heritage Discourse, this paper highlights some issues that the cultural heritage sector is facing today regarding social and political dimensions of cultural heritage.

This paper analysis the Viking age double graves on Birka. It has long been known that slaves have been a part of many societies. They have existed, yet not seen. They have been forgotten and overlooked for centuries, by the people of the past but also of today. The wish for this paper is to make these people a little more visible in the thoughts of scholars and the public alike. People are remembered by the things they leave behind. What do you do if you do not own something worthy to be remembered by? What do you look for? This is a comparative study where graves that have been labelled as double graves and those that has not, but share characteristics, will be analysed. The purpose of this study is to try and show, a different perspective, a different approach to analyse double graves that has not necessarily been interpreted as such.

This is an experimental study of a few glass objects from the Birka Excavations 1987-1989. A number of beads and waste from bead production have been studied. A group of these objects have also been examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive detectors (EDS) to comparatively analyze the materials composition. Experiments to recreate the technique in which they were made have been attempted with various results. The techniques found in the beads include the use of murrini, stringer, dotting, and blown-drawn. However the waste material available to this study only suggests that in Birka, beads where made with the winding technique and ornamented with stringer and possibly dotting. The glass used was heated in clay crucibles and some rods where premade.

Birka Folk High School, Jämtland County Folk High School, opened its doors in 1901 and welcomed its first students. As part of their studies, the students participated in discussions covering a wide range of issues. The purpose of this thesis has been to examine the views on citizenship expressed in discussions among students at Birka Folk High School in Sweden from 1901 to 1920. What characteristics did the students believe a good citizen should possess, and did these expectations differ based on gender? Can any contradictions between the region of Jämtland and the nation of Sweden be discerned in the students' discussions?  To answer these questions, five record books from Birka Folk High School's student discussions for the years 1901-1920 have been studied using a qualitative method.  The study found that the students expressed the belief that a good citizen should be self-controlled, honest, helpful, and sober. There were also differences in expectations depending on whether the citizen was a woman or a man. The woman was expected to be a healthy and good mother with primary responsibility for the home and child rearing, while the man was expected to be hardworking and dutiful.  In the students' discussions, there were no contradictions between the region of Jämtland and the nation of Sweden. The students expressed warm feelings for Jämtland, but these do not seem to create any aversion to the nation. It is rather that the students' feelings for the region put it in a larger context and create a sense of belonging with the nation. / Birka folkhögskola, då Jämtlands läns folkhögskola, slog upp portarna 1901 och tog emot sina första elever. Inom ramen för sina studier deltog eleverna i diskussioner där ett brett spektrum av frågor diskuterades.  Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att undersöka vilken syn på medborgarskap som framkommer i de diskussioner som folkhögskoleelever vid Birka folkhögskola hade under perioden 1901 till 1920. Vilka egenskaper ansågs en god medborgare behöva och skiljde elevernas förväntningar på hur en god medborgare skulle vara beroende på om medborgaren var en kvinna eller man? Kan någon motsättning mellan regionen Jämtland och nationen Sverige skönjas i elevernas diskussioner?  För att besvara frågorna har fem protokollsböcker från Birka folkhögskolas elevdiskussioner för åren 1901 - 1920 studerats. De diskussioner som bedömts relevanta utifrån uppsatsens syfte har studerats utifrån en kvalitativ metod.  Undersökningen visade att eleverna gav uttryck för att en god medborgare skulle visa självbehärskning, vara ärlig, hjälpsam och nykter. Det fanns även skillnader i förväntningar om medborgaren var kvinna eller man. Kvinnan skulle vara en sund och god mor vars huvudansvar var hemmet och barnuppfostran, medan mannen skulle vara arbetsam och plikttrogen.  I elevernas diskussioner framkom det inga motsättningar mellan regionen Jämtland och nationen Sverige. Eleverna uttrycker varma känslor för Jämtland men dessa verkar på inte skapa någon aversion mot nationen. Det är snarare så att elevernas känslor för regionen sätter in den i ett större sammanhang och skapar en känsla av tillhörighet med nationen.

This thesis aims to study the level and scale of literacy as it expanded in Viking towns during the 8th-12th century. In order to get an understanding of this spread, I have worked with two case-studies of Viking towns, as they were founded and prospered during and by the end of the Viking Age in Sweden; the town of Birka located in Björkö Island in Lake Mälaren, and the town of Sigtuna located in the province of Uppland, in central Sweden. Through the study of selected archaeological material, this paper aims to bring together scattered information and shed light on what we know about the level and spread of literacy in Viking society. The purpose of this endeavour, is to question not only the notion of an illiterate pagan society that the Viking Age Scandinavians are considered to have been, but also question both the methodology in which the scholarly archaeological community studies literacy, as well as the way literacy itself is defined in the study of the ancient world. The paper includes a bibliographic and a material-studying approach, as well as a section where digital archaeological research methods are used with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software in order to illustrate the level and scale of literary expansion in Viking Age Sweden. / <p>The proceedings of the Thesis defence were undertaken in the form of a web meeting via Zoom, in accordance to the local restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>

<p>This is a study of martial material culture in the context of the Viking Age warrior of Birka, Sweden. The aim is to establish the role, function and affiliation of the Birka warrior and thereby place Birka on the power-political map of the 10th century. The study is based on the excavations of the fortified structures, particularly the Garrison, at the trading post of Birka as well as the extensive remains of material culture deriving from these investigations. A starting hypothesis is that an analysis of material culture constitutes a way of mapping social structures and that style and iconography reflect cultural groups, contacts and loyalties.</p><p>Based on the case studies of six papers, the synthesis deals with questions of the work and world view of the warriors, as too their relation to their contemporary counterparts in eastern and western Europe. Questions are raised concerning the value and function of symbols in a martial context where material culture reflects rank, status and office. In defining the Birka warrior’s particular stylistic expression, a tool is created and used in the search for contacts and affiliations reflected through the distribution patterns. The results show close contacts with the eastern trading posts located on the rivers Volga and Dnjepr in Ancient Russia.</p><p>It is stated that these Rus’ trading posts, essentially inhabited by Northmen, shared a common cultural expression that was maintained throughout a vast area by exceptionally close contacts. It is suggested that a particular stylistic expression developed in these Rus’ trading places containing elements of mainly Scandinavian, Steppe nomadic and Byzantine origin.</p><p>In conclusion, the results of this thesis show that the warriors from Birka’s Garrison had a share in the martial development of contemporary Europe but with their own particular traits. Close relations with the eastern trade route and contact with the powerful Byzantine Empire were enjoyed. As a pointer for future research, it is wondered what organisational form the close-knit structure of the Rus’ trading posts actually took, keeping the subsequent guilds of medieval Europe in mind. The fall of the Garrison, as of Birka, corresponds with the establishment of Christianity in the region. Such changes were not limited to Central Sweden but part of a greater process where a new political structure was developing, better anchored in local concerns.</p>

This is a study of martial material culture in the context of the Viking Age warrior of Birka, Sweden. The aim is to establish the role, function and affiliation of the Birka warrior and thereby place Birka on the power-political map of the 10th century. The study is based on the excavations of the fortified structures, particularly the Garrison, at the trading post of Birka as well as the extensive remains of material culture deriving from these investigations. A starting hypothesis is that an analysis of material culture constitutes a way of mapping social structures and that style and iconography reflect cultural groups, contacts and loyalties. Based on the case studies of six papers, the synthesis deals with questions of the work and world view of the warriors, as too their relation to their contemporary counterparts in eastern and western Europe. Questions are raised concerning the value and function of symbols in a martial context where material culture reflects rank, status and office. In defining the Birka warrior’s particular stylistic expression, a tool is created and used in the search for contacts and affiliations reflected through the distribution patterns. The results show close contacts with the eastern trading posts located on the rivers Volga and Dnjepr in Ancient Russia. It is stated that these Rus’ trading posts, essentially inhabited by Northmen, shared a common cultural expression that was maintained throughout a vast area by exceptionally close contacts. It is suggested that a particular stylistic expression developed in these Rus’ trading places containing elements of mainly Scandinavian, Steppe nomadic and Byzantine origin. In conclusion, the results of this thesis show that the warriors from Birka’s Garrison had a share in the martial development of contemporary Europe but with their own particular traits. Close relations with the eastern trade route and contact with the powerful Byzantine Empire were enjoyed. As a pointer for future research, it is wondered what organisational form the close-knit structure of the Rus’ trading posts actually took, keeping the subsequent guilds of medieval Europe in mind. The fall of the Garrison, as of Birka, corresponds with the establishment of Christianity in the region. Such changes were not limited to Central Sweden but part of a greater process where a new political structure was developing, better anchored in local concerns.

The former Viking settlement Birka is located on Björkö Island in Lake Mälaren, the third largest lake in Sweden. Birka is a well-known archeological site that onshore has been carefully examined. The lake floor of the waters surrounding the island has been less investigated but has a great potential to host not yet discovered archeological objects from this former hub for seafarers. Therefore, a geophysical survey including multibeam sonar mapping and subbottom profiling was carried out mainly along the shores of western Björkö Island. Processing and analysis of these collected data form the basis of this thesis. The main aims of this study are to produce a suite of geological maps and stratigraphic profiles that are used to geologically interpret the uppermost sediment stratigraphy and the bathymetry of the area. In addition, the processed data are investigated for archeological objects. The result shows that the acoustic records of the sediment stratigraphy reaches back to glacial clay formed as a consequence of the retreat of the Late Weichselian ice sheet, and that the uppermost sediment units probably are from the time after the isolation of Lake Mälaren from the Baltic Sea. The bathymetry and backscatter results have revealed that this relatively shallow study area contains several objects that potentially could be of interest from an archeological point of view. These objects include several unidentified objects in the Björkö strait and two unregistered shipwrecks where ground truthing data need to be collected to determine their respective origin.

In the spring of 2018, a prospection and subsequent research excavation of a previously unstudied area related to the rampart of the Viking age town of Birka, Sweden, was undertaken by students and professors from the archaeological science department affiliated with Stockholm University.The purpose of this paper is to examine and categorise the various excavated finds, the ensuing conservation and preservation of the metal objects as well as to investigate the context and possible function of the site regarding the spatial distribution of said finds.The main method used is that of metal conservation with the wet-chemical technique EDTA; a method that was deemed adequate for the treatment of the dry metal finds from the rampart excavation.The conservation and categorisation suggest that the metal posts consist of assorted metal objects, predominately rivets and nails as well as unidentified fragmented objects; the occasional slag fragment was evident. The material category of clay and ceramics contains assorted burnt clay and ceramic sherd fragments, some with decoration. Whetstone (or hone stone) and flint fragments make up most of the stone finds while the category of glass consists of a few bead fragments. The bulk of the osteological material consists of burnt and unburnt animal bones, some with slaughter marks in the form of cuts and hacks. Two human bone fragments were found; a humerus- and cranial fragment.Post holes and charcoal in the context of the rampart suggests the possibility of wooden supports and/or a superimposed wooden structure on the rampart itself that likely burnt at some point in time. The interpretation of the excavated area, based on the distribution of the finds and material categories, is that of a dumping site for discarded town refuse, most likely set against or near a walled construction; the rampart. The dating of the site is based on object similarities as well as stratigraphy and set to; Early to Late Viking Period, c. A.D. 820-1000(1150).The analyses, materials and the stratigraphy of the site together with a contextual analysis of the objects in question furthers the knowledge of Birka’s rampart and will enable future scientific inquiries into this specific rampart as well as similar fortification structures.

The purpose of this thesis is to study the symbolic role of weapons, specifically axes in Viking age burials. The thesis will also discuss the axe´s role in relaion to the character of the grave and the grave goods. A total 18 graves will be studied and analysed with help from J. Petersen´s typology of Viking age weapons and Holger Arbman`s works on anout Birkas burials and their grave goods. Qualative and quantative research methods will be used used to answer the thesis`questions. First the thesis will discuss what a weapon grave is and explain Petersen`s typology of axes and explain what other types of axes that exist in Birka. It will further analyse weapon and axe symbolism, explain different characteristics and grave goods. Finally, I will discuss different interpretations and patterns surrounding the different practices, grave goods, the types of depsotied axes and the symbolic role of axes in graves. Axes buried with rich grave goods shows that some types of axes have higher status than others. The axes aesthetics do not play a pivotal role in the graves and their placements in the graves do not have a symbolic or deeper meaning.