The aim of this research is to investigate the functions of ceramic vessels from two well-defined contexts at Tell Ahmar that have been dated to the Middle Bronze Age II (c. 1800-1600 BC). In addition, correlations between socioeconomic activities and ceramic production at a local and regional level are further investigated. Since there is no one-to-one relation between vessel type and vessel function, the research adopts a multi-dimensional approach formed by the following hierarchical investigations. Firstly, a ceramic typology for the Middle Bronze Age pottery from Tell Ahmar, the first to be undertaken, is constructed to provide a working platform for further analyses. Secondly, interpretations of vessel functions are made based on the techno-morphological implications of vessel use. Moreover, since the ceramic assemblage under investigation represents the systemic inventory of artefacts in use in the rooms at the time of the site abandonment, function of the rooms and relative associations with the composition of the ceramic room assemblage at Tell Ahmar are investigated. In addition, comparative analysis from Northern Mesopotamian and Syrian sites are used in conjunction to suggest functional activities for the defined vessel shapes at Tell Ahmar. Inferences of vessel function are finally supported by the results of ceramic residue analysis and by epigraphic and iconographic evidence of vessel use. Functional activities (i.e. transport, storage and processing) are further discussed in order to make socioeconomic inferences at both local and regional levels. This analysis indicated that one of the major activities at Tell Ahmar was associated with long-distance transport and storage, while for those shapes characterised by a perforated base, an association with beer production is suggested. At a regional level, a general similarity of vessel shapes is noted, this being stronger among the Euphrates River Valley sites than in Inner Syria or in the Khabur Valley. However, when these similarities are examined in detail, ceramic production indicates some local distinctions. These variations, which are not associated with any ancient political boundaries, may be explained in terms of local preferences and requirements that emerged within long-distance flourishing relationships established during this period.

This essay explores the reason behind the sexless human figures depicted in rock carvings from the Bronze Age in Scandinavia, to understand why they are sexless while others have indicated sex markers, and to investigate which theories about them are the most reliable - are they sexless by purpose, or are they women, men, children or are they a third gender? This interdisciplinary study with archeology and gender research will discuss and analyze human figures with non distinct sex markers from 10 pictures of rock carvings from Scandinavia with the purpose to understand the lack of sex markers such as phallus and long hair. The ambition of this essay is that a study of this kind will deepen the general knowledge of the subject of rock art and possibly contribute to the discussion about the Bronze Age society's view of gender. The result and discussion of this study have shown that several earlier theories about the sexless human figures could be confirmed, for example that small mostly sexless human figures are children but that they are not a specific indicator of sex and that shamans are depicted in ceremonies, but that not all sexless human figures should be interpreted as shamans. The discussion also contradicted a few of the earlier theories, for example the theory that weapons always indicate male sex and that the lack of it indicates female sex, and that all human figures on ships should be interpreted as male even if they do not have any sex markers. The sexless human figures are still a mystery, but this study have lead to the conclusion that they are sexless by purpose and that sex markers such as phallus and long hair are indicators of masculinity and femininity, not the biological male and female sex.

The main focus of this thesis is the study of the burned bones from Uppgarde, Vallstena, on the island of Gotland. Vallstena is a place where artifacts, graves and other activities are dated from the Stone Age to the Late Iron Age. This indicates that Vallstena was a place humans frequently used for a long period of time and a prominent remain is a Stone Ship Setting that once was placed here but when excavations were carried out in the 1970s only the depressions of the stones became visible. The purpose of this study is toco-analyse osteological and archaeological material found, to obtain a clearer image of the place and contribute to the existing research of this area. The goal study is to determine the nature of the activities seen in relationship to the analysis of the cremated bones found here and how they were connected to the surrounding landscape. The basis for this analysis is a combination of thorough examinations of the osteological material, archaeological features as well as relevant literature.

The cairns on Gotland have been one of the most studied aspects regarding the Bronze Age on the island. Most attention has been directed to how they were built and to whom they belong. My study will focus on Ullviarrojr, which is a so-called crater cairn, and the area around the cairn. Ullviarrojr is among the few large cairns on the Island over 35 meter in diameter and the area around it show very few other archaeological remains. The closest ancient remains are around 400 metres away in an almost circle shape. By making a landscape analysis regarding the area around the cairn and an archive study I want to understand its relationship to the Bronze Age landscape. I have consulted unpublished works and made site visits and interviewed the current landowner to get an overview of if there are additional archaeological remains in the area of if remains have been destroyed and taken away. My study will provide some new information on an area that has not been examined in detail, which would help future studies to understand the cairns and the area around cairns.

Avhandlingen kretsar kring frågan om hur ett förhistoriskt bildskapande var av betydelse. Studien är riktad mot den materiella bilden och syftet är att diskutera betydelser av hällbilders materialitet och hur relationen mellan människor, hällbilder och platser var meningsfull. Utgångspunkten för undersökningen definieras som konceptuell, där en definition av begreppen bild och materialitet ligger till grund för studiens teoretiska och metodiska utformning. Studiematerialet utgörs av den sydskandinaviska hällbildstraditionen, med ett fördjupat fokus på området kring Motala Ström utanför dagens Norrköping. Undersökningen består av tre delar. I den första delen genomförs en diskursanalys, där frågan om hur hällbilders betydelse skall förstås diskuterats i relation till tidigare forsknings syften och resultat. Ett samband visas mellan hällbildsforskningens vetenskapliga illustrationspraktik och sätten hällbilder ansetts vara av betydelse. Ambitionen att avbilda hällbilder så exakt som möjligt är bunden till tolkningen av hällbilder som avbilder. Upptagenheten med avbilden har resulterat i att betydelsen av hällbilders materialitet generellt har varit åsidosatta. En utblick mot hur andra historiska och förhistoriska bildtraditioner varit av betydelse visar att avbildens symboliska betydelse inte alltid kan förutsättas vara den primära. Tvärtom tycks bildens betydelse vara flexibel och föränderlig, särskilt när dess materialitet möjliggör en upplevelse under lång tid. I den andra delen fördjupas studien genom en undersökning av Motala Ström-områdets hällbilder. Hällbildernas materiella kvaliteter definieras i relation till tre skalnivåer, landskapet, platsen och hällen. De materiella kvaliteterna har generella likheter, men varierar även från plats till plats. Upplevelsen av likformighet och variation präglar hällbildernas alla delar. Materialiteten är essentiell för upplevelsen av hällbilder som föreställande. Den nutida upplevelsen av bilder ligger till grund för en kategorisering av hällbilder i föreställande bilder och icke-föreställande former. Kategorierna form och bild ligger till grund för en kvantitativ sammanställning av inventerade hällbilder i socknarna Östra Eneby och Borg. Områdets hällbildsförekomster är strukturerade på ett tydligt sätt i landskapet. De allra flesta lokaler består av ett fåtal hällbilder (färre än 30) och präglas av formmässighet. Ett tjugotal lokaler består av fler än 79 hällbilder, och de präglas av variation och bildlighet. Den nutida upplevelsen av föreställandegraden hos hällbilder har relevans för betydelser under den aktiva hällbildstiden, då hällbilderna brukades på olika sätt i landskapet. På de stora platserna fungerade bilden som ett instrument att tänka med och en konceptualisering av tillvaron, medan de små formaliserade platserna uttrycker en praktik som markerade närvaro i landskapet. Hällbilders placering studeras vidare genom en fenomenologiskt inspirerad undersökningsmetod, där platsbesök bearbetas genom sytematisk fotografering och rendering av 3D-modeller. Tolv lokaler undersöks och det visas att hällbilders materialitet på ett direkt sätt strukturerar upplevelsen, där de antingen skapar en visuell tillgänglighet eller saknar visuell potential. Ett intentionellt bruk diskuteras, där möjligheten att upptäcka bilderna eftersträvats på stora platser och varit mindre viktig på små platser. Det har skapats visuella noder i landskapet, kreativa punkter där världen konceptualiserades. Kring noderna finns en större mängd mindre koncentrationer där estetiska teman upprepats som en del i ett inmutande och markerande i av landskapet där visuella normer upprätthölls.   Avhandlingen avslutas med att hällbildernas sociala och kronologiska sammanhang diskuteras. De sydskandinaviska hällbilderna dateras vanligen till bronsåldern (1 700-500 f.kr.), och produktionen anses ha pågått från början av perioden fram till inledningen av äldre järnålder. Slutet av den aktiva hällbildstiden föreslås som den mest arkeologiskt relevanta eftersom den motsvarar landskapets lämningar. Den aktiva hällbildstidens slut präglas av relationen mellan en materialiserad bildtradition och ett omfattande bildskapande i olika material. Till skillnad från den äldre bronsålderns bildskapande, som var ikonografiskt och repetitivt, så expanderar bildens möjligheter i slutet av aktiv hällbildstid. Bildens format, material och betydelse förändras och varieras. Bilden utvecklas inte enbart i sten utan också i brons och keramik och dess betydelse går från att vara strikt ikonografisk till att bli instrumentell. Hällbilderna spelar en stor roll i utvecklingen av en ”pictoral turn” som uttrycker sociala förändringar i samhället då bronsåldern övergår i äldre järnålder. Bildskapande blir i en del i utvecklingen av ett mer heterogent och regionaliserat samhälle. / The thesis revolves around the central question of how pre-historic images were meaningful. The focus is put on the material image, with the aim to discuss the meaning of south Scandinavian rock art as a relation between materiality, people and places. The empirical focus consists of the south Scandinavian rock art tradition, with a deepened analysis of the rock art area around the river Motala Ström, in south east Sweden. Initially, a connection between the practice of illustrating rock art and the interpretation of its meaning is presented as characteristic for previous research. The ambition to depict rock art as exactly as possible, has led to an archaeological focus on depiction as the primarily meaning of the images. An outlook, consisting of a historical and theoretical perspective on images, shows that the symbolic meaning of depiction cannot be presumed as most valid per se.   The material qualities of rock are defined in relation to three levels of scale; the landscape, specific places and the rock panels. These levels constitute the materiality of rock art and cannot be separated from its meaning. The material qualities have general similarities, but they also vary from place to place. A quantitate compilation of the documented samples of rock art in perishes Östra Eneby and Borg, shows that they are structured according to a principle of variation and likeness in the landscape. The placing of rock art is studied further by a phenomenological method, which reveals the construction of visual nodes in the landscape were imagery was used in creative ways to conceptualize the world. Around these visual nodes, a vast number of small concentrations of rock art is scattered in the landscape. The small places express an attitude towards the landscape, were aesthetical themes and ideals was maintained. The end of the active production of rock art is defined as the most relevant for an archaeological study, due to the material setting of the contemporary landscape. The presence of rock art represents the final stage of production. The end of the rock art tradition is characterized by a relation between a materialized art history and an extensive practice of making images in different materials. The image is materially expanded, being made not only in stone by also in bronze and ceramics. The meaning of images is transformed, from being strictly iconographical to becoming an instrument for thought. Rock art played a major part in the development of a “pictoral turn”, which expresses social changes in the society of the late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age.

This thesis undertakes a complete reinvestigation of the archaeology of a large Early Bronze Age cemetery at İkiztepe in northern Turkey, by utilizing oxygen and strontium isotope analysis of human remains in combination with spatial and biodistance analysis and various dating techniques to identify potential immigrants to the site and to examine larger issues of residential mobility and social organization. The occupation of the Northern Anatolian site of İkiztepe is traditionally assigned to the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Ages. However, the site’s chronological framework has been challenged in recent years. These chronological issues have been addressed by applying fluoride and AMS radiocarbon dating to the skeletal remains from the İkiztepe cemetery, to develop an absolute and relative chronology for the burials. These results have shown that the cemetery dates at least a millennium earlier than previously supposed. Oxygen and strontium isotope analyses allowed the identification of individuals whose bone chemistry suggests that they were possible long distance immigrants to the site of İkiztepe, as well as suggesting the existence of a group of mobile individuals who may represent a transhumant segment of the İkiztepe population. Spatial and biodistance analyses suggest that principles of cemetery organization in this period were highly complex. Immigrant individuals and nomadic or semi-nomadic segments of the population do not appear to have been distinguished in any observable way from their sedentary local counterparts, displaying similar burial types, grave goods and spatial locations. Furthermore, burial within the İkiztepe cemetery does not appear to have been kin structured. These results suggest that assumptions about funerary practices as important indicators of cultural identity and lineage affiliation may represent an over-simplification of complex patterns of interaction and integration among and within populations and cultural groups.

Utilising previously unpublished ceramic evidence from the important Late Cypriot settlement of Enkomi, this thesis focuses on the impact on Cypriot social organisation of increased involvement with the complex societies of the eastern Mediterranean at the beginning of the Late Cypriot period, c. 1650 BCE. The main focus is on one aspect of the material culture: the first appearances of wheelmade pottery and the relationship of the wheelmade ceramics to the remainder of the assemblage. The introduction of wheelmade pottery has long been seen as a component of the 'social complexity package' and considered to be indicative of highly complex societies, along with full-time specialisation and mass production. The ceramic and settlement evidence from Enkomi is addressed in detail to evaluate the degree of social complexity present for the initial stages of settlement transformation on Cyprus from MCIII-LCIIB, prior to the appearance of urban centres during LCIIC. The extent of excavation at Enkomi, compared to other sites of the period, and the wealth of finds from both mortuary and settlement contexts has led to assumptions about the site's relative importance to the processes of change occurring on Cyprus. The notion of Enkomi as a pre-eminent town or as an archaic state is questioned in relation to the evidence from other settlements. The thesis is divided into four parts. Part 1 discusses the theoretical background for social complexity and outlines the explanatory models which have been developed for the Late Cypriot. I address the importance of trade, and briefly outline the modes of contact and social organisation in the eastern Mediterranean region in order to provide a framework for the interaction of Cyprus within this sphere. I also discuss the significance that has been placed on the appearance of wheel made ceramics in archaeological assemblages. The identification of wheel made ceramics is more complex than is often assumed and an important distinction should be made between pottery with the superficial appearance of being wheelmade and pottery that is actually wheelmade. Part 2 assesses the evidence of ceramics and settlement from other early LC sites in order to investigate whether Enkomi may be considered to have played a dominant role on the island in terms of site hierarchy or control over resources. A brief summary of the evidence of the ceramic and settlement evidence for the EC-MC and the LCllC-lllA periods is provided for comparative purposes. In Part 3 the Enkomi settlement and ceramic evidence is considered in detail. The combined evidence indicates a more complex sequence of construction, occupation and abandonment than has been assumed. Additionally, the adoption of wheelmade pottery is found to be a sporadic and gradual process, with the handmade and wheelmade versions of the ceramic wares manufactured concurrently from LCl-LCIIB. The conclusions reached are presented in Part 4. The processes by which Cyprus came to play an important role within the trading networks of the Late Bronze Age are more complex and gradual than generally acknowledged. A combination of settlement and ceramic evidence indicates that social organisation during LCI remained small-scale with regional traditions persisting and limited influence between the emergent polities on the island. During LCllA-B, the degree of intra-island contacts increased and a uniform material culture is adopted, developing into a series of highly structured urban polities by LCIIC. It does not appear likely that any site or region exercised islandwide control during LCI and the autonomous polities of LCIIC therefore represent a continuation of the social organisation from the preceding periods, rather than a devolution of centralised control.

The first image depicted of sail are in Egypt and dated to the late fourth millennium BC. Around the third millennium BC the introduction of sail began in the eastern Mediterranean.Some researchers do not believe that sail have existed in Scandinavia until about 8th century AD. The reason for this is because of the lack of archaeological evidence. The question that may be asked is whether it is reasonable that it took about 3000-3500 years for the sail to getto Scandinavia from the eastern Mediterranean? The purpose of this essay is to examine and describe which indications that are available to support the occurrence of the sail in Scandinavia during the Bronze Age. Indications will be studied in trade contacts, rock art boats, and boat constructions.The study is relevant to gain a greater understanding of the Scandinavia´s movements on the open water, trade contacts and boat construction during the Bronze Age.The result reveals that Scandinavia probably had an indirect contact with areas that used sails. Indications for contact with areas in Europe are shown by imports and exports of amber,metals, artefacts and similarities between rock carvings depicting ships. Some of Scandinavia´s rock art boats seem to show attributes such as mast and sails, but it is difficult to get an understanding by looking at the pictures only. One idea is that a change is required in the keel of the boats for sailing. The result reveals that an alternative to keel may have been double steering oars. From an experimental archaeological survey of Bengtsson & Bengtsson (2011), it seems that Scandinavian Bronze Age boats have managed to get sailed. / Den första avbilden av segel finns i Egypten och dateras till ca år 4000 f.Kr. Runt ca år 3000f.Kr. uppkommer segel i östra Medelhavsområdet, Persiska viken och möjligen Indien. I Skandinavien anser en del forskare att segel inte har existerat förrän ca 700 år e.Kr., då inga arkeologiska bevis för mast eller segel förekommer. Frågan som kan ställas är om det är rimligt att seglet har tagit omkring 3000-3500 år att nå Skandinavien från östra Medelhavsområdet? Syftet med studien är att undersöka och redogöra för vilka indikationer som finns för att seglet kan ha förekommit i Skandinavien under bronsåldern. Frågeställningarna har varit: Var Skandinavien i kontakt med områden som nyttjade segel eller hade kunskap om dem under bronsåldern? Vilka belägg finns för att kontakter med områden i Europa harförekommit? Kan hällbilderna från bronsåldern i Skandinavien tolkas ha mast och segel? Vad krävs i en båtkonstruktion för att den skall kunna segla? Har skandinaviska bronsåldersbåtar haft en båtkonstruktion som klarat av segling? Teorin som antagits i föreliggande uppsats har varit Bengtsson & Bengtssons (2011) som antar att segel kan ha uppkommit tidigare i Skandinavien, möjligtvis redan under bronsåldern. Studien utfördes genom en litteraturöversikt och metoden var empirisk och komperativ då forskares åsikter, antaganden och resultat från deras undersökningar jämfördes och presenterades utifrån frågeställningarnai analysen. En avgränsning har funnits genom att undersökningen främst berört områden därmast och segel kan tolkas ha förekommit samt på platser där tidigare forskning behandlat Skandinaviens hällristningar. Ytterligare avgränsning har funnits genom att en ingåendebeskrivning av hur båtkonstruktionen hos bronsåldersbåtarna såg ut, ej har angivits i detalj, utan i stället har de funktioner som ansetts viktiga för en möjlig introduktion av segel i Skandinavien främst undersökts. Resultatet visar utifrån analysen och diskussionen kring frågeställningarna att indikationerframkommer för att möjligheten finns för att segel förekom i Skandinavien under bronsåldern.

Heaps of fire cracked stones is an apparent feature of the Scandinavian Bronze Age. The heaps are built of stones cracked by fire and then placed in different constructions. The heaps are placed in different contexts in the Bronze Age landscape and for a long time, research neglected this site category owing to that the heaps were not considered important enough to dig. During the 1980s-90s the interest for the heaps of fire cracked stones increased and it became a wellresearched although debated site category. Earlier research has interpreted the heaps to be on the hillslopes in the landscape. This study’s research aims to understand the relation between shorelines and the placement of fire cracked stone heaps. This will be done through a landscape study of Uppland. The study indicates that the pattern in the distribution of heaps of fire cracked stones creates a correlation with the shoreline of the time the heaps were built, through their placement in the landscape. By creating a dynamic shoreline displacement, the essay will be able to look at the landscape in a more detailed way and will be able to investigate the relation between the heaps and the water edge. Through excluding the heaps that are under the waterline it is possible to in general determine the earliest possible production date. The fire cracked stone heaps have earlier been categorised to the Scandinavian Bronze Age but this research argues that some of the heaps should belong to the Neolithic Age as well.

It is generally considered that cairns and stone constructions of different shapes and sizes make up the grave monuments of the Late Bronze Age (1000–300 BC) in the province of Södermanland in Sweden. However, these “monuments” often contain only small amounts of burnt bone, and often no human remains at all. At the same time, human bones are found in settlement sites and other "non-grave" contexts. The materiality of human remains thus appears to be far more complex than a modern definition of "burial" or "grave" would allow.  This thesis investigates practices beyond the common terminology of burial archaeology, and focuses on the practices of collecting, enclosing and scattering stones, human remains, pottery and metal objects in stone constructions traditionally labeled "graves".  The study is conducted through a detailed micro-level analysis combining constructions, depositions of artefacts and human remains in a perspective of perception, formation processes and temporality. Based on the results from studies of two Late Bronze Age burial grounds in Eastern Sweden, it is argued that there is a need to differentiate the meaning content of cremated bone within in what we refer to as burial grounds. Results indicate that the passage rituals in connection with death and disposal of remains do not end when the cremated bone is deposited in the stone constructions. The constructions and deposits are subject to further attention and actions, altering the meaning of the cremated bones while the individual undergoes transformation to a fully transformed substance. The stone constructions themselves do not appear to have been built for eternity, but rather as functional nodes of transformation, constructed to facilitate the passage rituals.