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Abstract This essay discusses different explanations and interpretations of what characterizes large areas containing clearance cairns (cairn fields). Results from the analyses show that there are different explanations about when and why cairn fields and clearance cairns occur. Explanations vary from introduction of the wooden ard in the early Bronze Age to the introduction of rational hay-making in the Roman Iron Age.  There is, anyway, relative agreement considering why and when cairn fields were abandoned. The reason suggested is an increasing pasturage with the consequence of reducing soil to poverty during the period of the Great Migration or in the Viking Age. The most likely cultivation system in cairn fields is a system consisting of both intensive and extensive characteristics. The latter coincides with the probable mobility of settlements. When it comes to cultivation a possible development is the use of hand-tools initially, followed by an increased use of wooden ards. Stones from clearance cairns have often been used when graves were built. Sometimes this is interpreted in ritualistic and symbolic terms, but a practical explanation seems most likely. Graves in areas of clearance cairns are usually located nearby the settlements. This is either indicating a more developed individualized ownership of land in the Iron Age or a stronger cult of ancestors in the period. When the element of ritual and symbolism in the agriculture practiced in areas of clearance cairns is discussed this is, almost without exception, a question for archaeologists, though many archaeologist, like culture geographers, emphasize practical explanations to different phenomena.   KEYWORDS: Areas of clearance cairns, clearance cairns, cultivation systems, settlements, ritual and symbolism.

This paper looks at the different influences behind my senior art project. Chapter I discusses the history of ceramics and the ceramic artists whose work was influential for my project, specifically, Robert Arneson and Viola Frey. Chapter II looks at the non-ceramic artists whose work influenced my project by, Andy Goldsworthy and Sally Mann. It also talks about Land Art. Chapter III moves away from my artistic influences to discuss the main idea behind my project, which is my journey of self-discovery in New Zealand. Chapter IV looks to the influence of fantasy and science fiction genres on my project.

<p>This paper aims to investigate the connection between clearance cairns and burial cairns. From this point of view I try to answer the questions why they are built in the same area and why these two different types of cairns are so similary constructed. Further I consider different theories about mounds of fire-cracked stones.</p>

This paper aims to investigate the connection between clearance cairns and burial cairns. From this point of view I try to answer the questions why they are built in the same area and why these two different types of cairns are so similary constructed. Further I consider different theories about mounds of fire-cracked stones.

<p>In this essay I aim to examine how the landscape of Mönsterås might have looked like during the Bronze age in order to get a better understanding of the house urn that C J Ekerot found in a cairn in Fälle. Mönsterås is an area which has a quality of permanence, from Stone Age to Iron Age with its culmination during the Bronze Age. I will discuss the use and symbolic meaning of the house urn. The house as a symbol during the Bronze Age seemed to have had an important place in the cosmology. I will also discuss the importance of cairns, especially in the archipelago areas. The cairns have had an obvious connection to the sea throughout the Bronze age and scientist have argued that one of the reason could be that the sea was associated with the dead.</p>

In this essay I aim to examine how the landscape of Mönsterås might have looked like during the Bronze age in order to get a better understanding of the house urn that C J Ekerot found in a cairn in Fälle. Mönsterås is an area which has a quality of permanence, from Stone Age to Iron Age with its culmination during the Bronze Age. I will discuss the use and symbolic meaning of the house urn. The house as a symbol during the Bronze Age seemed to have had an important place in the cosmology. I will also discuss the importance of cairns, especially in the archipelago areas. The cairns have had an obvious connection to the sea throughout the Bronze age and scientist have argued that one of the reason could be that the sea was associated with the dead.

The main aim of this thesis is to analyse different mortality models regarding the longevity risk. We focus on the well-known stochastic models (Lee-Carter model, Age-period-cohort model by Renshaw and Haberman, Cairns-Blake-Dowd two-factor model) and compare them with relatively new Taiwanese model by Yang, Yue and Huang which is based on principal component analysis. Both the theoretical and also the empirical parts are included. Empirical part evaluates all the models mentioned above on the Czech mortality data from 1970-2000 for individuals aged between 50-100 years. Final mortality predictions are made for next 30 years.

Magistrantūros studijų baigiamasis darbas, 56 puslapių, 8 paveikslai, 12 lentelių, 36 literatūros šaltiniai, lietuvių kalba. RAKTINIAI ŽODŽIAI: žemės ūkio modelis, Europinis žemės ūkio modelis, Cairns grupės šalys, žemės ūkio daugiafunkciškumas. Tyrimo objektas – Europinis ir Cairns grupės šalių žemės ūkio modeliai. Tyrimo dalykas – Europinio žemės ūkio modelio vertybių išsaugojimas, įvertinant Cairns grupės šalių keliamus iššūkius. Darbo tikslas – pagrįsti Europinio žemės ūkio modelio racionalių transformacijų kryptis, įvertinant Cairns grupės šalių iššūkius. Uždaviniai: 1. Nustatyti Europinio ir Cairns grupės šalių žemės ūkio modelių pranašumus, trūkumus ir galimybes. 2. Nustatyti maisto ūkio ir viešųjų kaimo gėrybių raidos pasaulines tendencijas. 3. Suformuoti Europinio žemės ūkio modelio funkcionavimo kryptis vidutinės trukmės ir ilguoju laikotarpiu. 4. Įvertinti Lietuvos žemės ūkio ir kaimo plėtros ypatybes Europinio žemės ūkio modelio kontekste. Tyrimo metodai – mokslinės literatūros, empirinės statistinės medžiagos ir teisės šaltinių analizės, loginio modeliavimo, grafinio vaizdavimo metodai. / The final work of University Postgraduate Studies consists of 56 pages, 8 figures, 12 tables, 36 references, written in Lithuanian language. KEY Words: model of agriculture, the European model of agriculture, the Cairns group, multifunctionality of agriculture. Research object – The European and Cairns group models of agriculture. Research subject – The Cairns Group challenges to values of European Model of Agriculture. Research aim – To substantiate the European model of agriculture in opposition to Cairns Group challenges. Objectives: 1. To assess advantages, disadvantages and opportunities of European and Cairns group models of agriculture. 2. To assess world tendencies of development of food economy and public rural welfare. 3. To settle middle and long term working directions of European model of agriculture. 4. To assess features of Lithuanian agriculture and rural development in the context of European model of agriculture. Research methods – the analysis of scientific literature, legal papers and statistical data base, graphic data presentation and logical structurization.

Abstract The subject of this study is ancient stone structures found in Middle and Northern Ostrobothnia. Their shape, distribution, topography and relation to the ancient shorelines of different ages are the main themes of the research. The sites are classified into different categories according to those attributes. The function and the cultural context of the stone structures are also discussed in the study. The dating of the stone structures is based solely on shoreline chronology. A model is proposed for the of social organization of Stone Age and Early Metal Age hunter-gatherer societies in Ostrobothnia. Spatial data relating to the sites was gathered both from the field and archives. The data is discussed on two levels. The cairns, dwelling sites and Giants' Churches have been studied in the larger Ostrobothnian study area. Other stone structures i.e. dwelling depressions in stone field, pits with walls and pits in stone fields, were studied in two limited research areas in Middle and Northern Ostrobothnia. The research database contains location and attribute data from 444 cairn sites with altogether 1133 cairns. There is also data from 34 Giants' Churches and 1191 other archaeological remains. The relations between the sites and ancient shorelines were analysed with GIS applications and digital elevation models. The hypothesis is put forward that the first cairn building tradition originated in the study area by 3000-2500 cal BC. This Stone Age cairn tradition is related to the middle Neolithic "Giants? Church culture". This Cairn building tradition continued most likely without chronological gaps and gave rise to the Early Metal Age cairn tradition. The large number of cairns at the 2500 cal BC shoreline zone is clearly connected to its higher number of dwelling depressions. The explanation for the increasing number of dwelling depressions and dwelling planes of the period around 3000 and 2500 cal BC is the growth of population. Giants? Churches and cairns appear around the same time. These new features and changes in the archaeological record reflect developments which took place within the hunter-gatherer societies of Ostrobothnia. This development led to more complex social structures. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimukseni aiheena ovat Keski- ja Pohjois-Pohjanmaan rannikon esihistorialliset kiinteiksi muinaisjäännöksiksi luokiteltavat kivirakennelmat. Kohteissa olevien rakennelmien muoto, sijoittuminen ympäristöön ja suhde eri muinaisrantapintoihin ovat työn keskeisiä teemoja. Kohteita ryhmitellään rakennelmien muodon, kombinaation ja topografisten piirteiden perusteella. Tarkastelussa ovat sekä rakennelmien käyttötarkoitus että kulttuurinen konteksti. Röykkiöiden ja kivirakennelmien ajoitusta hahmotellaan rannansiirtymiskronologialla. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa esitetään tulkinta tutkimusalueen kivikauden ja varhaismetallikauden yhteisöjen sosiaalisesta rakenteesta. Kohteiden paikkatiedot on koottu sekä maastokäynneillä että arkistolähteistä. Kerätyn aineiston tarkastelu tapahtuu kahdella tasolla. Röykkiöitä, asuinpaikkoja ja jätinkirkkoja tarkastellaan laajan osan Pohjanmaata kattavalla tutkimusalueella. Toinen taso on maantieteellisesti suppeampi, mutta aineistoltaan laajempi. Siinä tarkastellaan kaikkia kivirakennelmatyyppejä kahdella rajatulla tutkimusalueella Keski- ja Pohjois-Pohjanmaalla. Pohjanmaan tutkimusalueen aineisto koostuu 444:stä röykkiökohteesta, joissa on yhteensä 1133 röykkiötä. Tämän lisäksi tutkimusta varten kerättiin sijainti- ja ominaisuustiedot 34:stä jätinkirkosta ja 1191:stä muusta kiinteästä muinaisjäännöksestä. Aineiston topografisessa analyysissä tarkastellaan röykkiökohteiden sijaintikorkeutta ja sijoittumista eri muinaisrantavyöhykkeille. Kohteiden suhdetta toisiinsa ja muihin muinaisjäännöskohteisiin käsitellään lähimpään naapuruuteen perustuvassa analyysissä. Lisäksi kohteiden hierarkiaa selvitetään arvo-koko-analyysillä. Muinaisjäännöskohteiden tarkasteleminen suhteessa eri muinaisrantoihin toteutettiin GIS-paikkatietosovelluksen ja korjatun yleistetyn korkeusmallin avulla hahmottelemalla yhdeksän muinaista rantavyöhykettä. Oletuksena on, että vyöhykkeillä sijaitsevat kohteet ovat olleet merenrantasidonnaisia. Röykkiöiden rakentaminen Pohjanmaalla alkaa noin 3000-2500 eKr., ja traditio liittyy keskineoliittiseen "jättiläiskirkkokulttuuriin", kuten Aarne Europaeus vuonna 1925 kirjoittamassaan artikkelissa otaksui. Röykkiöiden määrän nousu kivikauden muinaisrantavyöhykkeillä näyttäisi liittyvän asumuspainanteiden, asuinpaikkapintojen ja jätinkirkkojen määrän nousuun. Kehityksen taustalla on rannikon metsästäjä-keräilijä-yhteisöjen sosiaalisten rakenteiden muutos. Kivikauden loppu ja varhaismetallikausi merkitsevät muutosta kohti yksinkertaisempia sosiaalisia rakenteita. Röykkiöiden rakentamisen perinne jatkui Pohjanmaalla kivikaudelta varhaismetallikaudelle, mutta rakentamisen takana ollut ideologia muuttui. Röykkiöiden määrä nousee yhdessä keittokuoppien määrän kanssa rautakauden alussa 500 eKr. tienoilla uudestaan. Mutta huippukausi jää lyhyeksi, sillä röykkiökohteiden ja muidenkin muinaisjäännösten määrät laskevat tämän jälkeen nopeasti ja lopullisesti.