Landskapshotell vid Hoburgen Gotland

Geoarchaeology has had a long history within archaeology around the world, but not so much so in Gotlandic archaeology. This study is aimed at drawing attention to this by using magnetic susceptibility (MS) and phosphate (P) analysis of an Iron Age site at Ytings, Gotland. This is where a small silver hoard was discovered in 1888, and in 2009 a geophysical survey was done, via metal detector, and concluded with the theory of there being a workshop in the southern field and a farmstead in the north (ArkeoDok, 2011). The first part of this study discussed predictive modeling and whether or not the information available at the time would be enough to generate a reliable model (Coleman, 2016). The first study concluded with not being able to do so since the only discrete data available was from the metal detecting survey, which when used alone is not the most reliable instrument for archaeological prospection (Coleman, 2016). This led to this current study, which is the second part of a two-part study of Ytings. This study is aimed at using geoarchaeological methods for archaeological prospection to illustrate the benefits and need for these types of studies on Gotland, by comparing the MS and P results with the 2015 excavation report.

Human wildlife conflicts can represent missed opportunities for ecological monitoring, including tracking invasive species. The great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis is the centre such a conflict, where the lack of concrete scientific evidence is often replaced by anecdotal evidence, leading to the vilification of these birds. The primary aim of this study was to assess the extent of the overlap between cormorant diet and the fish the fishermen are allowed to catch on the North West coast of Gotland, the Baltic seas´ biggest island. To assess cormorant diet, the otoliths in the cormorant pellets were analysed. Secondary aims included assessing the potential to use cormorant diet as a proxy for local fish abundances by comparing it to monitoring fisheries in the same area. Highly contentious species only included cod, herring and flounder, none of which were commonly consumed by cormorants. Cormorants and the monitoring fisheries found comparable proportions of all species except for flatfish herring sprat, sculpin. We conclude that the cormorant poses a relatively low risk to the fishing industry on the North Western coast of Gotland and that they could potentially be used as a sentinel for local fish abundances, including tracking invasive species such as the round goby.

Southwestern Gotland has a relatively diverse bedrock where both sandstone, limestone and marl areexposed. The purpose of the survey has been to investigate differences in coastal erosion regarding thecontent of the bedrock. This was done by taking samples from 9 different locations which were laterexamined in point load tests and a slake durability test. A GIS-analysis was also done where the coastalarea in old aerial images and modern orthophotos were compared. The results showed that the sandstoneand marl samples were approximately equally prone to break and that limestone was less prone. Theslake durability test showed that sandstone from one site had the least resistance to abrasion, sandstonefrom the marl areas had greater resistance and that the limestone area had marginally greater resistancethan the marl areas. The GIS analysis indicated that the sandstone and marl areas had a relatively highsensitivity to coastal erosion and that the limestone area was not particularly exposed to coastal erosion. / Sydvästra Gotland har en relativt mångfaldig berggrund där både sandsten, kalksten och märgelstenexponeras. Arbetets syfte har varit att undersöka skillnader i kusterosion med avseende på berggrundensinnehåll. Detta utfördes genom att ta prov från 9 olika lokaler som senare undersöktes i punktlasttestoch nötningstest. En GIS-analys utfördes även där kustområdet i äldre flygfoton och modernaortofotona jämfördes. Resultatet indikerade att sandstens- och märgelstensproverna hade ungefärligenlika stor benägenhet att brytas och att kalksten har mindre benägenhet. Nötningstester visade attsandsten från en lokal hade minst motståndskraft mot nötning, att sandsten från märgelstensområdenahade större motståndskraft och att kalkstensområdet hade marginellt större än märgelstensområdena.Enligt GIS-analysen hade sandstens- och märgelstensområdena en relativt stor känslighet förkusterosion och att kalkstensområdet inte var särskilt utsatt för kusterosion.

On the Island of Gotland, there is a phenomenon called grinding grooves, Sw. slipskåror. They occur in bedrock and boulders. About 3600 are known on the island today and having a length of less than half a meter to over one meter. Their purpose was unknown to the scientific community as well as their age. The directions of some 1250 Gotlandic grinding grooves, measured by the author shows there is a correlation to astronomical orientations. An archaeological excavation carried out by the author at a stone with grinding grooves gave some crucial results. The grinding groove phenomenon occurs in some other places in the world as well. In South-West of Sweden, there are quite many in a few places. They are, however shorter and have another appearance because they are more curvature than the Gotlandic ones. Their purpose and age are unknown as well. In France, there are many places with grinding grooves, Fr. polissoirs. Their appearance is more similar to the Gotlandic ones than those in the Swedish mainland. They are supposed to be Neolithic.  In Africa and Australia, there are places with different kinds of carvings in stones. Some resemble those mentioned above, more or less. The difference between grinding grooves and other phenomena is floating.  They are sometimes associated with the circular indentations called cup marks. There are different explanations, and some are supposed to be marks from creating stone tools, while the cult is the explanation to others.

Västergarn is a parish on Gotland with an extraordinary archaeological environment, occupied by both prehistorical and historical monuments. The parish lies a bit over 20 kilometers south of Visby, along the western coast of Gotland. The site has been examined several times, but questions remain to be answered. The relationship between the remains from a Romanesque church and the still standing Gothic church is a frequently discussed subject because it is confirmed that both of the churches were used throughout the Middle Ages. This essay aims to examine why the Romanesque church was preserved in its original roman design next to the new Gothic church and how this information can add to the understanding of the medieval population in Västergarn. The essay consists of a literature study with an agency perspective as well as an identity perspective, including both archaeological and historical sources with the purpose to encourage further interdisciplinary studies.

Throughout Scandinavia the funeral practices of the Iron Age were, in general, inhumation or cremation. The Iron Age society held many overarching beliefs but with a great ritual flexibility where practices could vary between communities. This study examines the Iron Age burial ground at Nygårds in the parish of Västerhejde, Gotland. The graves consist of both cremated and skeletal remains dating to the period of 400–600 AD. Thus, two different funeral customs were practiced at the burial ground during the same time period. Although excavated in the 1970s, no detailed analyses have been carried out on the Iron Age remains from Nygårds or their grave goods. This study aim is consequently to contribute with new information about the burial ground at Nygårds and the individuals who were interred there. By examining the spatial composition of the two burial customs, their demographic and grave goods, differences and similarities emerge. With the burial grounds spatial structure as a framework, this study discusses the different aspects of the Iron Age life and what the actions of the living can tell us about their dead.

Global mean sea level rise (GMSLR) impacts the displacement of the world’s coasts and shorelinedifferently due to it being contingent on local topographic and geological conditions. The island of Gotlandis located in the Fennoscandian Shield which lies at the intersection between GMSLR and post-glacialrebound (PGR), at rates that vary latitudinally and, in some areas, are at equal levels. Therefore, the future for the shorelines on the Swedish island can be uncertain due to the shoreline displacement being non-uniform. In this thesis, Själsö, a village located on the north-eastern coast of the island with a higher GMSLR than PGR rate was studied to analyse the shoreline displacement and temporally project thepermanent inundation of the study area. Through a more a deductive analysis, the inundation of the studyarea is projected to take place in approx. 4000 yr. This result was compared with the results from anothermore inductive analysis based on finding displacement rates of the study area through satellite and aerialimagery presenting a wide-ranging results based on two particular set of data, early and late displacementrates. The former inductive results yielded a range between 177-211 yr. while the latter inductive resultsyielded a range between 500-588 yr. The inductive results suggest that the GMSLR is not the onlycontributing factor but also accounts for short-term SLR fluctuations, with the later displacementprojections being slightly more accurate than the early when comparing their results with the deductivelycalculated projection that only takes the GMSLR into consideration.

One important aspect of sustainable tourism is that local communities are involved in the management of tourism, as this can potentially help avoid negative social, environmental and economic impacts on the destination and local residents. Workaway and WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) are work- and cultural exchange programs in which hosts receive help with their work in exchange for free food and accommodation for guests. Since the hosts are in charge of deciding if, when, and how to host guests, Workaway and WWOOF could be seen as a type of community-based tourism where locals initiate and manage tourism themselves. This study applied a qualitative case study approach using semi-structured interviews and participant observation to investigate Workaway and WWOOF hosts’ motivations for becoming hosts, as well as their experiences as hosts, on the island of Gotland, Sweden, which has not been explored so far in other research. It further aimed to discover how Workaway and WWOOF may or may not contribute to sustainable tourism besides empowering the host. The research results indicated that Gotland’s WWOOF and Workaway hosts were motivated to become hosts from a combination of needing help with work and wanting to meet new people. Their experiences as hosts have many benefits, such as receiving help with work, making lasting friendships, and traveling through their guests, but also some challenges, such as the effort of hosting guests, having difficult guests and a clash of expectations between guest and host. Similarly, while WWOOF and Workaway seem to contribute to sustainable tourism by making hosting and traveling accessible to many people or spreading awareness about sustainability, among other aspects, these programs could also deter from sustainable tourism by being available mostly to privileged guests and hosts or potentially displacing local workers, among other aspects. Though far from perfect, Workaway and WWOOF nevertheless enable local hosts to benefit from tourism, which is not always the case.

Swedish legislation states that a school is required to make the necessary adjustments to include   all children, regardless of circumstances or disabilities. However there are no clear guidelines as to how these adjustments should be carried out in the physical environment when it comes to cognitive disabilities such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder or Language Disorders. This thesis projects aims to design a school that takes the needs of these children into account, with the belief that this will, in the end, benefit all children, and help them   succeed in school. / Svensk lagstiftning säger att skolan förväntas göra de anpassningar som är nödvändiga för att undervisningen skall inkludera alla barn, oavsett svårigheter eller funktionshinder. Det finns dock inga klara riktlinjer för hur dessa anpassningar skall göras i den fysiska miljön när det gäller kognitiva funktionshinder som ADHD, Autismspektrum eller språkstörningar mm.   Detta exjobb syftar till att formge en skola som anpassar sig till dessa barn, med utgångspunkten att detta i slutändan kan gagna alla barn, och hjälpa dem lyckas i skolan.