America is a nation of immigrants and all immigrants brought culture with them. There is not one American culture. Many Ohioans are descended from German ancestors, their German heritage is still present in the cultural and social landscapes. German immigrants came to America in search of farmland and independence.In the period between 1830 and 1890 approximately 1,300 people left Ladbergen, a village of 2,700, with hopes of a better life in America. The main reason for emigration from Germany was changes in the political landscape that led to financial hardship for those who did not own farmland. During the 1800’s German immigrants settled in Ohio, Pennsylvania and along the northern East coast. Choice of location was influenced by proximity to other German immigrants and the possibility for successful agriculture. All immigrants in New Knoxville came from the same village, Ladbergen, which provides a unique example of “chain immigration”.The village was platted by an Irishman, James Lyle, in 1836 and the German immigrants purchased the platted lots. A copy of the map has been preserved.Close to 80% of immigrants had been tenant farmers in Ladbergen. The life of farmers and tenant farmers in Ladbergen has been documented by local historians as is life among early immigrants in New Knoxville. Immigrant families were farmers in Ladbergen and became farmers in New Knoxville. Soil in New Knoxville was fertile and gave good yields of corn,beans, wheat, rye and buckwheat. I visited the area at different seasons and walked in the farmland with the assistance of a local guide. In the US this requires permits from the landowner.This is a flat agricultural area with large open corn and soybean fields with patches of old pineand deciduous forest penetrated by narrow dirt roads.In New Knoxville immigrant families were free to design their farms and living space according to their own preference. Immigrants built and settled in cabins while barns were built to house farm animals. Larger homes inspired by British/American architecture were soon erected and a few of these buildings are on display at the German Heritage Center in New Knoxville. Barns around New Knoxville are usually large gambrel roof barns for storage.People in New Knoxville are proud of their German roots and have an extensive cultural exchange with Ladbergen. German language, for example, was used in newspapers and church services in New Knoxville and in other areas with many German immigrants until the 1950's,some early immigrants never learnt to speak English. An important observation was that the immigrants adjusted very quickly to an American way of life when they depended on it for better housing and food supply but were not eager to mingle with Americans but kept a closed knit community. / Amerika är en nation av invandrare och alla invandrare tog med sig kultur. Det finns inte en amerikansk kultur. Många Ohioans härstammar från tyska förfäder, deras tyska arv är fortfarande närvarande i de kulturella och sociala landskapen. Tyska immigranter kom till Amerika på jakt efter jordbruksmark och självständighet.Under perioden mellan 1830 och 1890 lämnade cirka 1300 människor Ladbergen, en by med 2700 invånare, med hopp om ett bättre liv i Amerika. Den främsta orsaken till emigrationen från Tyskland var förändringar i det politiska landskapet som ledde till ekonomiska svårigheter för dem som inte ägde jordbruksmark. Under 1800-talet bosatte sig tyska immigranter i Ohio,Pennsylvania och längs den norra östkusten. Immigranterna föredrog att bosätta sig i närheten av andra tyska invandrare och i områden med möjligheter till framgångsrikt jordbruk. Alla invandrare i New Knoxville kom från samma by, Ladbergen, vilket är ett unikt exempel på "kedje invandring".Byn mutades in av en irländare, James Lyle, 1836 och de tyska immigranterna köpte tomter. En kopia av den första kartan av New Knoxville finns bevarad.Närmare 80% av invandrarna hade varit arrendatorer i Ladbergen. Bönders och arrendatorers liv i Ladbergen har dokumenterats av lokala historiker, livet bland tidiga invandrare i New Knoxville har också studerats eftersom det är ett exempel på kedje invandring.Invandrarfamiljer var bönder i Ladbergen och blev bönder i New Knoxville. Det krävdes hjälp av en lokal guide för att utforska området utanför byn, det krävs tillstånd av landägaren att uppehålla sig på all typ av privatägd mark i USA. Gårdarna ligger i ett platt jordbruks område med stora öppna majs- och soja-fält som korsas av smala grus vägar. Det finns skogspartier med barr och lövskog på alla gårdar, och immigranterna sparade skog för virke. I New Knoxville var invandrarfamiljer fria att designa sina gårdar efter sina egna önskemål. Invandrare byggde och bosatte sig i stugor medan lador byggdes för att hysa husdjur.Större hem inspirerade av brittisk/amerikansk arkitektur uppfördes snart och några av dessa byggnader visas på German Heritage Centre i New Knoxville. Ladugårdar runt New Knoxville är vanligtvis stora byggnader med brutet tak för maximalt förvarings utrymme.Människor i New Knoxville är stolta över sina tyska rötter och har ett omfattande kulturellt utbyte med Ladbergen. Tyska språket, till exempel, användes i tidningar och gudstjänster i New Knoxville och i andra områden med många tyska invandrare fram till 1950-talet, några av de tidiga invandrarna lärde sig aldrig att tala engelska. En viktig observation var att invandrarna mycket snabbt anpassade sig till ett amerikanskt sätt att leva när de var beroende av det för bättre bostäder och matförsörjning men inte var ivriga att mingla med amerikaner utan levde i ett slutet samhälle.

The objective of this bachelor thesis is on Åsele and Lycksele church towns and early settlements in northern Sweden with the purpose of finding out if the archaeological source material shows the same or different results as the historical source material regarding when they were established, what sort of buildings and activities they had and if the proximity to the Sami people had any effect on the settlers. This is done by doing a comparative analysis between Åsele and Lycksele church towns through the excavated source material from archaeological surveys and their related reports.

The armour that was found during the excavations of the mass graves after the battle of Visby in the year 1361, has given great knowledge about the 14th century defensive equipment. Bengt Thordeman's analyses and interpretations of the armour-material have influenced modern research on the subject. The predominant narrative is that the militia from Gotland was ill-equipped, and that the Danish army was far superior. However, the aim of this study is to create a more nuanced picture of how the soldiers in the mass graves were equipped, and to contribute to future research on the largely unstudied commoner-armour of the Nordic countries. The study compares armour-items from the mass graves at site of the so-called Korsbetningen, with other archaeological material, the descriptions of folkvapen in Swedish medieval legal documents, and contemporary artwork. This comparison is made to broaden the perspective and see similarities and differences between the Visby material and other sources.     The thesis results in a better understanding of what types of armour that was used during this battle, showing that the head-area was well protected, that the torso was slightly less prioritized to protect, and that the arms and legs were relatively unprotected.

The aim of the MA thesis is to discuss and analyse different illustrations, paintings, carvings in wood and stone and woodcuts of ships of the new kind (Carrack, carvels), from the 15th century to the middle of the 16th century, and compare them to the Griffon-hound ship, and to understand how they have evolved. The ships of the time had large stern and end castles, three to four masts, and where built for the war tactic of boarding. The oldest ship of the new kind that have been found, is the Griffon-hound, a ship that belonged to the Danish king Hans, and sunk due to a fire 1495 outside of Ronneby in southern Sweden. Besides being the oldest of its kind, the ship also has a very specific figurehead that resembles a monster with a screaming human head in its gap. By discussing and analysing the artworks it is possible to learn more about the ships. After analysing them, the result is that the artworks do show how the ships have evolved. Some of the different attributes that the artworks display have also been found when investigating the wreck of the Griffon-hound. More attributes might still be on the wreck site, hidden under the sediment. An example is the remains of the anti-boarding nets that a lot of the artworks show, and that have been found on the wreck of the Mary Rose, the English ship that belonged to king Henry VIII. The Mary Rose is younger than the Griffon-hound, but artworks of older ships also show the anti-boarding nets, or the beams on top of the castles. The purpose behind having a large variety of different artwork is to increase the knowledge about the ships of the time, and to make sure that the attributes that is being analysed doesn’t only occur in one or two artworks.