Osteological analysis was carried out on skeletons from nine graves from a medieval cemetery in Ny Varberg, Varberg, Halland. The graves originate from a monastery and a church, dating back to the fourteenth and fifteenth century. The main aim with this thesis has been to study health through the presence of pathologies and skeletal changes. Further aim was to compare the results from the present study with theresults from Torsten Sandbergs analysis of the same material from 1964. This comparison later showed coincidence. In this study the sex estimations showed the presence of six men and three women. The age distribution among the nine individuals was homogeneous, whit the majority being middle- aged individuals. They exhibit a stature that can be expected for this time period, however, one man stands out with his180-183 cm. The incidence of dental caries, calculus and ante mortal tooth loss has been frequent. Diseases and changes that are occurring in the course of my work are: meningitis, gingivitis, osteomyelitis, periostitis, osteoarthritis, osteoma, Schmorl’snodes, spondylolysis and hypercementosis, among others. A discussion concerning health and the impact of pain is also included in this thesis. Health among the individuals has been varying; some of them probably have not been affected significantly by their disease, while other diseases have had major negative impacts onthe individuals’ mobility and quality of life, and given rise to significant pain.

Osteological examinations were executed on nine mediaeval individuals from Västergarn, Gotland, with the main aim to increase the knowledge about the people who lived there during the Middle Ages. A further aim was to compare the results from this study with other populations from the same time period, which in this case was the "Bonegathering" from Västergarn as well as previous osteological results from Sigtuna and Västerhus. Archaeological excavations have been occurring in Västergarn since 1971 and are still occurring in an educational purpose, for students of Gotland University. The age distribution of the individuals showed ages from 2 years old up to 44 years, with five adults and four children. The gender distribution show approximately five women and one man. A significant observation was made from the presence of caries and calculus, which can be observed in that some had more calculus then caries. Examples of the skeletal changes that occurred during the examinations was Schmorl`s noder, cribra orbitalia and inflammations. The comparison between other populations showed no obvious difference.

This scientific essay contains an interpretation of injuries caused by weapons and traumas on the bones from the execution site Galgberget in Visby, Gotland. The site was used from about the 13th century to 1845 AD. The purpose is to examine the injuries and describe them, also to investigate what may have generated them. An important question is what bodily position the individuals had at the time of the injury. The methods presented in this essay can be associated with experimental osteology, also the basic methods such as sex- age- and stature- assessment has been applied where’s possible. Microscopic analysis, measurements and literature studies has been carried out. To supplement the visual analysis, X-ray has been performed by medical doctor Staffan Jennerholm at Visby Hospital.The individuals from the site has relatively few injuries that consistent with executions. Some of them show traces of what may come from some sort of battle, fractures has also been investigated. This essey primarily deals with the injuries from an execution approach, parallels are also drawn to the battle of 1361 on Gotland when Valdemar Atterdag marched into the island. The small number of decapitation injuries may be due to that hanging was the primary method of execution. The reason can also be that the affected bones are still buried at the site since only approximately 20 % of the area is excavated.

The bark from prehistory – an osteological analysis on dog bones from the Stone Age settlements of Hemmor and Gullrum at Gotland and a theoretic study of the secular and sacred roles of the dog during the Neolithic. Dog bones from two Pitted Ware Culture (around 2500 BC) settlements, Hemmor in När parish and Gullrum in Näs parish/Havdhem parish, at southern Gotland, Sweden are analyzed. The analysis contains a study of age, withers height and size estimation as well as skeletal changes and pathologies. The attempt of the analysis is to highlight the secular and sacred role of the dog during the Neolithic at Gotland. The dog bones were collected during excavations in the years 1890 and 1903 and were found across the entire surfaces of the settlements. Although there were no specific dog breeds during the Stone Age, the dogs at Hemmor and Gullrum show a wide range of size (withers height spans from 39,74 cm to 56,47 cm) and may therefore have been used for different purposes depending on their size. The dogs were not eaten, but evidence of skinning is found. The results are compared with other analysis made on dog bones from similar settlements. The analysis is complemented with a theoretic study of the functions of dogs in other parts of the world. Ethnologic studies of traditional societies show the importance and wide range of functions in which the dogs are used and can give us an idea of the corresponding functions at a Neolithic Gotland. The functions vary from pet and guardian of the settlement to fishing, hunting and ritual purposes.

<p>Seven individuals from Surahammar in Västmanland Sweden are analyzed for the appearance of pathological and skeletal changes. The graves, all from within the walls of a fourteenth century church, are dated from the Viking age to late eighteenth century. The aim of this scientific essay is to find pathological conditions by doing an osteological analyze, x-ray analysis, an osteoporosis measurement and letting orthopedists assess the individuals. The aim is also to say something about the individuals’ general health and how they experience the changes they have in the skeleton. The various types of methods of analysis could confirm and add information to the osteological analysis and in some cases they had different diagnosis. All of the individuals had pathological changes in their upper and/or lower jaw with caries, calculus or apical periodontitis. Among several pathological and skeletal changes three individuals were diagnosed with osteoarthritis in their cervical vertebrae and one in the hip, one had enamel hypoplasia. One individual had both old and new fractures and two individuals had some bone density loss. But despite this their general health was very likely not bad and most of them could live a good life.Caroline Groth, Department of archaeology and osteology, Gotland University, 2010.Sura Gamla Kyrka – Analysis of pathological and skeletal changes in seven individuals.Seven individuals from Surahammar in Västmanland Sweden are analyzed for the appearance of pathological and skeletal changes. The graves, all from within the walls of a fourteenth century church, are dated from the Viking age to late eighteenth century. The aim of this scientific essay is to find pathological conditions by doing an osteological analyze, x-ray analysis, an osteoporosis measurement and letting orthopedists assess the individuals. The aim is also to say something about the individuals’ general health and how they experience the changes they have in the skeleton. The various types of methods of analysis could confirm and add information to the osteological analysis and in some cases they had different diagnosis. All of the individuals had pathological changes in their upper and/or lower jaw with caries, calculus or apical periodontitis. Among several pathological and skeletal changes three individuals were diagnosed with osteoarthritis in their cervical vertebrae and one in the hip, one had enamel hypoplasia. One individual had both old and new fractures and two individuals had some bone density loss. But despite this their general health was very likely not bad and most of them could live a good life.</p> / Osteoporosis och osteoarthritis då och nu

In this study bone material from six stone ship settings and a total of seven deposits of bones from two sites on the island of Gotland have been analyzed. Four ship settings from the burial site at Gålrum in Alskog parish and two from Tängelgårda in Lärbro parish. The ships contained both cremated remains and inhumations.  Human remains were identified in five of the analyzed ship settings and a minimum of six individuals was identified in total.  Animals were found in three of the ship settings, where one of them contained only the burned remains of a dog. Two of the ships contained inhumations, one in Gålrum and one in Tängelgårda. The one from Gålrum was determined to 17-19 years of age but of undetermined sex. The inhumation from Tängelgårda was determined to a male of 35-64 years of age.  Of the cremated remains none could be determined to sex but all were determined as adult individuals. The temperature that the cremated bones had been exposed to during the cremation was similar between the different ship settings, with one exception which had been exposed to a slightly higher temperature. The results of the material have also been compared with those of other osteological analysis from ship settings on Gotland. The interpretation of this has been that the amount of bone and the number of individuals that has been buried in stone ship settings vary from different sites. Some ship settings have contained several burials and have been interpreted as family graves (Pettersson 1982) which do not fit with the results from this analysis where all the ship settings contained a maximum of one or two human individuals, so the results from the ship settings on Gålrum and Tängelgårda differ from earlier interpretations of ship settings on Gotland.

Seven individuals from Surahammar in Västmanland Sweden are analyzed for the appearance of pathological and skeletal changes. The graves, all from within the walls of a fourteenth century church, are dated from the Viking age to late eighteenth century. The aim of this scientific essay is to find pathological conditions by doing an osteological analyze, x-ray analysis, an osteoporosis measurement and letting orthopedists assess the individuals. The aim is also to say something about the individuals’ general health and how they experience the changes they have in the skeleton. The various types of methods of analysis could confirm and add information to the osteological analysis and in some cases they had different diagnosis. All of the individuals had pathological changes in their upper and/or lower jaw with caries, calculus or apical periodontitis. Among several pathological and skeletal changes three individuals were diagnosed with osteoarthritis in their cervical vertebrae and one in the hip, one had enamel hypoplasia. One individual had both old and new fractures and two individuals had some bone density loss. But despite this their general health was very likely not bad and most of them could live a good life.Caroline Groth, Department of archaeology and osteology, Gotland University, 2010.Sura Gamla Kyrka – Analysis of pathological and skeletal changes in seven individuals.Seven individuals from Surahammar in Västmanland Sweden are analyzed for the appearance of pathological and skeletal changes. The graves, all from within the walls of a fourteenth century church, are dated from the Viking age to late eighteenth century. The aim of this scientific essay is to find pathological conditions by doing an osteological analyze, x-ray analysis, an osteoporosis measurement and letting orthopedists assess the individuals. The aim is also to say something about the individuals’ general health and how they experience the changes they have in the skeleton. The various types of methods of analysis could confirm and add information to the osteological analysis and in some cases they had different diagnosis. All of the individuals had pathological changes in their upper and/or lower jaw with caries, calculus or apical periodontitis. Among several pathological and skeletal changes three individuals were diagnosed with osteoarthritis in their cervical vertebrae and one in the hip, one had enamel hypoplasia. One individual had both old and new fractures and two individuals had some bone density loss. But despite this their general health was very likely not bad and most of them could live a good life. / Osteoporosis och osteoarthritis då och nu

Denna studie inkluderar resultat från osteologiska analyser från tre stenålderslokaler på Gotland: Visborgs Kungsladugård, Strå samt Gisslause. Dessa tre lokaler är daterade till Mesolitikum, dvs. bland de tidigaste faserna på Gotland. En majoritet av de identifierade benen har varit från säl och därför har uppsatsen kommit att handla om den säljakt som utövats på dessa tre platser. Utifrån de fynd som analyserats har skillnader kunnat uttolkas vad det gäller både åldersfördelning och fördelning av olika sälarter mellan vissa av lokalerna. Visborgs Kungsladugård visar på en majoritet av yngre gråsälar till skillnad från Strå och Gisslause där det existerar en jämn fördelning mellan gråsäl och vikare, likaså en jämn fördelning mellan åldrarna. Tolkningen av detta pekar på en delvis säsongsjakt där populationerna har jagat på olika sätt på olika delar av Gotland. I uppsatsen har även en diskussion angående den marina anpassningen tagits upp. Denna anpassning har setts i tre stadier, lakustrin, littorin och marin. Den mesolitiska populationen på Gotland passar in på det littorina stadiet där en full marin kultur inte ännu varit helt utvecklad. Då det främst jagats säl på och nära stranden samt att ett visst insjöfiske utövats påvisar resultaten att ett fullt utnyttjande av havet ännu inte bedrivits.