In 1886 Hans Hildebrand received a Bronze Age hoard found in a field that belonged to Eskelhem´s rectory. A record was made where Hildebrand presented and documented the artifacts. The following year Oscar Montelius reviewed the artifacts, which he described as horse gears. He compared the horse gears with similar artifacts found in Europe that roughly had the same dating in order to trace the origin of the hoard.  Montelius conclusion was that the hoard was created on Gotland around 500 BC. The entire hoard was made of bronze except for one of the bridles that was made of iron. According to Montelius this would mean that iron and the knowledge of iron making already had been adapted on Gotland in the late Bronze Age. Also the bridles were used so Montelius discussed the presence of horses on Gotland in the late Bronze Age, and if they had been of the race Gotland pony. Over100 years have passed since Montelius made his conclusion. The purpose of this paper is to see if Montelius conclusion on the Eskelhem hoard still holds, due to the progress of science, such as the discovery of new dating methods and all new artifacts that have been found. I will also review if the purpose of the deposition of the Eskelhem hoard was of sacral or profane purpose. In order to answer my questions I will use previous research in the areas of; the presence of horses in the Stone- and Bronze Age, iron making on Gotland during the time before the birth of Christ and hoards on Gotland dated to the late Bronze Age. Also I will use historical maps to create my own spatial analyze in order to see how the hoards were deposited.I have concluded that the Eskelhem hoard were deposited in peat soil, meaning that a connection to water and the Eskelhem hoard should be presumed and that the hoard were sacral. Montelius dating of the hoard to 500 BC are correct and also that the artifacts were used for horses on Gotland, which also means that horses existed on Gotland during the late Bronze Age. Most difficult to answer are the questionsconcerning the making of iron, whether or not the Eskelhem hoard was created on Gotland or not. Difficult due to the poor research made on iron making during the Bronze Age on Gotland. My conclusion is that parts of the hoard were made on Gotland, and parts were imported. The iron bridle was made on Gotland while the raw material used for iron production was imported.

The Fogdarp hoard from Scania in Sweden is an unusual deposit from the Late Bronze Age. Unlike similar hoards this was not found in a wetland, but was buried in the ground with a rock placed on top of it. Deposits in dry land have sometimes been considered to be a hiding place for a smith’s metalwork. But since the Fogdarp hoard contains ritual bronze objects, it has been called a ritual deposit. The aim of this paper is to investigate the Fogdarp hoard by using a landscape analysis. By doing so the study will contribute to the understanding of the hoards context, and why this hoard was buried and not deposited in a wetland. The landscape analysis shows that the hoard is buried closed to the water and in a ritual landscape on the edge of a valley. The discussion will also analyze the objects in this particular hoard: their symbolic value will be elaborated in the analysis. As a comparison, this paper includes other deposits from the Late Bronze Age. My interpretation of the objects in the Fogdarp hoard is that they are a part of the sun cult of the Nordic Bronze Age, where sun-goddess and the divine twins play an important role.

Although early reproduction within a breeding season often leads to higher reproductive success in seasonal environments, it is still not well understood how reproductive success can be influenced by climate both indirectly through the timing of breeding or by directly altering parental behaviour. In this thesis, I investigate the role of ambient temperature in reproductive success through its effects on the timing of reproduction and brooding in a population of gray jays, Perisoreus canadensis. In chapter 2, I test whether (i) female gray jays adjust laying date in response to temperature, (ii) individual or environmental characteristics constrain this plasticity, and (iii) laying date influences reproductive success. Females laid earlier in warmer years than in colder years; females partnered with older males laid earlier than females partnered with younger males at colder temperatures, but not at warmer temperatures. Early layers were more likely to rear at least one nestling and have a dominant juvenile survive the summer. These findings suggest that male experience could advance female laying date at cold temperatures and subsequently increase the probability of a positive nesting outcome. Though cold temperatures appear to limit timing of reproduction in gray jays, previous work in this system suggests that cold temperatures could better preserve perishable winter food stores. Thus, in chapter 3, I test whether temperatures during early offspring development interact with timing of reproduction to influence reproductive performance. Colder ambient temperatures during incubation were associated with larger brood sizes than warmer temperatures among late breeders, but temperature did not influence brood size among early layers, indicating that costs of late breeding may be amplified by temperatures that are unfavourable for food storage. This thesis contributes to our understanding of the environmental factors that determine reproductive performance, both through effects on timing of reproduction and after eggs are laid.

<p>On the island of Gotland in the Baltic sea there have been 18 archaeological find of bronze swords and five finds of bronze miniature swords and they have been dated to the bronze age periods II-VI. They have been found as ritual hoard offerings, as treasure hoards and in graves. These finds will be put in relation to each other and the bronze age landscape they have been found in. The purpose of this is to see if there is a pattern to be seen, if a specific sword-type can be found in a grave or hoard or if there’s a pattern to be seen in there placement in the landscape relating to other bronze age sites. The question of who used the sword during the bronze age will also be asked, followed by a discussion of gender, gender roles and power on Gotland during the bronze age.</p>

On the island of Gotland in the Baltic sea there have been 18 archaeological find of bronze swords and five finds of bronze miniature swords and they have been dated to the bronze age periods II-VI. They have been found as ritual hoard offerings, as treasure hoards and in graves. These finds will be put in relation to each other and the bronze age landscape they have been found in. The purpose of this is to see if there is a pattern to be seen, if a specific sword-type can be found in a grave or hoard or if there’s a pattern to be seen in there placement in the landscape relating to other bronze age sites. The question of who used the sword during the bronze age will also be asked, followed by a discussion of gender, gender roles and power on Gotland during the bronze age.

Pour respecter les droits d'auteur, la version électronique de ce mémoire a été dépouillée de certains documents visuels. La version intégrale du mémoire a été déposée à la Division de la gestion des documents et des archives. / Le Staffordshire Hoard est un trésor anglo-saxon qui date des 6e et 7e siècles qui fut découvert en juillet 2009 par un détectoriste dans un champ du comté du Staffordshire en Angleterre. Ce trésor est composé d’environ 4600 fragments d’artéfacts représentant pour la plupart des garnitures d’épées en or et en argent. Bien que nous retrouvions aussi dans le Hoard certains objets ecclésiastiques, comme une grande croix en or ainsi qu’une bande inscrite en latin, aucune pièce de monnaie ne fut retrouvée, ni aucune lame d’épée. Le Staffordshire Hoard pose beaucoup de questions, notamment par sa composition inédite et aussi en raison du mauvais état dans lequel les objets furent retrouvés. Depuis sa découverte en 2009, les chercheurs se sont majoritairement posé les mêmes questions, à savoir de quel type de Hoard il s’agit, à qui il appartient et pourquoi il fut enterré. Avec ce mémoire, nous allons plutôt emprunter un autre chemin. En effet, nous étudierons plutôt les aspects matériels et techniques de la construction des artéfacts en or décorés avec la technique du cloisonné, et particulièrement le seax set. Ceci nous permettra dans un premier temps de comprendre comment ce type d’objet fut fabriqué par une société en particulier à l’époque du haut Moyen-Âge. Dans un second temps, l’étude de ces sujets aidera à répondre à une question qui fut souvent mise de côté par les différents chercheurs s’étant intéressés au Staffordshire Hoard, à savoir pourquoi aucune lame d’épée ne fut retrouvée dans cet assemblage. / The Staffordshire Hoard is an Anglo-Saxon treasure dating from the 6th and 7th centuries that was discovered in July 2009 by a detectorist in a field in the county of Staffordshire, England. This treasure is composed of approximately 4600 fragments of artefacts representing mostly gold and silver sword fittings. Although some ecclesiastical items were also found in the Hoard, such as a gold Great Cross and a Latin inscribed strip, neither coins nor sword blades were found. The Staffordshire Hoard raises many questions, due to its unusual composition and the poor condition in which the objects were found. Since its discovery in 2009, researchers have mostly asked the same questions, namely what type of hoard it is, to whom it belongs and why it was buried. With this dissertation, we will take a different path. Instead, we will study the material and technical aspects of the construction of gold artefacts decorated with the cloisonné technique, specifically the seax set. This will allow us in first place to understand how this type of object was made by a particular society in the early Middle Ages. Secondly, the study of these objects will help us to answer a question that has often been put aside by various researchers interested in the Staffordshire Hoard, namely why no sword blades were found in this assemblage.

The archaeological site Pigloner Kopf (Vadena/Pfatten, South Tyrol, Italy) has revealed unexpected elements related to the local Bell Beaker culture, like the local production of shaft-hole axes, typologically linked to the Balkans and the Danube region. The site also shows the oldest evidence of ritual burnt offerings in the Eastern Alps. The mostly burnt animal bones, cereals, flint tools and fragments of pottery could be interpreted as the remains of a rock sanctuary with burnt offerings. The site can be considered as a prototype of the alpine places of worship and mountain sanctuaries. These burning rituals were practised from the beginning of the Bronze Age until the late Roman Empire. The aim of the paper is to present the results of the study of materials and their analyses, focussing on the metallurgical industry, composed mostly by objects produced with local copper, like 10 miniaturised shaft-hole axes, 7 awls and a pin and also by imported objects like a dagger blade and spiral ornaments. The deposition of copper tools in hoards in association with burnt offerings suggest a ritual interpretation of the site, dated to the late Copper Age with Bell Beaker elements in lithics and pottery.

Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940) is one of Sweden’s most well-known and prominent authors. The field of research connected to both her personal life and her body of work is certainly immense. However there are still gaps in the research concerning Lagerlöf’s social critique through her literature. Alongside her authorship she was active in the peace- and women’s movement, and particularly so in women’s suffrage. Simultaneously, as the women’s movement gained momentum at the turn of the 20th century, there was a domestic armament in Sweden. It was at this point when Lagerlöf wrote Herr Arne’s Hoard/The Treasure (1903). The purpose of this study is to examine the connections between manliness and violence in Selma Lagerlöf’s Herr Arne’s Hoard/The Treasure. This is achieved by means of reparative reading using gender theory from the Nordic historic masculinity studies. The reparative reading is based on a model of interpretation, first promoted by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, and is not about hidden meanings but rather what the text explicitly represents. The analysis shows that the text criticizes a certain fit for military service type of manliness. This particular manliness is characterized by self-interest and vindictiveness, which is tied to an archaic barbarity and social stagnation. At the same time it is connected to positions of power. The analysis also shows, through the critic, a feminine desire for justice, a movement towards change and the subversive potential of sympathy. / Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940) är en av Sveriges namnkunnigaste och mest prominenta författare. Forskningsfältet kring hennes person och produktion är närmast oöverskådligt. Det finns emellertid fortfarande luckor i forskningen gällande hur samhällskritisk Lagerlöf egentligen var i sitt författarskap. Vid sidan av sitt författarskap var hon också aktiv inom freds- och kvinnorörelsen, i synnerhet i kampen för kvinnlig rösträtt. Samtidigt som kvinnorörelsen tog fart kring sekelskiftet 1900, genomfördes en inhemsk militär upprustning i Sverige. Under denna tidsperiod skriver Lagerlöf berättelsen Herr Arnes penningar (1903). Den här studien undersöker kopplingen mellan manlighet och våld i Selma Lagerlöfs Herr Arnes penningar. Studien genomför en reparativ läsning utifrån ett genusvetenskapligt perspektiv med teorier hämtade från den nordiska historiska manlighetsforskningen. Den reparativa läsningen är baserad på en tolkningsmodell som först lanserades av Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick och som handlar om att inte se till vad en text döljer utan till vad den vill. Analysen påvisar att texten kritiserar en särskild vapenför manlighet. Denna manlighet karakteriseras av egennytta och hämndbegär, som förbinds med ett arkaiskt barbari och samhällelig stagnation. Samtidigt förbinds det med maktpositioner. Analysen synliggör utifrån kritiken också ett kvinnligt begär efter rättvisa, en rörelse mot förändring och sympatins subversiva potential.

Les trésors de vaisselle précieuse de l’Antiquité tardive dans les îles britanniques présentent un corpus d’étude digne d’intérêt à la fois grâce à leur nombre important, à la variété des objets réunis et aux métaux employés. En effet, de nombreux ensembles de vaisselle précieuse ont été ensevelis entre le 3ème et le 5ème siècle en Bretagne romaine, tandis que d’autres dépôts issus de butins de pillage ont été trouvés en dehors des frontières de l’Empire (Écosse et Irlande actuelles). En outre, alors que les grands services d’argenterie y tiennent une part assez exceptionnelle, cette province se démarque du reste de l’Empire par une grande richesse en dépôts constitués de petits objets variés en métaux précieux (or et argent). Enfin, cette région voit se développer de façon quasiment exclusive, dès le 3ème siècle, l’industrie de l’"étain" (un alliage d’étain et de plomb dans des proportions variables), qui se prête bien à l’imitation des plats d’argenterie, donnant ainsi la possibilité à des familles moins aisées de posséder des services entiers de vaisselle de table.À partir de la constitution d’un catalogue de 229 dépôts et objets isolés, cette étude s’ouvre par une analyse typologique de la vaisselle d’argent et d’étain, comprenant l’observation des formes, des éléments décoratifs et de l’iconographie. S’ensuit l’analyse comparative du contenu de ces ensembles et de leur contexte d’enfouissement, menant à l’élaboration de tableaux typologiques et de cartes de répartition géographique. Des différenciations sont ainsi mises en évidence et permettent de tenter une interprétation de ces dépôts, témoins matériels d’une époque bouleversée. / Several hoards of precious vessels come from Roman Britain, some of them were found outside imperial boundaries (Scotland and Ireland) and represent loots of pirates. They were deposited during all Roman period, especially during the 3rd to the 5th centuries. Though large silver treasures are very rare there, this region is very rich in hoards of small precious objects of gold and silver (spoons, strainers, toothpicks, jewellery, coins, ingots…). In the meantime pewter industry flourishes from the 3rd century and vessels of this matter are produced in great quantity and diffused through the entire island, imitating silver vessels of the same period. It is often called the "poor man's silver".Through a descriptive catalogue of 229 Roman pewter and silver vessels hoards and single finds from the British Isles, this study starts with a typological and stylistic analysis of precious vessels and their imitations (forms, decoration, and techniques). It continues with a classification of all treasures and hoards that contain silver or pewter vessels, through a comparison of what they contained and where they were buried. Some of them could be of votive origin, inherited from Bronze Age.