Denna kandidatuppsats behandlar sländtrissor och vävtyngder från vikingatida lokaler samt yngre järnålderslokaler som angränsar till den vikingatida handelsplatsen Birka. Syftet är att studera sländtrissor och vävtyngder från vikingatida fyndlokaler i Birkas omland; vilket åsyftar geografiska områden i Södermanlands län (Södermanland), Stockholms län och Uppsala län (Uppland). Sländtrissor påverkar de textila råmaterialen och de spunna trådarna, vidare påverkar vävtyngderna varpen och de vävda tygerna. Vilka trådar och vilka tyger som har producerats inom vikingatida lokaler i angränsning till Birka diskuteras utifrån sländtrissornas och vävtyngdernas vikt, form och storlek (trots att fragmentariska artifakter förekommer). Studien omfattar spår av textilproduktion inom vikingatida lokaler i Birkas omland, samt en undersökning gällande om det har förekommit inhemska importer av textilier från fastlandet till Birka under vikingatiden. Resultatet påvisar om att gårdsbaserad textilproduktion har förekommit i Birkas omland och ett fåtalet gårdar i omlandet tolkas ha haft möjlighet att exportera textilier till Birka. / This bachelor thesis is regarding spindle whorls and loom weights from late Iron Age-sites and Viking Age-sites in adjoining relation to the Viking Age town Birka. The basis of this thesis concerns in which amount spindle whorls and loom weights occur at Viking Age-sites in Birka's hinterland; it refers to geographical areas in Södermanland County and Uppland County. Spindle whorls influences the textile raw materials and the spun threads, furthermore loom weights influences the warp and the woven cloths. Which threads and which cloth that were produced at the Viking Age-sites in adjoining relation to Birka will be discussed by regarding the weight, form and size of the spindle whorls and loom weights (though fragmental artifacts occur). The thesis will concern trails of textile production from Birka's hinterland and furthermore an investigation about domestic imports of textiles from the mainland to Birka could have oocurred during the Viking Age. The Results indicates that farmbased textileproduction has occured in Birka's hinterland and furthermore numerous of the farms in the hinterland can be discussed as farms with the possibility to export textiles to Birka.

<p>This paper deals with archaeological prospection of an Iron Age farm site in Toland, Fresta parish, Uppland County in Sweden. The purpose of the paper has been to see whether the geophysical methods applied (GPR & EM-38) could produce useful results that could motivate its use in similar surveys in the future. Geochemistry has been used for the purpose of identifying possible activity areas on the site. The results have shown that it is possible with a GPR survey to identify postholes originating from the Migration Period longhouse at the site. The combining of several methods have been important for the identification and interpretation of several areas of interest.</p>

This paper deals with archaeological prospection of an Iron Age farm site in Toland, Fresta parish, Uppland County in Sweden. The purpose of the paper has been to see whether the geophysical methods applied (GPR &amp; EM-38) could produce useful results that could motivate its use in similar surveys in the future. Geochemistry has been used for the purpose of identifying possible activity areas on the site. The results have shown that it is possible with a GPR survey to identify postholes originating from the Migration Period longhouse at the site. The combining of several methods have been important for the identification and interpretation of several areas of interest.

The aim of this essay is to discuss the double graves existence, content and meaning during the Swedish Iron Age. Being buried in pairs seems to have been relatively rare. Is the double grave a family grave or was one of the individuals a human sacrifice? The focus of this essay will be to discuss the possible relationship the people in the double graves may have had, but also to see how rare the grave type is with the help and inspiration of theories by Sarah M. Nelson. Are the graves family style graves such as husband and wife or parent and child? Are there any other possibilities for the existence of double graves? The most common interpretation of the double graves is that they are family graves. I will try to answer these questions by examining four Iron Age burial grounds in Sweden. I do not rule out that double graves may be family graves, however, if they were family graves, why are they so uncommon and where is the rest of the family? Why is it only two people in the grave? This makes me question if the double graves are something else but pure family graves. It is more likely that the double graves have been the results of accidents or disease where two people lost their lives at the same time.

An iron age double grave containing a man and a woman has been found in Klinta, Köpings Parish, Öland, Sweden. Archaeologist have debated this grave and have begun to interpret the woman as a völva. The most famous artefact was found in the womans grave. It was an iron staff, Klintastaven. This staff have been the main focus when it comes to this grave but there were also three types of artifacts found with the bones: base metal artifacts covered in runes, amulets, as well as animal bones. This essay aims to analyse the artifacts from the grave and their relation to the Old Norse religion of Scandinavia and the research have established a connection between these artifacts and the Old Norse religion of Viking times.

Jag har gjort en jämförande studie mellan utvecklingen i Danmark och utvecklingen på Gotland under romersk järnålder. Som underlag har jag framförallt använt Lotte Hedeagers avhandling Danmarks jernalder – Mellem stamme og stat (Hedeager 1992) och Kerstin Cassels redovisning av det arkeologiska källmaterialet från Gotland i hennes avhandling Från grav till gård – romersk järnålder på Gotland (Cassel 1998). Syftet med studien var att undersöka om Hedeagers slutsats att det etablerades en centralmakt med territoriell kontroll, en tidig stat, i Danmark redan i övergången mellan äldre och yngre romersk järnålder, även skulle gå att dra vad gäller Gotland baserat på det gotländska källmaterialet, och i så fall om detta kunde förklara uppkomsten av stengrundsbebyggelse och fornborgar. Jag har jämfört det arkeologiska källmaterialet från Danmark och Gotland avseende gravfynd och offerfynd, bebyggelseutveckling och landskapsutnyttjande samt vapenoffer och försvarsanläggningar. Vad gäller gravfynden går det att se stora likheter både i hur gravgodset ser ut och i de förändringar som sker mellan äldre och yngre romersk järnålder. Det går också att se stora likheter i kulturlandskapets utveckling med en övergång från ett extensivt åkerbruk med kollektivt brukande till familjejordbruk med intensiv odling. Både på Gotland och i Danmark kan man datera storskaliga försvarsanläggningar till slutet av äldre eller yngre romersk järnålder. Exempel på detta är Olmerdiket och Torsburgen. En väsentlig skillnad mellan Danmark och Gotland är hur praktföremål fördelas mellan offerfynd och gravar övertiden från förromersk järnålder till folkvandringstid. Det jag kommit fram till är att likheterna är så stora att man genom att tillämpa Hedeagers analysmodell kan dra slutsatsen att omläggning av jordbruket, uppkomst av stengrundshus och stensträngar, och anläggande av försvarsborgar gjorts på initiativ av en centralmakt med kontroll över det gotländska territoriet.

The aim of this paper was to study fourteen pottery sherds found at the site of Ayia Irini in northern Cyprus using Gas chromatography- Mass spectrometry. Ayia Irini has by the archaeologists of the Swedish Cyprus Expedition been interpreted as a sanctuary, with activity spanning from the Late Bronze Age throughout the Cypriot Iron Age. The results showed traces of vegetable lipids in almost all samples, and traces of lipids from terrestrial animals in all but two. One sample showed traces of resin. Several samples were contaminated by different components found in plastics, such as plasticizers. No obvious common denominators were found for samples of similar pottery type or similar dating. The analysis yielded results of differing quality in all samples. However, usable data was collected from all except one sample, which was too heavily contaminated to glean any clear traces of organic residue from the time of deposit.

This paper deals with the question of when hill forts – or enclosed mountains – were built and to what purpose, by examining two enclosed mountains (RAÄ 78 and 79) in Grödinge parish in the province of Södermanland. A phosphate analysis was conducted to trace anthropogenic activities. The analysis showed only a slight elevation of phosphate content in the soil. A histogram indicated that the elevations were not normally distributed, which could suggest that they were caused by anthropogenic activities. A focus on boundaries is evident in the material, whether it is about erecting physical barriers or the boundary between life and death.

This essay is focused on Öland during the Iron Age, with focus specifically on the Roman Iron Age and the Migration period. The study takes its starting point in the large number of fortifications that was active across Öland at the time. The essays main area of investigation will be the central and southern parts of Öland as the fortifications, together with other parts of the Iron Age society around them such as graves and settlement, will be presented. The landscape in which the fortifications and their surroundings are placed will also be described. With the Migration Period being a keyword for almost all the fortifications on Öland, the subject will also be to describe if any sort of change can be seen in the settlement patterns during this unstable and troubled time. This will all be presented trough sources describing work of the archaeological investigations that has been done in those places.

Domarringarna (Stone circles) are mysterious monuments preserved from Prehistory. With this study, I will discuss them and their meaning from different angles. I have mainly used a qualitative method of working through of previous research on Stone circles, but I also worked with a quantitative approach by compiling statistics. A clear result was difficult to achieve. Several of the new sources are based on the older research. More research and archaeological studies are required to obtain more evidence that can support new interpretations.