<p>This paper deals with prehistoric charred organic material, interpreted as bread, found in graves and in the underlying settlement at Kalvshälla, Järfälla parish in Uppland. The aim was to categorize the organic material morphologically and with the help of Fourier transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to see whether it was bread or not. Material from 13 graves (dated to Late Roman Iron Age until Viking Age) and 3 finds from the settlement have been analysed. Differences were noted both in shape, porosity and structure. Some of the material has been interpreted as cereal based foodstuff instead of bread due to morphological discrepancies. No clear differences between material from the graves and the settlement can be seen. One find from a posthole can be dated to late Bronze Age, which is unusual. The bread in the graves was intentionally given to both adult females and males maybe as a symbol of their roles as the good householders. Several finds of root tubers of dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris) were identified in female graves from Early Iron Age, but also in two male graves with bread from Vendel period. The FT-IR method does not give a clear answer to whether the organic material can be bread or not. The method requires careful sampling procedures and several samples from each concretion to get good results.</p>

<p>This paper deals with diet and gender in the early roman iron age in Sweden. Human bone and tooth material from the Iron Age cemetery at Bjärby in Kastlösa parish on the island of Öland have been analysed for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. 21 individuals were sampled. Where possible 4 samples were taken from each individual, from the first, second and third molar respectively and from one compact bone. By doing so it is possible, at least in theory, to trace intra-individual diets throughout life. In total, 64 samples were analysed by isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The low [delta]13C values indicate a diet based mostly on terrestrial resources, while the high [delta]15N values indicate some significant marine input. This discrepancy may be explained by an intake of freshwater fish or meat from suckling animals. The isotope values do not indicate any significant dietary reliance on cereals. Some gender differences in diet were observed. The [delta]15N values of the women were higher than those of the men, indicating a higher tropic level throughout life. The third molar [delta]13C values of the men were higher than those of the women, indicating a somewhat more substantial marine input during the teenage years.</p>

Two ceramic vessels of the Öland and Gotland type were in the summer of 2016 discovered at an archaeological excavation at the island of Gotland in the Baltic sea. They were produced with two different techniques of firing, resulting in two different colors of the surface of the pot. Ceramic vessels of the Öland and Gotland type dating from the Roman Iron Age are supposed to have been produced at these islands, but thin-section analysis of pottery found in Mälardalen in the mainland of Sweden show that at least some vessels are made of clay from Mälardalen. The type is distinct and differs both in form and composition of the clay from other ceramic vessels of more ordinary character. This type of ceramic vessel is supposed to be inspired of bronze vessels from the Roman Empire and ceramic vessels from both the Roman Empire and the Celtic area. In this thesis, the aim is to shed some light on the characters of this type of vessel with comparative and empirical studies of pots from Öland and Gotland. This is done by comparing vessels and described graves on the two islands. And for references a few pots from mainland Sweden is also studied. Is it possible to understand why the high-status pottery on Öland and Gotland differ from the rest of the Swedish mainland? Clearly, the wealth of the population on the islands was over average if we measure it in objects of foreign origin, compared with the Swedish mainland. Objects from the Roman Empire such as drinking equipment made of bronze and gold and silver coins made its way to the islands in bigger quantities than to rest of Scandinavia with exceptions from some local areas on the Swedish mainland. / • Vad exakt är en ölandskruka? • Varför finns en det en klar urskiljbar skillnad mellan den keramik vi kallar ölandskrukor/gotlandskrukor jämfört med andra kärl från samma period? • Vad kan dekor och utformning ha inspirerats av? • Är det klara skillnader mellan Öland och Gotland när det gäller ölandskrukorna, eller ser de lika ut på de båda öarna?Den kärltyp av keramik från romersk järnålder som vanligen kallas ölandskruka eller gotlandskruka i rapporter, litteratur eller andra arkeologiska sammanhang är vanlig i det öländska och gotländska materialet. Den hittas företrädesvis i gravar men även andra kontexter förekommer. Kärlen förekommer även sparsamt på det svenska fastlandet och hittas även där i gravar. Det är i de gravar som är rikast på föremål som den oftast påträffas och det pekar på att den är knuten till de personer i samhället som har högst social rang. Andra föremål som hittas tillsammans med ölandskrukor varierar en del mellan Öland och Gotland. Ett exempel på det är bronsskållor som mest är en gotländsk företeelse och endast förekommer sparsamt i det öländska materialet. Dryckeshorn i gravar är vanligast på Gotland och de förekommer ofta i gravar med sländtrissor. På Öland är det i kvinnogravarna vanligt att det förekommer krumknivar i samma grav som ölandskrukor medan mansgravarna ofta är så kallade vapengravar. Vapengravarna på Öland innehåller som regel ett svärd, minst en lansspets och en spjutspets men även fler förekommer, en sköld och en kniv.   Kärltypen som kallas ölandskruka är av tunt gods som glättats på ytan och oftast dekorerats med punktlinjer på den övre delen av skuldran. De är brända i en reducerad atmosfär som ger en svart yta på kärlet. I denna uppsats förekommer även en annan kärltyp med fyra stycken öron på skuldran, dessa kärl förefaller vara brända i en oxiderad atmosfär vilket istället resulterar i en brun eller rödbrun färg på ytan. Förutom dessa två kärltyper förekommer också kannor, de har en hank att hålla i när man häller och är i stort sett alltid dekorerade. Denna dekoration består ofta av olika fält på övre delen av kannan indelade i romber av linjer. I fälten finns olika stämpelmönster, till exempel cirklar, kryss, blomformade och trisklar. Kärlen är så kallad finkeramik som sannolikt inte användes till vardagligt bruk utan som serveringskärl vid till exempel gästabud och som gravgåvor i form av ett uppdukat bord till den avlidne. I en del fall även som benbehållare efter kremering. De kärl som betecknas som finkeramik förefaller ha använts till dryckesritualer och som serviser under gästabud. Även seden att ge den begravde ett dukat bord pekar på att kärlens betydelse var välkänd i det samtida samhället (Eriksson 2009:176ff). Ölandskrukorna introduceras i Mälardalsregionen under äldre romersk järnålder, men företrädesvis i elitmiljöer. Att det även på Öland och Gotland handlar om elitens föremål syns i gravmaterialet, då det är de gravar som är rikast på föremål som även har ölandskrukor, gotlandskrukor eller kannor (se bilaga 1 &amp; 2). Inspirationen till kärlen kan vara bronssitulor som importeras till Skandinavien under denna period (Eriksson 2009:176ff). Den polerade ytan på keramik som förekommer under bronsåldern i Mälardalen försvinner under förromersk järnålder och den tidigaste återkomsten av polerad keramik i området dateras till tiden efter Kristi födelse (Eriksson 2009:127). Dessa kärl har en svartglänsande yta som mycket väl kan tänkas föreställa eller efterlikna metall. Liknande former på kärl har bland annat hittas i tidigare nämnda Gödåker där ett kärl har en dekor som är klart inspirerad av samtida metallkonst. Det kan även finnas kopplingar till dryckesglas eftersom en del kärl har imitation av slipade glasfacetter. Mellan Öland och Gotland finns en del skillnader i utformningen på kärlen. På Öland är foten på ölandskrukorna mindre eller saknas. Eftersom tillverkningsort för ölandskrukorna inte har kunnat fastställas i nuläget är det svårt att peka på om det beror på att ölänningarna har en annan utformning på sina kärl än gotlänningarna eller om det förekommer variationer i båda regionerna som sedan distribuerats olika.

The exclusive bronze and gold objects found in the Iron Age ship and rider burials of Vendel, Valsgärde and Sutton Hoo are well known. Less known, however, is the grave field of Vallstenarum on Gotland, where some similar finds have been made. Vallstenarum is located in a highly interesting landscape with former bays and lagoons, Bronze Age monuments, hill forts and a long continuity of human activity. While many of the impressive Bronze Age graves and monuments are widely visible in the landscape, Iron Age burials are more descrete. Therefore, this paper aims to shed light on the people in the Iron Age Vallstena community, their social organisation and their communication with the rest of the world. This will be achieved by analysing grave objects in relation to status and hierarchy, but also in relation to the surrounding landscape and in chronology with nearby archaeological sites. By comparing where similar finds have been made, the paper also discusses the location of Vendel Period central areas and Iron Age trade and communication. The results show a highly symbolic landscape, where the domestic area was separated from the grave fields. The find material also implies that the Vallstena area was involved in a vast communication network during the Vendel Period and possibly functioned as a trade hub through its strategic location next to the Gothem river. The grave activity in the central area of the parish seems to peak during the Vendel period, and the peripheral areas of the parish starts to get more intensively populated in the Viking Age. / I ”Tjelvars” fotspår- Rekonstruktion av det forntida landskapet vid Lina myr på Gotland under 9000 år

There is something about horses. Something that through the ages has made people see these animals as something special, almost magical. The use, care and murder of these animals contain information of high value for archaeology. Information that can be hard to find in other materials.These animals and their final resting places bear traces of the emic values and inner worlds of the people that once put them there. People’s thoughts, values and traditions can be visualised from the bodies of the horses that once served them, at times gave their lives for them.The purpose of this essay is to study possible regional similarities and differences in the tradition relating to living and dead horses. This is done through osteological analysis of skeletal remains mainly of horse (Equus) and analysis of the archaeological contexts.The initial hypothesis was that the reason for a somewhat scarce representation of skeletal remains of horse in some places, perhaps relates to how the people in these places handled the bodies of the horses due to tradition and norms within their society.The study also sets out to examine what has made up the foundation for an interpretation of sacrifice and ritual, problematise the application of the concept of sacrifice as well as how archaeology as a research field has been affected and influenced by these notions.A delamination was made to Iron Age since the use of horses for man’s benefit and enjoyment was well established by that time. Geographically a delamination has been made to the islands of Gotland, Stora Karlsö and Öland with the intention of creating a distinct island perspective, where peculiar and unique traditions as well as more general similarities are allowed the same presuppositions. For this reason, three materials from the chosen geographical areas have been subject to osteological analysis; Stormyr in Bäl Parish on Gotland, Norderhamn in Eksta Parish on Stora Karlsö and a material from Löt Parish on Öland.The results show a general pattern in handling as well as in how both living and dead horses were perceived in the studied locations. However, it is also clear that regional differences occur in these areas.No osteological markers that can indicate any difference in type between the analysed horses have been found. There is however some trauma that indicates that some horses may have been used as workforce and means of transportation for example.The result also show that several factors in the represented cases could have affected the basis of estimation that led to a ritualistic interpretation, for example the frequency of finds, the extent of exploitation of an area, education, the development of methodology over time, etc.

Outlying forest and mountain areas in the inland of middle and north Scandinavia have for a long time been seen as marginal areas of little importance to the main Scandinavian historical narrative. However, in recent time, the importance of the outland has increasingly been in the focus of archaeological research. It has been suggested by several scholars that the emergence of centralized power structures in various parts of Scandinavia during the mid Iron Age can be explained by an extensive trade of resources like antler, bone, and iron. However, much is still unknown about the broader context of these activities and the people that performed them. The aim of this study is to analyse the character of these activities and exchange networks in a study area consisting of areas on both sides of the present Swedish-Norwegian border. This is done by analysing the pattern of archaeological remains in the outland and how they relate to landscape characteristics like topography, water courses and sediment types. The main archaeological remains studied are graves, pitfalls for moose and reindeer hunting and iron working sites. The results show the use of graves as territorial markers in the landscape and the existence of central places in the outland, possibly used for trade and social activities. The study also suggests that the relations between people from the hunter-gatherer and the agrarian communities changed during the late Iron Age, which is indicated by a dislocation of graves further up in the valleys to the north.

Zooarchaeological material from prehistoric settlements usually make up a large amount of the archaeological record. Despite this, research on the material is seldom utilized to its full potential. This is very much the case for the famous iron age settlement at Helgö. Therefore, in this thesis animal bones recovered from building group 4 at Helgö were analyzed using both osteological and taphonomic, as well as spatial variables as a mean to gain a better understanding of various aspects of the settlement and life at prehistoric Helgö. The results from the zooarchaeological analysis provide insight in social activities and practices concerning both human and animal interactions. The animals are found to have been an important part of the lives of the people at Helgö. Both spatial and structural differences in the material reveal various attitudes towards the animals and bring to light a diversity of activities and practices surrounding the settlement and Helgö.

Fortifications are a common type of ancient monument found throughout Scandinavia, and while the functions of forts are studied and debated quite heavily, the re-use of these structures is less known. On Gotland, there exist 84 ancient fortifications, of which approximately one-third have burials or registered graves within or in close proximity to their locations. This thesis identifies those locations where empirical evidence can be found to identify burials as a form of secondary use of fortifications. The case study of Gudings slott, in Eke Parish, is examined to exemplify the chronological extent of secondary use of an ancient fortification by continued burial rituals from the Late Iron Age through the early Middle Ages. Ancestral worship, memory theory, burial practices, and spatial analysis are utilized to explain why these sites may have been chosen for re-use as burial grounds during the Late Iron Age. The resulting interpretations reveal a unique combination of topographic location, ancestral connectivity, and social stressors as key factors in the secondary use of the examined sites. In addition, new possibilities for the study of Gotland’s ancient fortification sites and suggestions for future research are put forward. / Fornborgar är en vanlig typ av forntida monument som finns i hela Skandinavien, och även om borgarnas funktioner har studerats och diskuterats tämligen omfattande är återanvändningen av dessa strukturer mindre känd. På Gotland finns 84 fornborgar, varav ungefär en tredjedel har begravningar eller registrerade gravar inom eller i närheten av deras lokalisering. Denna uppsats identifierar de platser där empirska blägg finns för begravningar som en form av sekundär användning av borgar. Fallstudien av Gudings slott i Eke socken används för att exemplifiera den kronologiska omfattningen av sekundär användning av en fornborg som en plats för fostsatta begravningsritualer från yngre järnålder upp i tidig medeltid. Förfädersdyrkan, minnesteori, begravningsmetoder och rumslig analys används för att förklara varför dessa platser kan ha valts för återanvändning som gravplatser under yngre järnålder. De resulterande tolkningarna avslöjar en unik kombination av topografisk lokalisering, koppling till förfäder och sociala stressfaktorer som nyckelfaktor i den sekundära användningen av de undersökta platserna. Dessutom presenteras nya möjligheter för att studera Gotlands fornborgar och förslag till framtida forskning.

<p>This thesis deals with individuals buried at Smörkullen, Västra Tollstad parish, Östergötland, Sweden. The aim is to reconstruct the diet of the individuals through stable isotope analyses and then try to identify if social hierarchy correlates with the diet. To do this, 35 individuals were divided into different groups (males, females, high status graves, low status graves, young adults, adults, seniors and trepanned individuals) and then subjected to stable isotope analyses of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur. The results show that all individuals lived mainly on freshwater fish with a few exceptions that had a more mixed diet of terrestrial protein and freshwater fish. The sulphur analyses showed that one female (possibly two) has moved to the area sometime after the age of seven. Because of the homogenous diet of freshwater fish no social hierarchy based on diet could be established.</p>

<p>This paper deals with the connection between food and burial habits during the late Iron Age in present-day Sweden. The archaeological material used in the study consists of 16 potsherds from a burial site at Alsike hage, Alsike parish, in the province of Uppland in east-central Sweden. On these potsherds have been conducted FTIR- and GCMS-analyses, in order to see what types of food have been deposited in the burials. Furthermore, the result of the GCMS-analyses has been compared to contemporary material from both burial sites and settlement sites, in order to establish whether differences between the compared materials exist. The analyses show that there are differences between the material from burial sites compared with the material from settlement sites, but not any particular differences between the material from different burial sites. Among these differences we can see that the settlement sites show: a higher amount of total lipid content, a higher amount of vessels which contained lipids indicating that food was heated in them, a higher amount of vessels which contained lipids from crop products as the only content, and a higher amount of vessels which contained lipids from ruminant animals. The interpretation of these results is also discussed in the paper. Furthermore, the results of the FTIR-analyses also shows a good correlation with the results from the GCMS-analyses, it seems that the organic “foodcrusts” analysed with FTIR indeed stem from the same meal indicated by the GCMS-analyses.</p>