The purpose of this thesis is to address key questions concerning the status and roles of enslaved groups (thralls) in Viking-Age Scandinavia. The thesis focuses on the lives of thralls at two levels; first within the local context of the household and farm (described here as the ‘microenvironment’), and second within the wider ‘macroenvironment’ of Scandinavian society. In particular, the study seeks to uncover the different practical and economic roles that were fulfilled by thralls within these contexts, and in doing so to explore how slaveholding communities benefitted from the exploitation of these people. In order to address these issues, the thesis critically examines the archeological material associated with thralls and discusses the various issues associated with the interpretation of this evidence. Given the inherent difficulty of identifying thralls in the archaeological record, this study also utilizes a range of contemporaneous and later medieval textual sources, including the Icelandic sagas and the earliest surviving Scandinavian law codes, as a means of contextualizing the discussion of material evidence. In exploring the diverse range of archaeological evidence and textual sources available to us, the author concludes that thralls played a significant role among Scandinavian communities as a source of both domestic and economic labor. Through this, they also involuntarily helped Scandinavian communities to mount and sustain trading, raiding and settlement activity in Europe and beyond. In reaching this conclusion, the author draws upon a number of sources pointing to a significant need for (unfree?) labor, for example in tasks such as textile production. When combined with a high-level of access to slaves through raiding and trading activity, it seems logical that Viking-Age communities would have exploited thralls in this way. Given the regular appearance of thralls in both the early Scandinavian law codes and sagas, furthermore, it is likely that these people represented a prominent social group within both social and labor-related contexts.

The scabbards from the Valsgärde boat-graves are fine works of artisanship, the person who made them put many hours of work into them. It is easy to get lost in typologies and books,but one must not forget that some crafts are still being practiced to this day. Some of this knowledge is not taught in any formal school setting but is still valuable to academics seeking to deeper their understanding of history. That is why it is important to operationalize this practical and traditional knowledge when interpreting archaeological materials. In this thesis I seek to gain further knowledge by consulting an artisan when interpreting two seax scabbards and three sword scabbards from Valsgärde 7 & 8.

No / The famous Celtic site of Entremont, well known for its head cult and warrior statues, is a heritage gem of southern France. This naturally inhibits further excavation there, but the authors show just how much can be achieved through an integrated package of remote mapping techniques. Their exemplary methodology produced more than a high resolution plan of the unexcavated part of the site; this type of integrated procedure generates ground-breaking research, without breaking any ground. Here the investigation mobilised arguments for pre-urban monuments, and the activities, enclosures, entrances and circulation of the oppidum.

This thesis primarily discusses the development of late Iron Age Saami settlement patterns in greater Norrland's forest area, from the establishment of the Settlements through to historical times. The Settlements are chiefly characterised by hearths, but it is also important to study Saami sacrificial sites when trying to understand the significance of the settlement patterns. Central to the thesis is how the archaeological material can be applied to questions concerning the introduction of reindeer herding. During the early Viking period a significant change in the settlement pattern of greater Norrland's inland occurs. New niches start to be exploited, moving away from the earlier shore-bound model. The Settlements are relocated to areas with good reindeer grazing land, by small streams, bogs and small lakes. The principal features are concentrations of hearths, which arise in large numbers, most often in groups of three to ten. A number of the artefacts found at the settlement sites are also found at Saami sacrificial sites from between 800 to 1350 AD, suggesting that the hearths should be studied in the context of Saami culture. A wide range of artefacts have been discovered during excavation of the Settlements, which suggests extensive contacts, mainly to the east and the Ladoga area, but also with Norway to the west. The artefacts display a continuity from the Viking period into the 1700's, and the dating of the hearths show a similar chronological spread. The study area has supported a reindeer herding forest Saami society during historical times, the settlement pattern of which has close similarities to that found under the Viking period. This implies that the settlement pattern that emerged during the Viking period can probably be related to an emergent reindeer herding system. Reindeer herding was undertaken in combination with hunting and fishing - so called semi-nomadism. It is suggested that the forest land Saami society become so dependent on reindeer herding during the Viking period, that it controlled the settlement pattern. / digitalisering@umu

Leather is a material that throughout history has been very important for humankind. Up until recently is has often however, together with other organic materials, not been given the attention it might deserve. This essay investigates how leather from the Late Iron Age in Scandinavia can be studied, if specialisation within leather related crafts can be identified and what this can tell us about how crafting skills were spread in a society. First a broader analysis is made of related crafts in the Late Iron Age, which is then put into relation to three chosen Vendel Age graves from the Valsgärde burial ground. Both leather production through hunting and tanning, and item production techniques like for example sewing and scabbard making are reviewed. Problems with preservation are discussed and possible alternative ways to study the subject are explored. The essay concludes that leather crafting included many techniques spread in society, practiced by common people. Still, several explicit specialisations also existed, which created high-quality leather products. Finally, suggestions for future research are made. / Läder har som material varit mycket viktigt genom hela den mänskliga historien. Fram tills nyligen har det, tillsammans med andra organiska material, dock ofta inte fått den uppmärksamhet det kanske förtjänar. Den här uppsatsen undersöker hur läder från den sena järnålderns Skandinavien kan studeras, om specialisering inom läderhantverk kan identifieras och vad detta kan berätta för oss om hur hantverkskompetens var spritt i ett samhälle. Först görs en bredare analys av relaterade hantverk under den sena järnåldern, vilket sedan sätts i relation till tre vendeltida gravar från gravfältet i Valsgärde. Både produktion av läder genom jakt och garvning, och tekniker för produktion av föremål såsom sömnad och tillverkning av svärdsskidor granskas. Problematik med bevarandeförhållanden diskuteras och alternativa sätt att studera ämnet utforskas. Slutsatserna av uppsatsen är att läderhantverk inkluderade många olika hantverkstekniker, som var spridda i hela samhället och praktiserades av vanligt folk. Flertalet explicita specialiseringar existerade dock också, vilket gav upphov till högkvalitativa läderprodukter. Slutligen ges förslag till framtida forskning.

Genom arkeologins historia har skepp studerats som symboler för makt, status och krig. Även om skeppen studerats väldigt mycket inom dessa aspekter har relationerna och nätverken runt skeppens produktion och underhåll fallit i skymundan. Målet med uppsatsen är därför att studera dessa relationer ur ett holistiskt perspektiv, och att försöka tolka hur dessa relationer i sin tur påverkat skeppets roll i gravsammanhang genom att använda Osebergsskeppet som grund för studien. Tidsramen som satts är yngre järnålder, detta för att kunna tolka skeppens symboliska värde effektivt. För att göra det immateriella greppbart används entanglement-teori, och kvantitativa uträkningar för naturliga- och mänskliga resurser används som hjälpmedel för detta. Studien visar att allt rörande skeppet är intrasslade med varandra, och att en kollektiv agens av samhället var nödvändig för produktion och senare underhåll av skeppen. Skeppens symboliska värde är också format av dessa relationer, och det är möjligt att det är dessa relationer som lett till skeppens roll i gravseden under perioden. / For much of the history of archaeology ships have been studied as symbols for power, wealth, and warfare. Even though viking-age ships have been studied immensely in these regards the relationships and the network of organization around the construction and maintenance have not received as much attention from archaeologists. The aim of this essay is therefore to study these relationships in a holistic view, and to try to interpret how these relationships affected the ships’ place in the funerary sphere using the Oseberg ship as the basis for this study. The timeframe for the study is set to late iron-age since the study of symbolism needs a longer timeframe to be interpreted effectively. To get the intangible to become tangible the entanglement theory is applied, and quantitative estimations on natural- and human resources are used as support to do so. The study shows that everything surrounding the ship is entangled, and that a collective agency of the communities was necessary for the production and maintenance of the ships. The symbolic meaning of the ship is also formed by these relationships, and that it might be these relationships that gave the ships a place in the funerary sphere during the period.

<p>This paper deals with archaeological prospecting for the purpose of finding a prehistoric settlement in Alsike hage, Alsike parish, Uppland. The methods being used are soil phosphate analysis, electromagnetic survey and settlement analysis. Two 20x20 meters areas have been prospected. As Alsike hage contains several late Iron Age burial fields, large splendid zones for settlement location, closeness to water as well as farmland there was a hope of locating remains of prehistoric settlement in the area. None of the prospected areas showed any distinct evidence of settlement remains. Still, the results showed anomalies in both areas, both in the electromagnetic survey as in the phosphate analysis. Therefore, the possibility of finding such remains in the two prospected areas cannot be ruled out.</p>

The development and establishment of agriculture in Northern Sweden has since long been believed to appear during the Late Iron Age, close to the Viking period, but recent finds from the Bronze Age in Umeå has opened up new discussion of when agriculture first emerged. Although too early to discuss where and when it developed, the material currently available on the topic allows for discussion for how it developed. By looking at sediment and soil conditions surrounding the settlements in combination with palaeoenvironments and past climate one aim was to try and search for settlement patterns in relation to agricultural potential, this was however unsuccessful. Cultivation practices were analysed using weed and wetland flora as well as agricultural indicators in pollen diagrams. Most settlements appear to focus firstly on animal husbandry and secondarily on cultivating crops, and they might have because of their coastal positioning also relied on fishing. The results confirmed previous hypothesis about the development of agriculture and cultivation practices in Northern Sweden during the Bronze and Iron Age, however, some issues remain concerning the lacking osteological material. / Utvecklingen och etableringen av jordbruk i Norrland har sedan länge verkat förekomma först under yngre järnåldern, nära vikingatiden, men nya fynd från bronsåldern i Umeå har öppnat upp diskussionen igen om när jordbruket först etablerade sig. Fastän det är för tidigt att behandla var och när, så tillåter det nuvarande materialet att börja till att diskutera hur jordbruket utvecklade sig. Kringliggande jordförhållanden har undersökts runtom bosättningar i relation till palaeomiljöer och forntida klimat med målet att söka efter bosättningsmönster i relation till potentialen att etablera jordbruk, men inga mönster framkom. Odlingsmetoder undersöktes genom ogräs och våtmarksväxter såväl som indikatorer på jordbruk och betning i pollendiagram. De flesta bosättningarna uppvisade ett fokus i första hand på djurhållning och i andra hand odling, samt att dess närhet till kusten och havet troligen såg ett utvecklat fiske. Resultaten bekräftade tidigare hypoteser om jordbrukets utveckling och odlingsmetoder i Norrland under Brons- och Järnåldern, dock återstår vissa problem beträffande det bristande osteologiska materialet.

<p>Andersson, J. 2008. <em>Bildstenarna och den muntliga traditionen på Gotland under yngre järnålder</em>. <em>The Picture Stones and the Oral Tradition of Gotland During the Late Iron Age. </em>Högskolan i Kalmar ht 2008.</p><p>This is a study of the picture stones of Gotland and the oral tradition connected to them. This study consists of two main parts; in the main part the discussion focus on the oral tradition and the continuity of the same, where the memory plays a significant role. It also contains a discussion of the physical environment and its influences of the oral tradition. The second part concentrates around the picture stones, the variation of the scenes and the numerous of them. </p><p>Keywords: oral traditions, picture stones, late iron age, Gotland, Nordic mythology.</p><p> </p><p> </p>

This paper deals with archaeological prospecting for the purpose of finding a prehistoric settlement in Alsike hage, Alsike parish, Uppland. The methods being used are soil phosphate analysis, electromagnetic survey and settlement analysis. Two 20x20 meters areas have been prospected. As Alsike hage contains several late Iron Age burial fields, large splendid zones for settlement location, closeness to water as well as farmland there was a hope of locating remains of prehistoric settlement in the area. None of the prospected areas showed any distinct evidence of settlement remains. Still, the results showed anomalies in both areas, both in the electromagnetic survey as in the phosphate analysis. Therefore, the possibility of finding such remains in the two prospected areas cannot be ruled out.