Uppsatsen analyserar och diskuterar kattbenen i materialet som grävdes ut i Västergarn, Gotland under våren 2021 och 2022. Analysen och diskussionen fokuserar på katternas roll i lokalsamhället, både fysiskt och i den lokala folktron. Materialet består av sex schakt med två identifierade husgrunder, en misstänkt smedja och en brunn med en datering på vikingatid och tidig medeltid. Materialet består av 151 ben och beräkningen visar på uppskattningsvis fyra individer. Analysen kom fram till att majoriteten av individerna var yngre än ett år gamla, med undantag från en med artros från hög ålder. En underkäke hittades med snittspår vilket i samband med åldern på individerna visar på att katterna har avlivats för pälsens skull, som har dokumenterats tidigare i både historiska och arkeologiska källor. Ett område identifieras där troligen en hel individ deponerats som husoffer för att skydda mot onda krafter. Katterna på platsen har förmodligen i livet använts som skadedjursbekämpning och magiskt skydd. / The essay analyses and discusses the cat bones in the material excavated in Västergarn, Gotland during the spring of 2021 and 2022. The analysis and discussion focus on the role of cats in local society, both physically and in local folklore. The material consists of six shafts with two identified house foundations, a suspected forge and a well with a dating from the Viking Age and the early Middle Ages. The material consists of 151 bones and the calculation shows approximately four individuals. The analysis concluded that most individuals were younger than one year old, with the exception of one with osteoarthritis from old age. A lower jaw was found with butchery marks which, in conjunction with the age of the individuals, shows that the cats have been slaughtered for their fur, which has been documented previously in both historical and archaeological sources. An area is identified where an entire individual was probably deposited as a house offering to protect against evil forces. The cats on the site were probably used in life as pest control and magical protection.

Compared to other methods for digital modeling, photogrammetry is portable, user-friendly, and cost-effective. Despite the potential benefits to the subfield of bioarchaeology, few investigations into this technology have occurred. This research attempts to fill the gap by investigating the accuracy of photogrammetry for recording antemortem cranial depression fractures (CDFs). Using the Mississippi State Asylum skeletal collection, dry bone measurements of CDFs were compared to those on photogrammetric models. Additionally, three volunteers of various skill levels attempted to identify these fractures using the digital models. Results showed that despite accuracy in recording maximum length and width measurements, maximum depth could be accurately and efficiently recorded. Volunteers were also incapable of accurately identifying the fractures. Therefore, photogrammetry should not be used for the initial recording of CDFs when dry bone recording is possible. However, photogrammetric modeling should still be used to assist in research when dry bone remains are not available.

Vindförbergs gravfält ligger i Ore socken, Dalarna, och klassificeras av många som ett insjögravfält. Dessa har varit aktiva under järnåldern till den tidiga medeltiden, och många frågetecken kvarstår ännu kring den eller de kulturer som etablerat dem. Den här uppsatsen undersöker de deponeringar av hornmaterial som påträffats vid Vindförbergs gravfält. Syftet är att undersöka dessas funktion och betydelse, skillnader mellan gravar med respektive utan deponeringar samt skillnader och likheter mellan Vindförberg och Krankmårtenhögen. Uppsatsen tillämpar osteologiska metoder, kompletterade med arkeologiska metoder, samt komparativa metoder. Den komparativa metoden har tillämpats gentemot Krankmårtenhögen, för att försätta de övriga resultaten i en större kontext. Studien har kunnat konstatera att hornen placerats medvetet på gravarna som statussymboler eller okända ritualistiska skäl. Studien har även kunnat konstatera att det finns vissa betydelsefulla skillnader mellan gravar med respektive utan deponeringar av horn, då främst gällande åldern då de begravda individerna avled. Vidare har studien kunnat konstatera starka likheter mellan Vindförbergs och Krankmårtenhögens respektive gravfält, vilket styrker en kulturell koppling trots vissa skillnader i mängden deponerat material. / Vindförberg's burial ground is located in Ore parish, Dalarna, and is classified by many as a inland lake burial ground. These have been active during the Iron Age to the early Middle Ages, and many questions still remain about the culture(s) that established them. This paper examines the deposits of horn material found at the Vindförberg burial ground. The aim is to investigate their function and significance, differences between graves with and without deposits, and differences and similarities between Vindförberg and Krankmårtenhögen. The essay applies osteological methods, supplemented with archaeological methods, as well as comparative methods. The comparative method has been applied to Krankmårtenhögen, in order to put the other results in a larger context. The study has been able to establish that the horns were deliberately placed on the graves as status symbols or for unknown ritualistic reasons. The study has also been able to establish that there are some significant differences between graves with and without deposits of horns, mainly regarding the age at which the buried individuals died. Furthermore, the study has been able to establish strong similarities between Vindförberg's and Krankmårtenhögen's respective burial grounds, which proves a cultural connection, despite some differences in the amount of deposited material.

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In this thesis, three individuals were analysed from the medieval church St. Hans in Visby, Sweden. The three individuals were interred within the older graveyard of ‘All-Saints’ Church’. The burial of multiple individuals in a single grave was considered exceptional due to its deviation from standard burial rituals. The archaeological report suggested a familial connection among the buried individuals, with individual 13 initially buried in a wooden coffin, followed by individual 10 laid atop the coffin, and individual 9 subsequently laid atop individual 10. The study focused on non-metric traits, in these three individuals. Non-metric traits of the skeleton encompass features with a presumed genetic basis, which can also be influenced by external environmental factors and internal physiological conditions. These traits, categorised into dental, cranial, and post-cranial traits, were typically employed to investigate population affinities and aid in forensic identification. However, their genetic nature also can render them useful for examining familial relationships. Despite their potential, utilising non-metric traits to ascertain familial relationships posed challenges. These challenges included data quality, stratigraphic association, and data gaps in the St. Hans material. Understanding these constraints was crucial for determining the reliability of non-metric traits as a tool for familial analysis. / I denna uppsats har tre individer analyserats från den medeltida kyrkan S:t Hans i Visby, Sverige. De tre individerna var gravsatta i den äldre begravningsplatsen som tillhörde Allhelgonakyrkan. Begravningen av flera personer i en och samma grav betraktades som exceptionell på grund av avvikelsen från standardbegravningsritualer. Den arkeologiska rapporten föreslog en släktskaplig koppling mellan de begravda individerna, där individ 13 initialt begravdes i en träkista, följt av individ 10 som lades ovanpå kistan, och individ 9 som därefter lades ovanpå individ 10. Studien fokuserade på icke-metriska egenskaper hos dessa tre individer. Icke-metriska särdrag I skelettet omfattar drag med en möjlig genetisk grund, som också kan påverkas av externa miljöfaktorer och interna fysiologiska förhållanden. Dessa egenskaper, kategoriseras som dentala, kraniala och post-kraniala egenskaper, användes vanligtvis för att undersöka populationsaffiniteter och bistå vid rättsmedicinsk identifiering. Trots deras potential utgjorde användningen av icke-metriska egenskaper för att fastställa släktskapsrelationer utmaningar. Dessa utmaningar inkluderade datorkvalitet, stratigrafisk sammanslutning och dataluckor i materialet från S:t Hans. Att förstå dessa begränsningar var avgörande för att fastställa tillförlitligheten hos icke-metriska egenskaper som ett verktyg för släktanalyser.

No / The Covesea Caves, located on the coast of the Moray Firth in northeastern Scotland, are a series of archaeological cave sites that are hypothesized to be part of a larger mortuary complex used during the Late Prehistoric period. Although much attention has been given to the unusual assemblage of human remains recovered from these sites, there has been less analysis undertaken on the vast amount of archaeofauna from the caves. This is in the process of being rectified through the recent work of the Covesea Cave Project, under direction of Ian Armit and Lindsey Büster and currently being undertaken at the University of Bradford. This report details attempts to confirm species identifications for several faunal bones of interest through various methodologies; unfortunately, not all of the attempts were successful. However, identifications are confirmed for two avian bones using comparative osteological analysis at the Avian Anatomical Collection at the Natural History Museum at Tring, United Kingdom. These species are placed in context through consideration of previous excavations at the Covesea Caves, as well as recent literature on ornithological analyses of ritual and funerary sites in Later Prehistoric Britain.

This thesis creates an osteological biography of the seven horses buried in the boat graves Valsgärde 3, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 15, and explores how the horses were placed in the graves and their part in the burial performance. The thesis focuses on the Valsgärde burial site and the final part of the Viking Age. Using the equine skeletal remains, a variety of osteological methods areapplied to answer the research questions. Archaeothanatology and performance archaeology are used for the theoretical framework for the thesis. The osteological analysis indicates that all horses except for the horse from Valsgärde 10 are of a similar size and health status. Valsgärde 3 contained two horses, and the remaining five graves contained a single horse. Five horses could be sexed as male while the remaining two are uncertain. The horses vary in age from a minimum of two and a half to eleven years and seem to have been buried whole. A definitive cause of death could not be determined, though three potential methods are discussed. The horses were placed in the burials in a few different positions, with some similarities which seem to be chronologically linked. / Den här uppsatsen skapar en osteologisk biografi av de sju hästar som begravts i båtgravarna Valsgärde 3, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 15, samt utforskar hur hästarna placerades i gravarna och deras deltagande i gravuppträdandet. Uppsatsen fokuserar på Valsgärdegravplatsen och slutet på Vikingatiden. Diverse osteologiska metoder appliceras på hästskeletten för att besvara frågeställningarna. Arkeotanatologi och performance-arkeologi formar uppsatsens teoretiska ramverk. Den osteologiska analysen visar att alla hästar utom den från Valsgärde 10 är av liknande storlek och hälsostatus. Valsgärde 3 innehöll två hästar, de resterande gravarna innehöll endast en var. Fem hästar kunde könsbedömas som hanar, de andra två är obestämda. Hästarna varierar i ålder från två och ett halvt år till elva år och samtliga verkar begravts hela. Ingen definitiv dödsorsak kunde bestämmas, men tre potentiella metoder diskuteras. Hästarna har placerats i ett par olika positioner med likheter som verkar vara kronologiskt sammanlänkade.

The Covesea Caves are a series of later prehistoric sites that form a complex mortuary landscape. Previous excavations of the caves have provided evidence for the decapitation, disarticulation, and intentional deposition of human remains. Although there has been substantial analysis of the human remains, there has been little consideration of the significant number of faunal remains recovered during numerous excavations. This research represents the first focused examination of the extensive zooarchaeological record from the Covesea Caves, with an emphasis on investigating characteristics of the faunal bone related to taphonomy and processing in order to provide a proxy for the complex funerary treatments to which the human remains were subject. Analysis of Covesea Cave 2 revealed a narrative of ritual and funerary activities, from the Neolithic to the Post-Medieval Period. Zooarchaeological analysis has illustrated how certain species were significant in ritual activity, and thus utilised specifically in funerary rites. The results from this research shed more light on past cosmologies and the importance of non-human species to humans in both life and death. / Funding for fieldwork was provided by Historic Environment Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council. Lab work and species confirmation was funded by a generous grant from the British Cave Research Association. Funding for this [comparative] analysis was provided by the following organisations: The Prehistoric Society, The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, The Natural History Society of Glasgow

This bachelor thesis deals with the correlation between social status and health at the medieval church ruin S:t Hans in Visby. Osteological analysis has been performed on nine adult individuals from the site of S:t Hans. The material was obtained at Gotlands Museum and has diary number 7498/89. The main question was if it is possible to indicate some kind of correlation between social status, in other words the placing of the graves, and the pathological differences in the material. Age, sex, stature and pathological differences has been documented during the osteological analysis to get an understanding of the individuals health status. To understand social status at the site spatial analysis was performed. A grave was explained as ”high status” or ”low status” depending on where at the grave site these were situated. Graves in the church is considered to be of high status while the ones at the older church yard is considered to be of lower status because of its distance from the church. A hypothesis was that individuals in the high status graves would show less pathological differences than the ones in the low status graves. The results obtained from the study tells two different, but interesting, stories. Yes, social status and health status does correlate in some cases, while in other cases they don’t. / Osteoporos och osteoarthritis, då och nu