In the ongoing discussion about the gotlandic picture stones, there is a highly debated question if we can interpret their reuse in gotlandic churches as a ritual practice or not. Also, if the reuse was of ritual character, was it in order to oppress and humiliate an earlier faith?  Or to redeem and initiate the old faith into Christianity, in a respectful manner towards the past?      This work focuses on the churches with Romanesque architecture since they are the closest kept monuments that could shed more light on the time period that spans on the transition from Viking age to Middle age Gotland. The aim of the thesis is to shed more light on the period when the first stone churches on Gotland were built as a manifestation of Christianity. It is of great interest here to question how the first stone church builders on Gotland looked upon their forefathers and their past.       Investigations of how picture stones are placed and reused in Romanesque churches have been made, with overviews of their context and dating. This in order to contribute to the ongoing debate about the reuse of picture stones. The discussion is completed by pointing out clear examples of meaningful use in accordance to the churches heavily symbolic room and space. The Romanesque churches were seen as representations of the temple of Jerusalem. Connecting the placing of picture stones to the value of these churches room and space, can result in interpretations of continuity and cultural process.

This research focuses on the analysis of pictorial images from objects of Germanic/early Scandinavian cultures in order to discriminate elements which are only applied for decorative reasons from those which also express symbolic values. At the outset I introduced an interpretation of the terms �signs� and �symbols� in order to inform the reader to which extent these terms were applied. It appeared that techniques, such as the geographical and chronological classification, traditionally used by archaeologists and historians to analyse objects/artefacts, were not always sufficient enough to gain all information which images may offer. Sometimes it seems to be difficult to determine if certain images shown on objects from early mediaeval, central and northern European origin, were created as a space-filling decoration only or if they held additional, probably symbolic, information as well. I have investigated aspects from visual perception, as applied within the domains of psychology, visual art and design. The methods, as they are introduced in this thesis, can be used as a identification scheme, applied on objects of great diversity. I have applied them on guldgubber (little embossed gold foils), bracteates and Gotland picture-stones. Objects of great historical and geographic difference, as well as physical diversity, such as size and material were chosen purposely to create an overview of the symbolic expressions in Germanic/early Scandinavian artefacts and to test the extent of the identification method derived from the domain of visual perception. A detailed analysis of sixty four guldgubber, found in Lundeborg, near Gudme, on the island of Fyn (Denmark), is placed in an appendix. An analysis of these objects appeared to be particularly interesting because it is not known what the purpose of guldgubber were to the present day.

This research focuses on the analysis of pictorial images from objects of Germanic/early Scandinavian cultures in order to discriminate elements which are only applied for decorative reasons from those which also express symbolic values. At the outset I introduced an interpretation of the terms �signs� and �symbols� in order to inform the reader to which extent these terms were applied. It appeared that techniques, such as the geographical and chronological classification, traditionally used by archaeologists and historians to analyse objects/artefacts, were not always sufficient enough to gain all information which images may offer. Sometimes it seems to be difficult to determine if certain images shown on objects from early mediaeval, central and northern European origin, were created as a space-filling decoration only or if they held additional, probably symbolic, information as well. I have investigated aspects from visual perception, as applied within the domains of psychology, visual art and design. The methods, as they are introduced in this thesis, can be used as a identification scheme, applied on objects of great diversity. I have applied them on guldgubber (little embossed gold foils), bracteates and Gotland picture-stones. Objects of great historical and geographic difference, as well as physical diversity, such as size and material were chosen purposely to create an overview of the symbolic expressions in Germanic/early Scandinavian artefacts and to test the extent of the identification method derived from the domain of visual perception. A detailed analysis of sixty four guldgubber, found in Lundeborg, near Gudme, on the island of Fyn (Denmark), is placed in an appendix. An analysis of these objects appeared to be particularly interesting because it is not known what the purpose of guldgubber were to the present day.

Picture stones were produced on the island of Gotland during the Iron Age, about 100-1150 AD. In this dissertation it has been made clear that biographical- and pre-iconographic perspectives enables new understandings of the stones. The wave-shaped cist stones, about 30 of the nearly 500 picture stones, were clearly produced as different from the axe- or mushroom-shaped large- and dwarf stones. This has been shown by their difference in shape, size and the frequency and placement of motifs. Reuses of cist stones does however concur with the other stones and suggest they were used for the same reasons and purposes. In this dissertation it has also been made clear that there is no concrete evidence that the cist stones were erected as cists constructions, especially for women or used for offerings. The term “small wave-shaped” picture stones has therefore been introduced as a substitute.

<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>

Andersson, J. 2008. Bildstenarna och den muntliga traditionen på Gotland under yngre järnålder. The Picture Stones and the Oral Tradition of Gotland During the Late Iron Age. Högskolan i Kalmar ht 2008. 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.  Keywords: oral traditions, picture stones, late iron age, Gotland, Nordic mythology.

In 1941/42, Sune Lindqvist published his seminal work on the Gotlandic picture stones (Gotlands Bildsteine I &amp; II) in which he included a category of stones that he interpreted as kerbstones. However, Lindqvist’s kerbstones have not received further examination or contextualization to determine the validity of his categorization. In my analysis, I take a hermeneutic approach that incorporates theories of agency, materiality, and phenomenology to contextualize the so-called kerbstones within not only the picture stone tradition but also the broader Gotlandic tradition of marking graves and memorials. Utilizing 3D visual reconstructions, I have confirmed that some of Lindqvist’s kerbstones could have been part of a circular edge chain and can be connected to the picture stone tradition. However, there are additional types of picture stones within Lindqvist’s kerbstone category which cannot be categorized as kerbstones and that likely represent additional types of picture stone monuments. / 1941/42 publicerade Sune Lindqvist sitt framstående arbete om de gotländska bildstenarna (Gotlands Bildsteine I &amp; II) där han inkluderade en kategori av stenar som han tolkade som kantstenar. Lindqvists kantstenar har dock inte fått någon närmare granskning eller kontextualisering för att fastställa giltigheten av hans kategorisering. I min analys tar jag ett hermeneutiskt grepp som införlivar teorier om agency, materialitet och fenomenologi för att kontextualisera de så kallade kantstenarna inom inte bara bildstenstraditionen utan även den bredare gotländska traditionen att markera gravar och minnesmärken. Med hjälp av visuella 3D-rekonstruktioner har jag bekräftat att några av Lindqvists kantstenar kunde ha ingått i en cirkulär kantkedja och kan kopplas till bildstenstraditionen. Det finns dock ytterligare typer av bildstenar inom Lindqvists kantstenskategori som inte kan kategoriseras som kantsten och som sannolikt representerar ytterligare typer av bildstensmonument.

Buttle Änge and Nygårds has been excavated by Uppsala University, Campus Gotland and also by Högskolan on Gotland since year 2009 and by Gothenburg University year 2009 and 2013. During the 20 excavations that has taken place there has been 112 glass beads found. They were found by the picture stones, in graves, in and around the stone foundation houses. The beads from the picture stones can be interpreted as grave deposits and the ones found in a cremation grave could have been part of a bead necklace combined with a pendant which belonged to a girl aged 0-14. The beads by the stone foundation houses had a larger concentration of beads in its three houses compared to Vallhagar which had the same number of beads found over 20 house foundations. In close connection to the stone foundation houses were glass mosaic fragments found that could have been used to make beads or could have been residuals from the beadmaking process from another place with productions of glass beads. / Buttle Änge och Nygårds har sedan 2009 undersökts genom utgrävningar från Uppsala universitet, Campus Gotland men även med en utgrävning år 2009 av Högskolan på Gotland och av Göteborgsuniversitet år 2009 och 2013. Under de 10 utgrävningar som skett på platsen har det påträffats 112 pärlor av glas. Dessa påträffades vid bildstenar, i gravar, i och runtomkring stengrundshus. Pärlorna vid bildstenarna kan tolkas som gravdepositioner och de i en brandgrav kan ha varit en del av ett pärlgarnityr tillsammans med ett hängsmycke som kan ha tillhört en flicka i åldern 0–14. Pärlorna vid stengrundshusen hade en större koncentration av pärlor i sina tre hus jämfört med Vallhagar som hade lika många påträffade från över 20 hus. I anslutning till stengrundshusen påträffades även fragment av glasmosaik som kan ha använts för att skapa pärlor eller varit tillverkningsspill från en annan hantverksplats för glaspärlor.