It is a well known archaeological concern that the remains of human bones left from the bronze age and early iron age Scandinavia are not nearly enough to represent the estimated population of the time. Furthermore the bones of each find rarely represent a whole individual. The majority of the bones must have been disposed of somewhere else, possibly scattered in running waters or in the fields, where they have evaporated or are securely hidden from archaeological excavations. This thesis deals with the grave concept and the problem in using a word that is so very clouded by its modern, western meaning. It also offers an alternative explanation to why the bones are handled the way they are and why they are found in such awkward contexts.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Erlandsson, K-O. 2007. Återanvända fornlämningar. En studie av Ölands rösen. Re-used ancient monuments. A study of the cairns on Öland. C-uppsats i arkeologi. Högskolan i Kalmar ht 2007.</p><p>This is a study of the excavated cairns on Öland. The composition consists of three parts, the first part concentrates on what kind of re-uses there are of ancient monuments, the second part tries to tell why people did re-use burials and burial language, in the third part I have studied the excavated cairns on Öland and tried to see if the kinds of re-uses that were discussed in the first part can be seen on the ölandish cairns.</p><p>Keywords: re-use, cairns, Öland, burials, burial language</p> / <p>Abstract</p><p>Erlandsson, K-O. 2007. Återanvända fornlämningar. En studie av Ölands rösen. C-uppsats i arkeologi. Högskolan i Kalmar ht 2007.</p><p>Detta är en studie av Ölands utgrävda rösen. Uppsatsen består av tre delar, den första delen tittar på vad det finns för slag av återbruk av fornlämningar, i den andra delen berättas det om varför människor återanvände gravar och gravspråk, i den tredje delen har jag tittat på de utgrävda öländska rösena och försökt se om de slag av återbruk som uppmärksammades i första delen går att se i de öländska rösena.</p><p>Nyckelord: återbruk, rösen, Öland, begravningar, gravspråk</p>

Abstract Erlandsson, K-O. 2007. Återanvända fornlämningar. En studie av Ölands rösen. Re-used ancient monuments. A study of the cairns on Öland. C-uppsats i arkeologi. Högskolan i Kalmar ht 2007. This is a study of the excavated cairns on Öland. The composition consists of three parts, the first part concentrates on what kind of re-uses there are of ancient monuments, the second part tries to tell why people did re-use burials and burial language, in the third part I have studied the excavated cairns on Öland and tried to see if the kinds of re-uses that were discussed in the first part can be seen on the ölandish cairns. Keywords: re-use, cairns, Öland, burials, burial language / Abstract Erlandsson, K-O. 2007. Återanvända fornlämningar. En studie av Ölands rösen. C-uppsats i arkeologi. Högskolan i Kalmar ht 2007. Detta är en studie av Ölands utgrävda rösen. Uppsatsen består av tre delar, den första delen tittar på vad det finns för slag av återbruk av fornlämningar, i den andra delen berättas det om varför människor återanvände gravar och gravspråk, i den tredje delen har jag tittat på de utgrävda öländska rösena och försökt se om de slag av återbruk som uppmärksammades i första delen går att se i de öländska rösena. Nyckelord: återbruk, rösen, Öland, begravningar, gravspråk

The aim of this thesis is to investigate which type of society could supply the resources required to construct the cairn monuments along the coastal regions of Västerbotten during the Bronze Age. The study is centered on a cluster of cairns within the parishes of Bygdeå, Nysätra and Lövånger, situated at elevations between 31-52 meters above today’s sea level. Through analyses and calculations of the cairns themselves and their proximity to stone quarrying materials, the volume of each cairn within the chosen cluster has been used to evaluate how long it took these monument builders to complete the construction of the cairns. The workforce required is shown to heavily depend on the size of the cairn and its location from the stone material. Theoretically some cairns could have been constructed in just a few days, whereas some took significantly more time to construct. The indicated social types capable of providing the necessary resources were found to be avariation of nomadic band and/or semi-sedentary tribal communities composed of extended families. Powerful cheiftains and societies with greater resources weren’t necessarily found to be a requirement. The procurement of food and other resources varied and over time the economic foundations gradually shifted from a mainly hunting and fishing reliance to embracing cultivation and animal husbandry.

No description available.

My intention with this paper is to study the stone cists on Gotland from the Late Neolithic period. They are often interpreted as representing the domestic life and agriculture, as well as having a strong connection to house and home of the people. Furthermore, these graves show continuity from the proceeding Stone Age culture and provide evidence for an overlap with the Early Bronze Age. This will be discussed, while also exploring the meaning of the grave goods in them and Late Neolithic artefacts that are spread across the island.

Syftet med undersökningen är att göra en “modell” över hur bronsålderns strandlinje på Gotlands östra kust kan ha sett ut samt att undersöka var rösen finns placerade i landskapet. Undersökningen har haft två teoretiska utgångspunkter, seascape och platsval. Materialet som undersökts i uppsatsen är 508 rösen och 14 gravfält där rösen förekommer, samt de kartor med strandlinjerekonstruktionen som gjorts inom ramen för undersökningen. För att kunna rekonstruera strandlinjen och analysera rösenas placering har en rumslig analys genomförts i QGIS.  Den sydligaste delen av ön rekonstruerades till 7,5 m.ö.h. och den nordligaste delen, det vill säga Fårö, rekonstruerades till 12 m.ö.h. vilket gjorde att det var en skillnad på 4,5 meter mellan nord och syd. Studien visade att en majoritet av rösena placerades invid någon form av vatten, att i de norra delarna av ön var frekvensen av mindre rösen större samtidig som östkusten hade flest rösen med en diameter över 20 meter. / The purpose of the thesis is to make a "model" of what the Bronze Age shoreline on Gotland's eastern coast might have looked like and to investigate where the cairns are located in the landscape. The survey had two theoretical starting points, seascape, and site selection. The material examined in the essay is 508 cairns and 14 burial fields where the cairns occur, as well as the maps with the shoreline reconstruction made within the framework of the survey. To reconstruct the shoreline and analyse the location of the cairns, a spatial analysis has been carried out in QGIS. The southernmost part of the island was reconstructed to 7.5 m.a.s.l. and the northernmost part, i.e. Fårö, was reconstructed to 12 m.a.s.l. which meant that there was a difference of 4.5 meters between north and south. The study showed that most of the cairns were placed next to some form of water. It was also seen, that in the northern parts of the island, there were generally smaller cairns, while the east coast had the most cairns with a diameter of over 20 meters.

Bronze Age cairns have been interpreted as everything from navigation marks to marking liminal places in the landscape. It has also been stated that the main purpose of their location is to be visible. This is something that has been taken for granted. The main problem is the cairns have been considered as a homogenous monument. With the help of digital methods like GIS it is possible to test this kind of questions in quantitative way. The viewshed analysis is a good way to do this. The main focus of this thesis is the question whether the Bronze Age cairns in Tjustbygden, north-east in the county of Småland, are located to be visible in the landscape. Further, the question of whether the size of the monument has something to do with good visibility is dealt with. The result of the analysis is then discussed in relation to phenomenology and ritual phenomena, such as rock art sites.