Västergarn is a parish on Gotland with an extraordinary archaeological environment, occupied by both prehistorical and historical monuments. The parish lies a bit over 20 kilometers south of Visby, along the western coast of Gotland. The site has been examined several times, but questions remain to be answered. The relationship between the remains from a Romanesque church and the still standing Gothic church is a frequently discussed subject because it is confirmed that both of the churches were used throughout the Middle Ages. This essay aims to examine why the Romanesque church was preserved in its original roman design next to the new Gothic church and how this information can add to the understanding of the medieval population in Västergarn. The essay consists of a literature study with an agency perspective as well as an identity perspective, including both archaeological and historical sources with the purpose to encourage further interdisciplinary studies.

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.

This essay is an analysis of the objects made of bronze found in an excavation Västergarn parish, Gotland, in 2010, conducted by the University of Gotland. The studied material presented in this essay comes from contexts inside, as well as nearby the foundation of a medieval building which purpose is still not certain. The first purpose of this study is to present the bronze-objects found inside and nearby the foundation of house 6, and to see if there are any datable objects. There is also a discussion whether there has been any bronze-crafting in the area. The second purpose is to make a contextual analysis to see if there are any differences between the material found outside and inside of the building, and what conclusions can be made regarding the function and use of the building. A spatial analysis has also been made to distinguish any patterns of the distribution of material inside and around the house.The result of this essay is partly a presentation of the material, but also that there has occurred some bronze-crafting in the form of cutting metal sheets inside or near the foundation treated in this essay. There is no evidence for casting bronze near the house foundation.The frequency of finds from outside the foundation compared to the frequency of finds within the foundation is nearly quadruple, which is to be expected since there probably has been a wooden floor inside the house to prevent all but the tiniest objects from falling through. Objects that landed on the floor were cleaned out, just to land near the entrance of the building. The finds from within the building much resembles the finds from outside the building, and the distribution-patterns of the trench indicates that the entrance to the building probably was located near the north-west corner or near the south-east corner.Hopefully, this study contributes another piece to the great puzzle that is Västergarn.

Uppsatsen ämnar belysa kommensala gnagare inom arkeologin och förmedla potentialen för vidare forskning. Den medeltida bebyggelsen i Västergarn, Gotland agerar fallstudie där benen från små gnagare analyserats och diskuterats utifrån mikro- och makroarkeologins teoretiska vinklar. För den osteologiska analysen undersöktes benen med mikroskop för att se till ålder, spår av sjukdom och minsta individantal. I en rumslig analys sattes benen i jämförelse med de husgrunder som påträffats på platsen. Resultatet visade att materialet som fanns tillhandahållet endast innehöll de större benelementen, mest troligt till följd av den alltför stormaskiga sållen som användes vid utgrävningen. Benen som analyserades härrörde från mestadels mycket unga individer som befann sig i eller i anslutning till husgrunderna. Ett ben hade även en sjuklig förändring. Materialet visar på stor potential för framtida tvärvetenskaplig forskning där eventuella handelsrutter, sjukdomsrisker och matkonsumtion kan belysas. / This thesis aims to shed light on commensal rodents in archaeology and convey the potential for future research. The medieval settlement in Västergarn, Gotland was chosen for a case study where the rodent bones were analyzed and discussed based on micro- and macroarchaeological theoretical views. For the osteological analysis the bones were examined through a microscope to determine age, signs of disease and minimum number of individuals. The bones were put into context through a spatial analysis with the building foundations of the archaeological site. The results showed that the material at hand only contained the larger bone elements from the bodies, possibly because of the smaller bones falling through the big mesh sieve. The individuals were mostly very young and encountered near or within the building foundations. One bone had a pathological alteration. The material showed great promises for future interdisciplinary research where potential trading routes, risks of diseases and food consumption can all be made clearer.

Västergarn is one of the smallest parishes on the island of Gotland. It’s a place of rich history and has been subject to numerous excavations throughout the years. The University of Gotland has conducted seminar excavations at Västergarn between the years of 2005-2012. During these excavations a lot of horse related finds have been found. By studying these finds archaeologist can learn a lot about the horses and the people who once lived in Västergarn. The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on the urban and rural horse in Västergarn. How big were the horses? Were the horses used for riding or farming? What can the finds tell us about the people who lived in Västergarn and their view on horse handling?

Osteological examinations were executed on nine mediaeval individuals from Västergarn, Gotland, with the main aim to increase the knowledge about the people who lived there during the Middle Ages. A further aim was to compare the results from this study with other populations from the same time period, which in this case was the "Bonegathering" from Västergarn as well as previous osteological results from Sigtuna and Västerhus. Archaeological excavations have been occurring in Västergarn since 1971 and are still occurring in an educational purpose, for students of Gotland University. The age distribution of the individuals showed ages from 2 years old up to 44 years, with five adults and four children. The gender distribution show approximately five women and one man. A significant observation was made from the presence of caries and calculus, which can be observed in that some had more calculus then caries. Examples of the skeletal changes that occurred during the examinations was Schmorl`s noder, cribra orbitalia and inflammations. The comparison between other populations showed no obvious difference.

The University of Gotland has between the years 2006-2011 conducted seminar excavations in Västergarn parish, Gotland. During this time 167 comb fragments have been registered. Out of these are 51 of importance for this study, since they are defined as either a single-sided composite comb or a comb case. The purpose of this thesis is to enlighten the earliest period in the history of Västergarn by focusing on the earliest forms of combs and their cases. And as the title expresses do the combs date to the Viking Age or the Middle Ages? The combs from the excavations will be compared to different type schemes, both Viking Age and Middle Age and different places in Scandinavia such as Lund, Oslo, Lödöse and Gotland. The conclusion of the analysis is that the combs from Västergarn are from the late 11th century to the early 13th century, during the Early Middle Age.

Västergarn is a medieval settlement situated on the west coast of the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. It has for a long time been the focus of study for researchers due to its cultural heritage in regards of its church, rampart and archaeological remains of a settlement dating to the Early Middle Ages. The University of Uppsala conducted excavations at the site during 2005–2013 which have led to large amounts of archaeological material which enabled several theses being written about the place. This thesis aims to study metal dress accessories from Västergarn and the people behind these artifacts who lived there during the early medieval period. Gender identity, ethnicity and cultural belonging will be addressed. The main part of the thesis focuses on typology and chronology. This will be achieved by a morphological study of the material. In addition to this, an ArcGis study is conducted to study distribution patterns in the settlement. The conclusion is that dress accessories allow different conclusions on the population of Västergarn. In terms of gender, it is argued that both men and women were present, albeit artefacts of male gender dominate the assemblages. The majority of the material in terms of ethnicity and cultural identity can be attributed to a Gotlandic tradition, while some dress accessories seem to come from abroad, to the Slavonic areas and other regions in the Baltic Sea. Also, oriental influences can be seen, mainly in regard to the decorated belt mounts. in conclusion, the result of this thesis indicates that two separate groups, both Gotlanders and non-Gotlanders were active in Västergarn during the early Middle Ages which is visible in the two churches, the Baltic ware pottery and the form of dress accessories people wore at the time.

During the years 2006-2010 Gotland University conducted seminars excavations in Västergarn parish on Gotland. Inside the wall a total of six house foundations have been found and a total of 127 combs have been registered. This thesis is based on a material study of the 127 registered medieval combs. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the combs and with their chronology illuminate in which period the society of Västergarn was active. And also to find out what the material remains can tell us about the place and its people. The questions concern the dating and chronology of the combs, and also how analyzing the combs can provide additional information to Västergarn. The method used is a comparative material - and literature study. The result of the analyze is that the combs are from the transitional period of the Viking - Medieval age, 900- 1100th century. A variety of nine different types could be distinguished. I believe that through an osteological –, and contextual spatial analysis and a comparative material study of the combs more information on the site can be presented.