The exclusive bronze and gold objects found in the Iron Age ship and rider burials of Vendel, Valsgärde and Sutton Hoo are well known. Less known, however, is the grave field of Vallstenarum on Gotland, where some similar finds have been made. Vallstenarum is located in a highly interesting landscape with former bays and lagoons, Bronze Age monuments, hill forts and a long continuity of human activity. While many of the impressive Bronze Age graves and monuments are widely visible in the landscape, Iron Age burials are more descrete. Therefore, this paper aims to shed light on the people in the Iron Age Vallstena community, their social organisation and their communication with the rest of the world. This will be achieved by analysing grave objects in relation to status and hierarchy, but also in relation to the surrounding landscape and in chronology with nearby archaeological sites. By comparing where similar finds have been made, the paper also discusses the location of Vendel Period central areas and Iron Age trade and communication. The results show a highly symbolic landscape, where the domestic area was separated from the grave fields. The find material also implies that the Vallstena area was involved in a vast communication network during the Vendel Period and possibly functioned as a trade hub through its strategic location next to the Gothem river. The grave activity in the central area of the parish seems to peak during the Vendel period, and the peripheral areas of the parish starts to get more intensively populated in the Viking Age. / I ”Tjelvars” fotspår- Rekonstruktion av det forntida landskapet vid Lina myr på Gotland under 9000 år

Hardy, J. 2017. The Archaeology of Mediation. A tourist route around Lina mire? Lina mire in the northeast of Gotland, is situated in a unique cultural landscape, with an abundance of archaeological remains and ancient monuments. The areas surrounding Lina mire include the parishes Gothem, Hörsne med Bara and Vallstena. These environments carry stories from the past which can take people walking there over 8000 years back in time. Having been identified by researchers as an important part of Gotlands cultural heritage, the surroundings of Lina and it´s rich history, are still left out to be seen in the eyes of the public. Either many of the monuments have been rather neglected, or the landscape has changed so much during time, that a lot of archaeological sites, such as ancient graves and settlements, now are invisible. In ancient times the wetlands and mires on Gotland (Lina mire being the largest) were important for fishing, hunting and haymaking. Today only 5 % of the wetlands remain due to draining and cultivation. This essay is part of a larger research project, called In Tjelvars Footsteps, conducted by Uppsala University/Campus Gotland. The aim is to investigate how the archaeology and history could be mediated in these landscapes, and whether there would be an interest in creating a tourist route around Lina mire or not. The research has been conducted by making ten interviews with locals and ten interviews with professionals. The analysis show that there is a great interest among both groups to mediate the cultural heritage of Lina mire. Concerns and problems that must be solved before building a tourist route are discussed and innovative ideas are lifted. The main, overall opinion is that the producers of the tourist route need to establish a good contact with the local landowners from the very beginning. Otherwise the project will not be realized. / I Tjelvars Fotspår