The Viking Age cemetery of Tuna in Alsike from the 9th - 11th century AD is located in the eastern part of middle Sweden and contains inhumation boat graves. Here analysis of Strontium isotopes, using laser ablation method on the tooth enamel of the canine and first molar of two individuals buried in boat-graves XI and XIII have been performed. Comparing Strontium isotope evidence with local strontium ratios and variations indicated that at least one individual, the one in boat-grave XIII, were non-local.

This thesis reviews archaeological material, medieval literature, place-names and palaeoenvironmental data cited in explorations of the early Viking Age North Atlantic area, and proposes a reassessment of chronology for the earliest settlement of Iceland. After analysing previous scholarship and discussing the problems inherent in study of early North Atlantic settlement, it is suggested that a multi-disciplinary approach is needed and can be articulated (by drawing upon Karl Popper’s ideas) to foster a fruitful conversation between disciplines. This methodology for engaging with multi-disciplinary materials is then presented. Three sections follow, tackling in turn three areas of Viking Age scholarship that have caused difficulty and frustration in the past: the toponymy of Hebridean Pap-islands (Chapter Three); the chronology of carve construction, occupation and human-environmental interactions at Seljaland in southern Iceland (Chapters Four, Five, Six, and Seven); and the İrland et mikla tradition of medieval literature, including discussion of the views of the largely forgotten nineteenth-century scholar Eugène Beauvois (Chapter Eight). Couched in a Popperian methodology, the new archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research that forms the bulk of the thesis is integrated with small-scale studies of place-names and medieval literature. Tephronchronology plays a large part in the Seljaland section. Chapter Six, for instance, introduces the tephra contours technique for study of past environments. The thesis concludes with a new proposal for the first settlement of Iceland and its connections to Atlantic Scotland, arrived at by considering the archaeological and tephra deposits at Seljaland, in conjunction with art-historical, toponymic and literary material. The thesis proposes that southern Iceland’s Seljaland caves were built c. AD 800 – earlier than the traditional Norse foundation of settlement on the island – and that cross sculpture in these caves suggests a connection with Gaelic monasticism found across the Scottish islands in this period.

13 individuals from the Viking Age trading place in Fröjel, Gotland, were examined for this thesis. The aim was to gain a deeper knowledge about the individuals, and the main focus was to study their health. Three men, eight women and two children were examined. The age of the two children was estimated to around birth, and was no longer relevant for this thesis. The age distribution showed that two individuals were young (10-24 years), seven individuals were adults (18-44 years) and two individuals were middle-aged or older (35-79 years). The estimated height of the individuals was a little bit greater than the average for this time period. Various pathologies were observed during the analysis, for example osteoarthritis, Schmorl’s nodes and osteomyelitis. Dental diseases such as caries, calculus and periapical changes were also present. Nine of the eleven adults were tested for osteoporosis, all with good results. Traces of activity were seen in some of the individuals. Fractures were observed and X-rayed, and some of them showed traces of infections. One individual, the man in grave 03504, showed trauma related to violence. Over all, the results from the material from Fröjel were expected, and similar changes can be observed in material from the same era, as Birka and Fjälkinge, and from the early medieval towns Lund and Skara.

This essay discusses the roles of women from different perspectives during the Viking Age. It will show the strong and powerful women but also the unfortunate ones and women in their everyday life. The issue of the strong cementation of the Viking Age and the Viking age men and women that was made by the archeologists, the scientists and the writers in the 19th century will follow through this essay. The material used for this study is mainly literary sources that focus on the Viking age society. The geographic places, and the archaeological material that I focus on, is from East Blekinge, Köpingsvik on Öland and in Hedeby in Denmark/Germany.

Research on Viking Age society is a recurrent subject within the scientific literature, and todays modern views of Vikings might not always have been the same as we think, especially when Viking people and who they were and what they did are discussed. Viking Age women are mentioned in scientific literature throughout history up until today, but have they always been studied in the same way? And why did scientists in the past choose to study, highlight or just mention the Viking Age women in the literature? The focus of this essay are directed to the Viking Age women and how they are presented in scientific literature and how archaeologists choose to study them, which also brings in questions about gender research. By focusing on recent research on Viking Age women, the aim is to get an insight on how gender research has influenced archaeology. This study focuses especially on which impact women studies had on research recently, and which perspectives are important today. The starting point of this study is based on an assertion that Viking Age women studies have been affected by the introduction of gender research to archaeology. Also that recent studies, just as older studies, have been affected by contemporary societal norms.

An analysis of 6 ceramic shards from the Viking Age town Birka was performed by use of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. A new interpretation of a previously analyzed material, was performed by analyzing the raw data from 18 ceramic shards. The total of 26 ceramic shards will together form a material base that is used to study the vascular use in an urban environment from the Viking Age. The result of the analysis is used to compare five different parts of Birka with each other, in order to investigate whether there are differences or similarities in pottery use. The results show that residues of animals are most common in all premises. It is also possible to note that fish have been cooked both in the Garnison area and at Stadsvallen.

<p>The conversion in the Viking Age and the High Middle Agea in Scandinavia and how this affected women is discussed. Did women get a better life when the people had converted to Christianity or not. Our written sources are later than the conversion to Christianity. Instead the material culture, graves, grave goods and runic stones, can help us understand the life of women. Nordic mythology presents a contrast between faith in the Viking Age and Christianity.</p>

In this Bachelor thesis an animal bone material from Västergarn parish is analyzed and discussed. The purpose of this thesis is to gain more knowledge about the Viking Age/Early Medieval Västergarn. Västergarn has a few remains from former days which have been discussed throughout the years and are still a bit of a mystery for archaeologists. The main focus is to inquire into whether Västergarn was an urban, complex society or a rural settlement. This will be done by studying the animal husbandry from the property of Snauvalds 1:2. The animal bones have been typed, and sex and age estimations have been made on the most common domestic animals, ergo cattle, sheep/goat and pig. The result from the analysis shows that Västergarn has tendencies of both countryside settlement and a more urban society and the final conclusion is that it has most probably been a trading place or a market place considering its closeness to a Viking Age harbor.

Visby is a city that at first glance is of medieval origins. The popular image of scientists today is that the city was formed in the Middle Ages. According to some of the researchers Visby was formed during the Viking Age, it is based on the basis that the area has been used for a long period. Urban development in the Nordic countries is complex and there are different opinions as to why the Nordic cities emerge. It is important to shed light on the underlying process on why cities are emerging to provide clarity as to why Visby city is emerging. The aim of this paper is to do analyze the theories of several researchers, considering the urban development of Visby. The results show that the area of Visby has been a place that has been used since Stone Age, during the Viking age the area was a place for season trade. According to the archaeological sources is it not an indication of at town during the Viking age, because of the lack of permanent buildings.

This essay discusses the use of history, and primarily how the current Swedish society perceives and uses the Viking age. The analysis is based on a literature study as well as a case study of the planned theme park in Fullerö north of Uppsala, Sweden. The aim of the essay is to understand the regional debate which arose in media regarding the planning of Fullerö Park and how it reflects the contemporary use of history. Research about the use of history has become increasingly common in recent years and deals with how history is actively being used in society in order to meet its existing needs. These needs varies among different groups and individuals and results in a multitude of usages, where the interests of the different actors may be contradictory. This essay highlights such a conflict of interest in the case of Fullerö; namely between the official heritage management and the commercial use of history. In the latter it is often the stereotypical images of history that are being used, since it fits well into the contemporary society’s quest for experience. Although these images are often romanticized and scientifically incorrect, this usage still has a purpose. The receivers and visitors do not necessarily perceive this as the true history, they appreciate it for other reasons, and it can function as a means of generating further interest.