The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the church ruin of the abandoned settlement of Övraby in Halmstad, Sweden. This is done from a modern church archaeological point of view based on Jes Wienbergs discussion on how to analyse a church as a part of a society rather than as an entity of its own. As an effect of this the thesis also discuss the settlement history of Övraby. The delimitation of the thesis is Övraby and its closest surroundings. Three issues are raised 1. Is there is a continuity of cult or place of cult from the pre-Christian era. 2. Of what type of character was the settlement? 3. How did the church architecture reflect societal change? The results in this thesis states that there are no concrete findings of cult places from the pre-Christian era which could be said to be connected to Övraby, though there are some aspects of the interior of the church building that might be considered as having been connected to a pre-Christian aristocratic cult. The thesis also states that Övraby was an aristocratic village which with time developed into a city, this aristocratic character of the early settlement is reflected both in profane buildings and on the architecture of the church. The development from village to town the thesis states, can be seen on the church architecture since the church lost many of its aristocratic features of architecture as the settlement developed.

Tuberculosis was at the start of the 20th century one of the greatest diseases that afflicted the population in Sweden, as well as the rest of Europe. The industrial revolution had created a ripe breeding ground for the disease to spread as people moved from the countryside to the city. Most ended up living in poor, cramped, and unsanitary conditions. At the same time, Sweden was entering an era of social reform under a socialist government. The old and dirty was to be replaced with a new and clean modern society – a “people’s home” for every citizen. This essay explores how this new mentality, that highly valued cleanliness and health of both mind and body, affected those that were ill with tuberculosis and living at a sanatorium in southern Sweden. The source material used is a patients’ magazine from Fur sanatorium, that was published between 1932 and 1944. After selecting articles and poems published by patients and doctors in these magazines, a close reading allowed conclusions to be drawn regarding what the patients thought and felt about the ongoing social changes. Based on these results, it is apparent that the new, hyper-hygienic social norms put further pressure on the patients to conform in any way they could. They did not have a healthy body, so it was important that they had a heathy mind instead.

This study analyses visible artefacts depicted on Athenian white-ground funerary lekythoi from between 475 to 425 BCE, to investigate what the iconographic information of the artefacts can tell us about the funerary activity and how the information relates to the written sources from antiquity. The purpose of this study is to gain a more in-depth view of the Athenian funerary activities, of which we currently have limited knowledge of. The activates surrounding an Athenian funeral is a complex matter consisting of several stages of preparation and visits to the grave. However, when we are looking at the funerary images, it is difficult to determine what stage of the burial culture we are observing, which is what this study sets out to answer. The study uses a theoretical framework in viewing the vase images as a “scene of an idea” rather than a “scene from reality” where expressions of ideas and notion are what is on display on the white-ground lekythos. The study has analysed the visible artefacts from 252 Athenian white-ground lekythoi and thematically grouped them, then with an iconographical method analysed the meaning and representation of the visible artefacts and how they relate to the written sources.  The study has resulted three main conclusions. Firstly, a possible identification of a funerary activity when observing the number and detailed work of the artefacts illustrated by the painter. Secondly, the importance of maintaining a good relationship between the living and the dead. Thirdly, the contemporary events involving the Athenian administrative changes implanted by Solon and how it could have affected the way the Athenians illustrated their funerary scenes.

Private funerary stelae are a vital bundle of material in Egyptological research that may reveal plenty of information in terms of e.g. social structures, religious practices and linguistics. This study examines one stela in particular (NM18) from Museum Gustavianum, Uppsala, that has not yet undergone a full analysis, nor been put into its proper context of the late Middle Kingdom. The present study aims to provide for such a contextualization by identifying and discussing certain features on the stela, such as iconography and orthographic elements. By thoroughly analyzing these elements and putting them in relation to analogous stelae, one may find as to what extent there are unique, conventional and/or modified features on NM18. The study shows that NM18 may be considered a significant object for research that involves late Middle Kingdom stelae. A qualitative approach is applied in order to thoroughly analyze the textual and iconographical content of the stela. / Privata gravstelar utgör ett essentiellt källmaterial inom egyptologisk forskning som kan avslöja stora mängder information gällande exempelvis sociala strukturer, religiös praxis och lingvistik. I denna studie undersöks en specifik stele (NM18) från Museum Gustavianum, Uppsala, som ännu inte genomgått en full analys eller blivit placerad i sin rätta kontext i det sena Mellersta Riket. Med studien ämnas att bidra med en sådan kontextualisering genom att identifiera och diskutera specifika drag på stelen, såsom ikonografi och ortografiska element. Med en grundlig analys av dessa element och genom att sätta dem i relation till jämförbara stelar, kan man utröna i vilken mån det finns unika, konventionella och/eller modifierade drag på NM18. Studien visar att NM18 kan anses vara ett betydelsefullt objekt i studier som involverar sena Mellersta Riket stelar. Ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt används för att ingående analysera det textuella och ikonografiska innehållet på stelen.

This licentiate thesis investigates the use of digital visualisations for knowledge production and communication of maritime heritage located underwater. The archaeological practice that takes place in response to development, contract archaeology, is the field that is being investigated. Much of the practical and administrative aspects of contract maritime work involves the survey, excavation and interpretation of archaeological remains. In addition, shifts in heritage policy emphasise that the results of this work move beyond their own value to provide access and democratic participation to heritage and be of benefit to society (e.g. Faro Convention, 2005). Since the inaccessibility of maritime archaeology underwater makes outreach especially challenging, digital, and in particular 3D, technologies have been recognised as having great potential to meet the needs of both maritime archaeological researchers and public audiences. Advances in methodologies for digitally documenting and visualising archaeological sites, both on land and underwater, are providing a range of innovative and multidisciplinary solutions for both archaeological analysis and outreach activities. The aim of this research is to understand current uses of digital visualisation for knowledge production and communication of maritime archaeology located underwater, in order to identify knowledge gaps that would benefit from future research. This aim is met through a study drawn primarily from the fields of digital archaeology, maritime archaeology and heritage studies, as well as discourse and thematic analysis of the factors that influence the use of these technologies in the sector. The case study is the contract maritime archaeology sector in Scandinavia, with a primary focus on the practice in Sweden and also including perspectives from the Danish and Norwegian sectors. The results show that an emphasis on efficiency within the contract sector shapes the understanding and use of digital technologies, in some instances limiting their potential for archaeological interpretation and communication. While the maritime sector was found to be partly defined and restricted by a distinct identity, at times operating independently from mainstream archaeology, it was also found to be open to innovation. This represents great potential for digital workflows aimed at enhancing both interpretation and communication to be applied to the maritime archaeological sector in the future.

In the beginning of the 19th century Malmö was a sleepy, small town with less than 5 000 inhabitants. The town was surrounded by strong fortifications and a moat. In the government´s opinion there was no need for a strong fortress in the south of Sweden anymore and the cost of maintenance was too high. Malmö was allowed to demolish the fortifications at its own expense. This opened up for the expansion of the town. A new town plan was produced with two new squares, promenades and a new canal around the former Old Town. As a part of the agreement between the government and Malmö the Rörsjö-marshes were drained allowing the town to expand beyond its former limits. The population rose rapidly especially during the latter part of the century. In 1850 there were around 13 000 inhabitants in the Malmö. Thirty years later more than 38 000 and in 1900 there were 60 587 people living in Malmö. There were two more factors which contributed two this growth: the building and expansion of the harbour and the building of the railways in the 1860s. Söderport, Österport, Norra Vallgatan and Bastion Älvsborg remind us today of times gone by.The essay is based on documents and maps in archives and on presentations by scholars of the 20th century. / <p>På grund av coronapandemin hölls presentationen över nätet.</p>

This study analyzes illegitimate children. The children’s mothers age when giving birth, their occupation, if their fathers are unknown or not are some of the study’s main questions. The study’s questions examine in eight parishes, six from Sunnerbo district and two from Västbo district. The investigations period is 1860-1945, divided into five different periods. This is a comparative study in time perspective but also in a perspective of different areas. The purpose of this study is to analyze the proportion of illegitimate children in the different parishes, compare them to each other and then to the proportions in the entire country.  The study shows that a smaller number of illegitimate children was born in the eight parishes then in the entire country. This study as similar others on the field proves that the majority of the illegitimate children’s fathers were unknown. The fact that a great number of fathers were unknown often put the unmarried mothers in a difficult economic and social situation. The unmarried mother’s profession was maid or in Swedish piga in most of the parishes from 1860 to 1931. The unmarried mothers age is hardly shifting between the different time periods and in the different parishes, but the average age was for example 28 between 1860-1870 and 26 in 1880 to 1890.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine whether fishing in southern Scandinavia may have created conditions for a sedentary lifestyle. This would contradict the current image of the Early mesolithic as dependent on hunting subsistence. The image of Early mesolithic as dependent on hunting subsistence is in a dichotomous relationship in contrast to Late mesolithic fishing subsistence, which leads to fishing amongst Early mesolithic cultures being overlooked. A dichotomous relationship has also appeared between the mesolithic and neolithic way of life, where the mesolithic attributes as nomadic hunter-gatherers are in contrast to sedentary neolithic farmers. Underwater archaeology has not until recently focused on Early mesolithic settlement. Recent discoveries in the south-eastern Sweden can indicate that fishing would have been a more central part of the Early Mesolithic society than previously assumed.

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is an island in the Pacific Ocean which has been colonised over a long period of time. Colonisers have exploited the island through looting and trading Rapanui (the Indigenous people) human skeletal remains. Around ninety percent of the stolen Rapanui human skeletal remains have been located at museums and collections around the world on Rapanui initiative. Through the Rapa Nui Ka Haka Hoki Mi Ate Mana Tupuna Repatriation Program the Rapanui are now working on the return of the alienated human skeletal remains to the Island. This thesis is an analysis of semi structured interviews with inhabitants on Rapa Nui involved in repatriation and ethics of human skeletal remains. It has been carried out through a qualitative method using semi-structured interviews together with participant observation. The thesis is part of Martinsson-Wallin´s STINT-project ‘Sustainable Visits in Rapa Nui – Glocal Perspectives’. Based on the interviews, the analysis and results are divided into five themes: I) treatment of human skeletal remains, II) what laws exists in treating human skeletal remains, III) the possibility to narrow laws and concretize ethical perspectives before and during a repatriation, IV) theories in post-colonialism and V) recurrent issues between the law of the Indigenous peoples and the national law. Comparison with other cases of repatriation such as Sámi follows in Chapter 7. The results of the analysis show that according to the Rapanui, archaeological artefacts and human skeletal remains should be repatriated. Today the involved parties, the Rapanui and the institutions that are keeping collections from Indigenous cultures, are more willing to redress previous events. Such as, colonialization, violence, and social inequality but there is still a lot of respect and understanding that must be developed within several actors.

Endometriosis is a common chronic disease that effects approximately 10–15% of the women in today’s society. However, there is a lack of research that examines if endometriosis produces pathological changes in the skeleton. This thesis addresses the association between the osteological discipline and endometriosis.The primary purpose of this thesis is to test a hypothesis which was created during a previous paper. In order to test the hypothesis, it’s fundamental to analyze female pelvises and to see if endometriosis is detectable in the skeleton and leaves pathological changes in the shape of discoloration. The source material includes 39 female pelvic bones that are available at the medical history museum in Uppsala, Sweden. The collection includes 22 pelvic bones from individuals of Swedish descent and 17 pelvic bones from individuals of diverse foreign descent. This thesis also focuses on mental illness in association with endometriosis among historical women.                                                                                      The analysis of pelvic bones showed that 8 of them had pathological changes in the shape of discoloration. The analysis also demonstrated how women, in today’s- and historical society, was affected mentally and socially. The discussion includes how the skeleton is affected by endometriosis and how osteologist can trace the disease if it isn’t visible in the skeleton. The discussion also includes how historical women was mentally affected by the disease and if we can reach the mental illness through modern women. The study also demonstrates how women was affected economically.Currently, there is not enough research in order to prove the hypothesis about pathological changes in the shape of discoloration. We need more research to further investigate the hypothesis. To continue further investigation of the hypothesis, we need to examine modern patients diagnosed with endometriosis.