This bachelor thesis studies a sample of trepanned individuals/cranium from Sweden and Russia with the intention of uncovering similarities-  and or differences between the conducted trepanations  and their context.  Neolithic trepanned  cranium  found at the end of the 1800(s) and/or start of the 1900(s), generate frequent questions among scientist and scholars alike to this day. The motive for these interventions is unfortunately still unclear. However, the current prevailing belief within scholarly circles is that these procedures are intentional acts and/or even diverging ritualistic in their manner is gaining more sympathizers each day.

The present thesis aims to expand and acquire new knowledge on the emergence of portrait mummies during the Roman period in Egypt and their socio-religious status. The emergence and decorative program of these mummies are commonly understood as an artistic expression of Hellenistic Greek and Roman settlers in Egypt. This attestation is often based upon uncontextualized isolated portraits. The study of uncontextualized isolated portraits has also caused an unsatisfactory approach to dating criteria. In response, the present thesis aims to study contextualized portrait mummies – with the image of the deceased still forming part of the mummy and ideally with an attested find spot – in light of a multicultural society consisting of Egyptian, Hellenistic and Roman cultural and religious traditions.  A total of 85 portrait mummies have been collected to provide context for the expressed cultural traditions. Seven group burials have been reconstructed based upon excavation reports for further contextualization. The results of the collected portrait mummies and reconstructed group burials are subsequently studied against a background of Egyptian, Hellenistic and Roman cultural and religious traditions to highlight dominant cultural features. The results of the present thesis illustrate portrait mummies were an expression of a culturally complex society. The treatment of the body and decorative program suggests cultural and religious notions were rooted within Egyptian traditions that were appropriated, re-defined and adapted by a society comprised of Egyptians, Hellenes and Romans. Portrait mummies consequently express multiple cultural layers. Previously established dating criteria were found to remain to be the most valid and reliable. Contextualized portrait mummies, however, have put forward a new dating criterion that ought to be taken into consideration: octagonal framing.

This thesis analyses inhumations in Late Viking Age and Early Middle Ages in Sweden and brings recognition to a material previously not delt with in a comprehensive study. The graves of the first Christians have long interested scholars. Some general characteristics are generally agreed upon, such as inhumations withan east-west orientation of the dead and fewer grave goods in relation to earlier periods. Some deviant materials are also found in the graves but have not been thoroughly analyzed. This thesis deals with this recurrent deviant material, arguing that it is an essential part of Conversion Era graves in southern Scandinavia. Furthermore, this recurrent deviant material is key for our understanding of the burial tradition during the Late Viking Age and Early Middle Ages. Parallels in both France and Britain put the material in perspective. / <p>Examinatorerna bestod av en grupp anställda vid institutionen.</p>

Archaeology and art history are two disciplines that have a lot in common, especially in the pre-historic field where both disciplines rely on the same material – artifacts. Interdisciplinary methods have become increasingly more common the last few years and are very beneficial as it allows for more insight and variables into the study of the human pasts. This thesis aims to develop two methods from art history into methods fitting for archaeological material to investigate what type of information this can produce. The methods used are material analysis and spatial analysis. Spatial analysis studies human movement within an urban space, but this work considerer the placement of the individual within the grave instead as well as the grave goods. The method investigates how the placement of the grave goods relates and interacts with each other and the individual. The analysis can give clues and insight on who the buried individual was, their identity, and social role as well as giving indicators about the contemporary society the person lived in. When a spatial analysis is made it is favorable to carry out a material analysis as well. This is done to understand what type of materials the grave contains and what the material can tell. This will give depth and possibilities to understand the objects in the grave, their use, and the relationships they had to the individual. The material analysis in this paper is conducted with the help of an analysis scheme which is a tool that helps collect the same type of information from all the studied objects. The material that will be used are two ship burials from Valsgärde, 12 and 15, also known as the twin-graves as they are the only contemporary ship burials out of the grave field’s total of 15 ship burials. During the Viking age, it was common practice amongst the elite families to bury their dead in ship burials that included lavish gifts. Valsgärde in Uppland, Sweden, is an example of such a grave field with a long history. Graves from the Viking age, however, show the change that was present in the region, and traces of trade to the east can be found. Graves 12 and 15 are from the mid-10th century and some of the grave goods show influences from the east, both clothes, and items. The graves are the only of their kind at Valsgärde and even though they show the foreign impact they still follow the established grave traditions that Valsgärde have carried since the 6th century. The result from ship burials 12 and 15 are compared to Birka’s graves Bj 581 and Bj 944 who is similar in content, time and richness. The hope for this paper is to show how useful interdisciplinary methods can be, in this case, spatial analysis and material analysis with analysis scheme, to bring new aspects to graves and grave goods.

This essay is focused on two coastal cairn areas located at the Gulf of Bothnia just south of Umeå in Västerbotten County. Located between 30 – 50 m above sea level today they are thus removed several km from the shoreline due to land uplift and isostatic processes stemming from the last Ice Age. The cairns have been dated to approximately 1700 – 1500 BC at the beginning of the older Scandinaviean Bronze Age, but several strong evidence that are presented in this study is indicating that many of them are older than that dating to the late Neolithic instead – such as a round morphological shape surrounded by a brim of stones and large cists in the middle. Furthermore, the cairns are situated in an environment that mostly are inhabited by a sub-boreal milieu consisting of deciduous forest with some elements of coniferous forest and surrounded by raised shingle beaches. In trying to grasp after ancient settlement indications this paper thesis also analyzes traits after their whereabouts in the past in relationship to the existing cairns along the VästerbottenCounty’s shoreline. In doing this a GIS-analysis is applied in a Deulauney-cluster comparison. Two of the cairns, one located highest above all other cairns in Norrmjöle is being scrutinized as a “mother cairn” and the other cairn is long, almost formed as a ship and discussed in its symbolic meaning. By doing so, the cairns are also seen in a possible way of being ancient territory land-areas, marking to outsiders to keep out, and may also have been an intricate signal-system, to i.e., be lit in times of harmful situations coming from the sea or by land. The cairns are thus mitigated and seen in relationship with otherplaces in Sweden, namely Tjust area in Bohuslän county, and the resemblances of cairns at Gotland and Öland Islands. Finally, the Finnish Kiukais-axe (Eastern Karelien crossedged chisel) found in close terrain, as well as other findings from Bronze-age to a cluster of cairns dated to 2000 BC, is being investigated as a possibility of an alien southeastern affect in the area in late Neolithic times from Southern Sweden and Österbotten County in Fennoscandia, hence making the territory evaluated in many directions. The paper therefore tries to set the ancient landscape in a context in between these factors and give aholistic overview to interpreted cairn and its ancient meaning patterns in the region, seen in these regional circumstances to unlock its potential settlements hiding. Hence, getting a political, cosmologic and a maritime understanding and whereabouts in relationship to Late-Neolithic times in the area.

The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to research the different theories that exist behind the creation of the rock art in Sweden, new to old paper and research of the rock art from different countries is used. This is to try to criticize the existing theories but also to rectify them, at the same time a secular theory will be created in the light of the read research. This is to test different theories and try to make a new school of rock art theories, a secular one.Geographical data over the rock art in Sweden have been used and analyzed, the rock art have been had its distance to its closest neighbor (non-rock art) calculated. This data has been made for every county, the results of number and distances of the different ancient remains have been put into bar charts and histograms. The field of rock art is old and complicated, to tribute one religion to the rock art is nearly impossible, a problem will nearly always make it self-apparent for every theory. Some theories like shamanism and hunting magic seem to have a solid argument but problem arises. For others like the southern cult theories the religion probably existed but the connection to the rock art is not as strong. A connection between rock art and non-rock art is hard to make out, some connections are showing and a difference depending on the latitude. Problems exist, the analysis needs a lot more work before any accurate assumptions can be made with its data.

The raising of the runestones occurred during a complex period related to Christianity´s establishment in Scandinavia. The breaking point between the old Nordic and Christian religion has often been treated as clear-cut. Defining a period or material culture into one or the other religion is too simple and becomes problematic when a previously established (worldview) religion has been alive and permeated throughout society. This paper aims to illustrate the complexity of this period by studying runestones in Södermanland with pagan symbols. The runestones will be examined together with their context.

Gränsöverskridande könsidentiteter - Att definieras som normativ eller icke- normativ individ i det forntida samhället. Gender Non- Conforming identities- To be defined as an normative or non- normative person in the prehistorical society. How can we see Gender Non- Conforming identities in the archaelogical context? And what do these individuals tell us about the prehistorical society? This study of three individuals from prehistoic anf historic context that may or may not have been percived as Gender Non- Conforming in the past according to archaeological studies. Keyword: Gender Non- Conforming identites, Queer-theory, Dannikewoman, Birkaworrior, Oleneostrovski mogilinik, Sharmanism

The increased human impact on the environment and climate after the retreat of the Last Glacial has strengthened its importance in the region of Västernorrland where Mesolithic sites are evident. This study focuses on a multiproxy analysis, where archaeological and natural science methods are combined to test several techniques in a peat sample. The origin of the peat sample is coming from the formation of a postglacial kettle hole situated near to Mesolithic sites. The aim of this thesis is twofold. Firstly, to estimate the value and the weakness of each method as also the combination of multiple results. Secondly, to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment including the detection of possible indications from past cultures. To begin with, the peat sample was collected from a kettle hole near Lillsjön lake, see (fig. 1) in 2010. The total depth of the peat sample was 80 cm and after its sampling, it was placed in a cold storage room until the spring of 2019, when analysis was conducted. Initially, a theoretical background will be presented as well as information for the area of study in the section of Scientific background. Moreover, a short theory is going to be given for the formation of the landscapes in cold environments as also the validity of beetle fossils with examples from previous case studies. After the theory part, all the methods are specified with results and appropriate diagrams and tables. After the analysis, the discussion will follow by combining all the methods and give potential theories for the reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment. The discussion part is divided into smaller chapters and after the conclusion an appendix is given with fossil photographs that were taken during the identification, see (fig.15,16,17).

Cupmarks are the most common form of rock art in Sweden, yet it has not been studied as much as the figurative rock art. To understand all the rock art from the Bronze Age in Scandinavia, we need to understand the cupmarks. This essay discusses the differences between different cupmark sites and their number of cup marks by comparing their relation to close-by graves and agricultural fields. It also discusses if an excavation can say anything about the cupmark place and its number. The results of this essay showed that no differences could be made between cup mark sites with many cupmarks and those with few, but three different contexts could be made with the help of studying the excavation reports.