The timeframe of the south Scandinavian rock art tradition extends from c.1700/1600 to 300 /200 BC. The chronological boundaries of the rock art phenomenon thereby coincide roughly with the timeframe of the Nordic Bronze Age, and rock art figures have come to be understood and interpreted as a Bronze Age phenomenon. It is argued that a dominant Bronze Age narrative has come to direct the discourse and fieldwork alike towards a focus on the origin , rather than the use, of rock art. The rock carver’s intention with the image, explicitly or implicitly, has come to equate with its meaning. The aim of the thesis is to approach rock art figures from a different perspective, with the aim of understanding how south Scandinavian rock art has been used and interpreted over time. The question of what archaeological evidence the use of rock art may have left behind is taken up, and the archaeological excavations carried out at rock art sites in southern Scandinavia​ are summarized and discussed. The survey shows that finds and features date to some extent from the Bronze Age, yet most of the dateable evidence comes from periods after the tradition of creating new images had ended, especially the Early Iron Age. This phenomenon is of particular interest given the explicit uses of the past-perspective of the thesis. It is argued that some of the rock art sites were still being used during later prehistoric periods. Other examples of later period´s uses of rock art sites are presented and discussed, such as runic inscriptions on rock art panels as well as the use of rock art and cup-mark sites during historic times. ​ A study of the chronological development of the rock art tradition in the Himmelstalund-region in the county of Östergötland is also presented, based on recently developed ship chronologies of rock art. The study shows that the earliest ship figures, which are found in the Himmelstalund area, were probably made in the Bronze Age period I/II. Yet the majority of the dateable ship figures date from the Bronze Age period II–III, after which the number of dateable ships declines in period IV, a development becoming even more prominent in period V-VI.  Another theme discussed in the thesis is archaeology’s own uses of rock art and how this has affected the interpretations of the material. The thesis shows it is feasible to combine a discussion on the prehistoric use of rock art sites and images with a critical view of interactions between archaeological and antiquarian practice and the source material. It has also shown the potential for a broadened discussion, where we regard the use of rock art, during the Bronze Age as well as during later periods, as integral and essential to rock art research​.

This essay researches cultural behaviour and rites surrounding wells in Uppland County, Sweden. The wells examined in this paper are mainly medieval with a few exceptions from Scandinavian Iron age (550 BC – 1050 AD). The material is compared with other forms of ritual activities surrounding water from the same area, as well as excerpts from the Poetic Edda. The purpose of this study was to find patterns of ritual behaviour surrounding the wells and argues for a ritual use spanning a longer time period than what previously has been assumed.

The Hittite burial material consists of a very heterogeneous material. The material shows some shared aspects between the different cemeteries and their grave types. However, this material lacks previous extensive comparative studies in central Anatolia. This study aims to problematize this funerary material, by re-evaluating the previous interpretation and by creating links between the different types of material and the cemeteries it was found in. This will be achieved by analyzing four different categories of Hittite graves from the three cemeteries: Osmankayasi, Gordion and Ilica. The total material consists of 268 graves: 91 from Osmankayasi, 46 from Gordion and 131 from Ilica. The material was originally excavated and published during the fifties and sixties by the three archaeologists Kurt Bittel, Machteld Mellink and Winfried Orthmann. The burial material will be analyzed to establish parallels and differences between the three sites, their materials and grave categories. Literary sources and empirical data will be used to supplement previous research but also the new interpretations discussed in this thesis. Keywords: Hittite, cemeteries, mortuary practices, Osmankayasi, Gordion, Ilica, cremations, pithos burials, pit graves, cist-graves, ethnicity, status, equids / Det Hettitiska begravnings materialet består av ett väldigt heterogent material. Materialet visar ändå vissa delade aspekter mellan de olika gravfälten och gravtyperna. Dock saknar detta material tidigare omfattande komparativa studier i centrala Anatolien. Denna studie avser att problematisera detta gravmaterial, genom att skapa kopplingar mellan de olika typerna av materialet och mellan de utvalda platserna som det återfanns i. Detta mål avses att uppnås genom att analysera fyra olika typer av Hettitiska gravar från de tre platserna Osmankayasi, Gordion och Ilica. Det totala grav antalet består av 268 gravar: 91 från Osmankayasi, 46 från Gordion och 131 från Ilica. Materialet var ursprungligen utgrävt och publicerat under femtio och sextio-talet av de tre arkeologerna Kurt Bittel, Machteld Mellink och Winfried Orthmann. Gravmaterialet kommer att analyseras för att etablera paralleller mellan de tre platsernas material och dess gravkategorier. Litterära källor och empiriskdata kommer att användas för att komplettera den tidigare forskningen och de nya tolkningarna i denna studie.

This thesis examines archaeological eggshell finds from cremation graves in the Swedish province of Uppland as well as inhumation graves from the island of Gotland. All graves are dated to the Viking Age, however, the chronology varies by the region, with the period´s ending placed around year 1050 AD in Uppland and around year 1150 AD at the island of Gotland. An attempt is made to create a list of all known cases of egg depositions in graves during the period of interest, and to subsequently analyse them all in order to get a better understanding of this practice. The comparative analysis of the artefact assemblages within the graves and grave constructions is undertaken in order to identify possible regularities in how and when the egg was used within the ritual sequence. Although notable regional variations and differences in Viking Age burial customs are known to exist between the two investigated regions, and artefacts deposited within the graves are adapted to regional conditions, it is possible, amongst other things, to observe similarities in the timing of egg deposition. By understanding the funeral as a rite of passage that signified the transition between the states of life and death, and with the final goal of achieving the distinction between the world of the living and the realm of deceased ancestors, it is possible to better comprehend the funeral rituals and their archaeological remains – in this case avian eggshells. By applying van Gennep's rites of passage tripartite structure, involving separation, liminality, and incorporation, it is concluded that eggs, as we see them in the archaeological material presented in this study, are used in the last stage of this model. This is the part of the process where the main goal is reintegration of those who participated in ritual into a new social order. It is thus proposed here that eggs might be seen as hierophanies:  profane, everyday objects that have manifested into something sacred and who are clearly understood as such to those involved in burial but not necessary to outsiders: as symbols for fertility, regeneration, rebirth and transformation.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the communication within archaeology and cultural heritage through mobile applications, also known as apps. It brings up digital media and apps as a way of communicating and in what ways this could broaden the existing communication within cultural heritage and archaeology towards a changing and digitalized society. The thesis furthermore presents a study that was made with the purpose of investigating how three chosen apps communicating archaeology and cultural heritage are used and experienced and also if there was room for improvement within these apps The study showed that every app was following a similar design since every app was at least partly dependent on that the person testing it was located in a particular place. This was experienced as limiting and this feature got a high amount of negative response from the users. Even though the apps delivered knowledge through popular digital media they still could not reach all the way to the users and the conclusion was made that it most likely was because of the location-based design and because they did not give the users themselves the ability to be involved in the content. The conclusion is that it is not simply enough to digitalize communication because they also have to meet certain goals within quality and interactivity standards. This because modern smartphone users have higher expectations due to the high amount of apps avaliable on todays market. Suggestions are made about investments in working with the gaming inustries to make communication and learning via digital media interactive and with focus on the audience and the user.

A number of phenomena, such as new ways of farming, new crops and new domestic animals, derived from the Roman Empire during the Roman Iron Age. In this study, an attempt is made at describing the dispersion of the domestic cat to and in Southern Scandinavia. Domestication of animals in general and of the cat in particular is described, along with the Romanization of Europe. A description is made of a number of archaeological investigations carried out in Denmark and Southern Sweden where remains of the domestic cat have been found. Questions of representativity and criticism of sources are discussed.                                The results of this study imply that the domestic cat first appeared in Jutland in the second century AD, then spread east to the rest of Denmark, to the larger Baltic Islands and mainland Sweden at approximately the same time as Roman artefacts and some domestic birds. The intentions of the Romans and the Scandinavians are discussed and the conclusion is drawn that the Romans probably dispersed cats along with other gifts for diplomatic rather than commercial purposes and that the Scandinavians initially regarded cats as prestige objects rather than rodent killers during the Roman Iron Age. Later, cats where distributed over Scandinavia and took on other tasks. They were sometimes buried with humans and may have taken on a certain status and mythological meaning.

The purpose of this essay is to study the evolution and differences of motifs on bronze age objects associated with men and women, the differences in plastic ornamentation and the differences in grave goods in five danish oakcoffin burials from II-III, and fourtythree swedish cremation graves from period IV-VI. The methods used for the motifs and plastic ornamentation are an iconographical one and for the grave goods I have chosen to make a chart. The spiral motifs on beltplates and the ships on the bronze razors, for example, have played a significant part in bronze age life. The same could be said of the plastic ornamentation on the horse headed razors from period II-III. The grave goods from the danish oakcoffin burials could possibly be seen as something connected with sunpriestesses. The few gravegoods coming from the swedish cremation graves could be viewed as a consequence of larger villagers appearing during the late bronze age.

No description available.

In the spring of 2018, a prospection and subsequent research excavation of a previously unstudied area related to the rampart of the Viking age town of Birka, Sweden, was undertaken by students and professors from the archaeological science department affiliated with Stockholm University.The purpose of this paper is to examine and categorise the various excavated finds, the ensuing conservation and preservation of the metal objects as well as to investigate the context and possible function of the site regarding the spatial distribution of said finds.The main method used is that of metal conservation with the wet-chemical technique EDTA; a method that was deemed adequate for the treatment of the dry metal finds from the rampart excavation.The conservation and categorisation suggest that the metal posts consist of assorted metal objects, predominately rivets and nails as well as unidentified fragmented objects; the occasional slag fragment was evident. The material category of clay and ceramics contains assorted burnt clay and ceramic sherd fragments, some with decoration. Whetstone (or hone stone) and flint fragments make up most of the stone finds while the category of glass consists of a few bead fragments. The bulk of the osteological material consists of burnt and unburnt animal bones, some with slaughter marks in the form of cuts and hacks. Two human bone fragments were found; a humerus- and cranial fragment.Post holes and charcoal in the context of the rampart suggests the possibility of wooden supports and/or a superimposed wooden structure on the rampart itself that likely burnt at some point in time. The interpretation of the excavated area, based on the distribution of the finds and material categories, is that of a dumping site for discarded town refuse, most likely set against or near a walled construction; the rampart. The dating of the site is based on object similarities as well as stratigraphy and set to; Early to Late Viking Period, c. A.D. 820-1000(1150).The analyses, materials and the stratigraphy of the site together with a contextual analysis of the objects in question furthers the knowledge of Birka’s rampart and will enable future scientific inquiries into this specific rampart as well as similar fortification structures.

Leather is a material that throughout history has been very important for humankind. Up until recently is has often however, together with other organic materials, not been given the attention it might deserve. This essay investigates how leather from the Late Iron Age in Scandinavia can be studied, if specialisation within leather related crafts can be identified and what this can tell us about how crafting skills were spread in a society. First a broader analysis is made of related crafts in the Late Iron Age, which is then put into relation to three chosen Vendel Age graves from the Valsgärde burial ground. Both leather production through hunting and tanning, and item production techniques like for example sewing and scabbard making are reviewed. Problems with preservation are discussed and possible alternative ways to study the subject are explored. The essay concludes that leather crafting included many techniques spread in society, practiced by common people. Still, several explicit specialisations also existed, which created high-quality leather products. Finally, suggestions for future research are made. / Läder har som material varit mycket viktigt genom hela den mänskliga historien. Fram tills nyligen har det, tillsammans med andra organiska material, dock ofta inte fått den uppmärksamhet det kanske förtjänar. Den här uppsatsen undersöker hur läder från den sena järnålderns Skandinavien kan studeras, om specialisering inom läderhantverk kan identifieras och vad detta kan berätta för oss om hur hantverkskompetens var spritt i ett samhälle. Först görs en bredare analys av relaterade hantverk under den sena järnåldern, vilket sedan sätts i relation till tre vendeltida gravar från gravfältet i Valsgärde. Både produktion av läder genom jakt och garvning, och tekniker för produktion av föremål såsom sömnad och tillverkning av svärdsskidor granskas. Problematik med bevarandeförhållanden diskuteras och alternativa sätt att studera ämnet utforskas. Slutsatserna av uppsatsen är att läderhantverk inkluderade många olika hantverkstekniker, som var spridda i hela samhället och praktiserades av vanligt folk. Flertalet explicita specialiseringar existerade dock också, vilket gav upphov till högkvalitativa läderprodukter. Slutligen ges förslag till framtida forskning.