In the ancient world, magic and magical practice was in fact hugely common between people and within the society, different types of magical material has been proved to be importent instrument during those mysterious events. But how we see those ancient materials and how we read them is still one of the key questions that we cannot answer with our modern understanding. Yet, it is not totally impossible to try to solve this type of question. This study will be concerned with ancient amulets from the Roman world, and the time period will draw on the imperial period in ancient Rome. The amulet can be categorized into different types, depending on what subject and motives they are focusing on, for example, amulet to protect mothers during the childbirth is one of the common type of protecting amulet for women, because mortality rate for both mother and the child was extremely high during the ancient period; there’s even amulets that protect people from evil spirits, such as the evil eye, which will be explained in one of the chapter. In this case, this study will be focusing on one type named “bullae”, which is speculated to be used only by roman children. It will be interpret with ancient literature and modern researches, so we may be able to investigate a part of how and why ancient people were using magical materials in their common life, also what it could tell us about the society of ancient Rome, and at last, in which ways do we know that this type of thing can be recognize as “amulet” instead of other types of jewellery.

In 1953, two individuals were excavated in Erik XIII’s alley, Visby, Gotland. After the excavation, the individuals did not undergo an osteological examination and were preserved for several years by the Gotland Museum. These two individuals were selected for this thesis to undergo an osteological analysis. The purpose of the essay was to identify and investigate the two individuals from Erik XIII's alley and illuminate the Viking age of Visby. A spatial analysis of Erik XIII's alley and the surrounding environment was carried out, to emphasize Visby’s Viking-age. Erik XIII's alley is in the northern part of Visby's inner city and is within walking distance of the two largest Viking-era burial grounds in Visby, Kopparsvik and Gustavsvik. Individual 1, who was judged to be a man, was approximately 182cm tall and was between 33-45 years old when he died. Individual 2 was judged to be a probable man and was between 17-25 at the time of his death and had an approximate length of 173cm. The individuals have only two common pathologies, which are osteophytes and tartar. Individual 2 had significantly fewer pathologies than individual 1, which may be a side effect of the age difference between them. In individual 1, enthesopathies were also identified, which were roughly consistent throughout the body, ligamente flava, pitting and osteoarthritis. Individual 2 showed changes from two different deficiency diseases, cribra orbitalia and enamel hypoplasia. The discussion is divided into three parts that emphasize the individuals, the comparison with other Viking-era individuals on Gotland and the spatial context. The individuals' pathologies are discussed, and possible interpretations of the individuals are presented. When the individuals from Erik XIII's alley are compared to other Viking-age individuals who have undergone osteological examinations, the result mainly varies. In the spatial context, possible interpretations of the graves are presented, which consist of an additional burial ground with different interpretations, as a burial ground for the king's company, or simple farm burials.

Genom arkeologins historia har skepp studerats som symboler för makt, status och krig. Även om skeppen studerats väldigt mycket inom dessa aspekter har relationerna och nätverken runt skeppens produktion och underhåll fallit i skymundan. Målet med uppsatsen är därför att studera dessa relationer ur ett holistiskt perspektiv, och att försöka tolka hur dessa relationer i sin tur påverkat skeppets roll i gravsammanhang genom att använda Osebergsskeppet som grund för studien. Tidsramen som satts är yngre järnålder, detta för att kunna tolka skeppens symboliska värde effektivt. För att göra det immateriella greppbart används entanglement-teori, och kvantitativa uträkningar för naturliga- och mänskliga resurser används som hjälpmedel för detta. Studien visar att allt rörande skeppet är intrasslade med varandra, och att en kollektiv agens av samhället var nödvändig för produktion och senare underhåll av skeppen. Skeppens symboliska värde är också format av dessa relationer, och det är möjligt att det är dessa relationer som lett till skeppens roll i gravseden under perioden. / For much of the history of archaeology ships have been studied as symbols for power, wealth, and warfare. Even though viking-age ships have been studied immensely in these regards the relationships and the network of organization around the construction and maintenance have not received as much attention from archaeologists. The aim of this essay is therefore to study these relationships in a holistic view, and to try to interpret how these relationships affected the ships’ place in the funerary sphere using the Oseberg ship as the basis for this study. The timeframe for the study is set to late iron-age since the study of symbolism needs a longer timeframe to be interpreted effectively. To get the intangible to become tangible the entanglement theory is applied, and quantitative estimations on natural- and human resources are used as support to do so. The study shows that everything surrounding the ship is entangled, and that a collective agency of the communities was necessary for the production and maintenance of the ships. The symbolic meaning of the ship is also formed by these relationships, and that it might be these relationships that gave the ships a place in the funerary sphere during the period.

Research on Roman slavery has mainly been focued on questions of market economy since the beginning of the twentieth century. With the interest in the treatment of slaves and their experience of slavery, the master-slave relationship has been the object of increased interests, until recent exploration of the influence of freed slaves' culture on traditional practices. this thesis tries to assess the construction of parallel value systems among slaves and freedmen, which not only contrasted worldviews in free society but often reshaped them. Instrumentalization of the emotional concepts of honour and dishonour in the context of the family and in funerary commemoration are central to such assessment. / Forskningen om romerskt slaveri har främst varit fokuserad på frågor om marknadsekonomi sedan 1900-talets början. Genom intresset för behandlingen av slavar och deras upplevelse, har relationen mellan ägare och slavar varit objekt av växande intresse, fram till nutida forskning rörande frigivna slavars kulturella influens på traditionell praxis. Denna uppsats försöker förklara konstruktionen av parallela värdesystem bland slavar och frigivna, som inte bara kontrasterade med det fria samhällets världsbilder, utan reformerade dem. Instrumentaliseringen av de emotionella koncepten ära och vanära, kontextualiserad inom familjen och begravsningminnen är centrala för en sådan slutsats.

De svenska torparna var en delmängd av det obesuttna folket, en samhällsklass som var särskilt utbredd under 1700 och 1800-talen. Torparna ägde ingen egen mark utan fick i stället bo i små och enkla torp på någon annans mark i utbyte mot betalning, antingen i pengar eller dagsverke. Torparna, särskilt de i Harbo, var oftast tvungna att ägna sig åt många olika sysslor för att få ekonomin att gå ihop. Det arkeologiska intresset för torp har traditionellt sett inte mötts med särskilt mycket entusiasm, till stor del på grund av de är relativt moderna och därför inte ansetts lämpliga att undersöka arkeologiskt. Över de senaste decennierna har denna uppfattning långsamt börjat skifta, med flera forskare som ägnar sig åt fälten historisk och samtidsarkeologi. Denna uppsats fokuserar på två torp i Harbo socknen och ämnar att belysa torparnas sociala position utifrån kyrkoböcker och historiska kartor. Utöver detta kommer torplämningarna att undersökas i person för att avgöra bevaringen av dessa, samt för att notera eventuella ytterligare fynd på platsen. Slutligen kommer jag diskutera resultaten av undersökningen såväl som värdet av att studera torp arkeologiskt. / The Swedish crofters were a subset of the unpropertied people, a social class especially prevalent during the 18th and 19th centuries. The crofters owned no ground of their own but were instead allowed to live in small and simple crofts on someone else’s land in exchange for payments, either in form of money or labour. The crofters, especially true for the ones in Harbo, usually had to delve into many different occupations to try to make ends meet. The archaeological interest for crofts has traditionally not been met with much enthusiasm, in large because of them being relatively modern and therefore not seen as fit for archaeological evaluations. Over the past decades this sentiment has slowly begun to change, with many scientists devoting themselves to the subfield of historical and present-day archaeology which places a particular focus on these remains. This essay focuses on two crofts in Harbo socknen and aims to shed light on the crofters’ social position and existence using written church records and historical maps. Moreover, the remains of the crofts will be examined in person as to study the preservation of these, as well as to note eventual additional findings. Finally, I will discuss the findings of my study as well as discuss the importance of the archaeological study of crofts.

Uppsatsen analyserar och diskuterar kattbenen i materialet som grävdes ut i Västergarn, Gotland under våren 2021 och 2022. Analysen och diskussionen fokuserar på katternas roll i lokalsamhället, både fysiskt och i den lokala folktron. Materialet består av sex schakt med två identifierade husgrunder, en misstänkt smedja och en brunn med en datering på vikingatid och tidig medeltid. Materialet består av 151 ben och beräkningen visar på uppskattningsvis fyra individer. Analysen kom fram till att majoriteten av individerna var yngre än ett år gamla, med undantag från en med artros från hög ålder. En underkäke hittades med snittspår vilket i samband med åldern på individerna visar på att katterna har avlivats för pälsens skull, som har dokumenterats tidigare i både historiska och arkeologiska källor. Ett område identifieras där troligen en hel individ deponerats som husoffer för att skydda mot onda krafter. Katterna på platsen har förmodligen i livet använts som skadedjursbekämpning och magiskt skydd. / The essay analyses and discusses the cat bones in the material excavated in Västergarn, Gotland during the spring of 2021 and 2022. The analysis and discussion focus on the role of cats in local society, both physically and in local folklore. The material consists of six shafts with two identified house foundations, a suspected forge and a well with a dating from the Viking Age and the early Middle Ages. The material consists of 151 bones and the calculation shows approximately four individuals. The analysis concluded that most individuals were younger than one year old, with the exception of one with osteoarthritis from old age. A lower jaw was found with butchery marks which, in conjunction with the age of the individuals, shows that the cats have been slaughtered for their fur, which has been documented previously in both historical and archaeological sources. An area is identified where an entire individual was probably deposited as a house offering to protect against evil forces. The cats on the site were probably used in life as pest control and magical protection.

The purpose of this study is to determine the viability of this technology as a realistic archaeological field tool and discuss what advantages, limitations, and implications this technology has for the purposes of archaeological field survey in Sweden. To determine this, five targets in Stockholm County already professionally surveyed and documented, have been scanned with LiDAR as well as two also with photogrammetry via smartphone apps on an iPhone 12 Pro Max to compare the scanning process and the respective results for each target. After analysing targets in Angarn, Fresta, Sollentuna, Österhaninge, and Kärrtorp parishes, a post-phenomenological perspective was applied to each model to discuss their potential as technologically mediated human experiences. An additional sixth target was scanned to compare against other 3D techniques. This study has determined that the photogrammetry tools in the apps provided the best conditions and results for use in archaeological field survey documentation while the LiDAR tools have room for improvement as a professional tool.

The purpose of this thesis is to study the symbolic role of weapons, specifically axes in Viking age burials. The thesis will also discuss the axe´s role in relaion to the character of the grave and the grave goods. A total 18 graves will be studied and analysed with help from J. Petersen´s typology of Viking age weapons and Holger Arbman`s works on anout Birkas burials and their grave goods. Qualative and quantative research methods will be used used to answer the thesis`questions. First the thesis will discuss what a weapon grave is and explain Petersen`s typology of axes and explain what other types of axes that exist in Birka. It will further analyse weapon and axe symbolism, explain different characteristics and grave goods. Finally, I will discuss different interpretations and patterns surrounding the different practices, grave goods, the types of depsotied axes and the symbolic role of axes in graves. Axes buried with rich grave goods shows that some types of axes have higher status than others. The axes aesthetics do not play a pivotal role in the graves and their placements in the graves do not have a symbolic or deeper meaning.

Since the discovery of the Apis bull catacombs known as the Serapeum in the 1800’s by Auguste Mariette, Saqqara has become a topic of interest amongst archaeologists and Egyptologists. This in turn has prompted many new research attempts to try and better understand the function and significance of the funerary practices which took place there. The nearby town of Memphis was home to the Apis bull god who represented Ptah though in death it came to represent Osiris. This paper is an attempt to provide a new interpretation of the New Kingdom Apis bull funerary monuments placed within the Saqqara landscape from Amenhotep III’s reign through to Rameses II’s reign, with a special focus placed on the Serapeum. For this paper landscape archaeology was used to better understand the choice of location by Amenhotep III. The aim is to reveal why the Serapeum was built in the first place and by whom. It was found that whilst Amenhotep III began the burial practice, the change from individual to multiple burials occurred under Rameses II’s reign. Canopic jars as well as a dedication stela were used to determine that the shift occurred under Khaemwaset’s influence it is argued that the Serapeum was built to connect the graves to strengthen the ties between past and present kings. This connection was made as a way to promote their right to rule. / Ända sedan upptäckten av Apis-katakomberna, även känd som Serapeum, år 1851 av Auguste Mariette, har Saqqara genererat stort intresse bland arkeologer och egyptologer. Detta har lett till det gjorts flertalet studier kring att försöka förstå dess funktion och betydelse kring de begravningsceremonier som där hölls. Apis var en gud gestaltad som tjur och hade sin hemvistelse i den närliggande staden Memfis Apis i döden representerade av guden Ptah, medan Apis i livet representerade guden Osiris. Denna uppsats gör ett försök att ge en nytolkning av kring Apis-tjuren och de begravningsmonument som är placerad i Saqqara-regionen, där fokus ligger på just Serapeumet under Nya riket-epoken, en tidsepok som sträcker sig från Amenhotep III till Rameses II. För att bättre förstå valet av Serapeums placering och vem som byggde det, användes landskapsarkeologi som arbetsmetod.I denna uppsats framgår det, trots att Amenhotep III började med individuella begravningsceremonier, skiftades detta till multipla begravningsceremonier i och med att Rameses II kom till makten. Vidare upptäcktes det i arbetets gång att Kanopiska kärl samt dedikationsstela användes för att fastställa att detta skifte inträffade under Khaemwaset’s inflytande och att Serapeum byggdes för att binda samman tidigare konungar med nuvarande och därmed stärka banden mellan dessa. Syftet med denna sammanbindning var så att nuvarande konungar bättre kunde hävda sin rätt att regera.

Sámi culture and resources have long been exploited by the Swedish state, church and government. The material culture that was collected during the late 19th and early 20th century, has many times lost their original meaning and context later on in museum collections. This is problematic and needs to change in order to prevent further damage to the Sámi material and immaterial culture. This study aims to analyse the Sámi silver brooches with Marian-symbols, that were found together with other types of silver artefacts at Passekårsa, Gällivare parish. By doing this type of analysis it allows for further and mor difficult discussions to be adressed and it also allows for the silver find in question to be further contextualized. We non-Sámi archaeologists, scientists and staff at museums need to talk about how we are interpreting, examining and portraying Sámi cultural heritage whether it concerns human remains, places of sacrifice or small silver brooches.