This essay discusses the import of cod (Gadus morhua) in Sweden during the Middle Ages through isotope analysis of cod vertebrae. The isotope analysis is used to trace the cods origin to either the Baltic Sea or the Atlantic Ocean. The bones were subjected to d13C, d15N and d34S analysis; 64 of  the analyzed bones met the quality criteria. The isotop data showed that import of Atlantic cod was significant in medeval Sweden. The analysis suggests that there is no specific time or event that the sites start to import cod but this varies from site to site.

This essay discusses the import of cod (Gadus morhua) in Sweden during the Middle Ages through isotope analysis of cod vertebrae. The isotope analysis is used to trace the cods origin to either the Baltic Sea or the Atlantic Ocean. The bones were subjected to d13C, d15N and d34S analysis; 64 of  the analyzed bones met the quality criteria. The isotop data showed that import of Atlantic cod was significant in medeval Sweden. The analysis suggests that there is no specific time or event that the sites start to import cod but this varies from site to site.

This paper deals with stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen on skeletal remains from the medieval cemetery in Västerhus, Jämtland. Samples from seven different individuals were analyzed, taken from both teeth and bone tissue. Previous studies suggest that there are connections between social status and diet, that a consumption of meat was directly connected to a higher status. Furthermore, burial customs and zoning based on social strata has been discussed. The stable isotope results showed almost no connection between diet, social status and the placement of the graves within the churchyard. This with the exception of two groups: one group made out of five individuals who have been buried within the church, and one segregated group made out of five individuals buried far away from the church building. It can also be concluded, based on this study and previous ones that the people buried at Västerhus cemetery was a homogenous group whose diets mainly consisted out of meat and vegetable feed of terrestrial origin.

This paper deals with stable isotope analysis on the children of the early Christian cemetery in Varnhem, Västergötland. Human bone and tooth material from the cemetery has been analysed for stable carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotopes. The analysis showed that the diet had been homogeneous and that the children had been breastfed, with a possible exception of the child from grave 100.

Den här uppsatsen behandlar ett antal individer begravda mellan 800 e.Kr. och 1150 e.Kr i ett tidigt kristet gravfält kring ruinen av Varnhems gårdskyrka. Av speciellt intresse är den placeringen som gravarna har i förhållande till kyrkomurarna och vad dessa placeringar innebär statusmässigt. Analys av stabila isotoper har därför utförts på de manliga individerna  så att deras diet kan faställas och agera som en markör för vad som känneteckas som hög och lågstatus bland de begravda männen i Varnhem.

Dietary patterns has varied throughout history, both due to resource and cultural limitations. In this thesis, a study was conducted to establish the dietary patterns of eight individuals from an early Midieaval gravesite in Rambodal, Östergötland, in order to explain why they were buried there. This was done through stable isotope analysis on collagen extracted from bone and tooth on the buried individuals. The analysis showed that these indviduals had a diet that was mainly based on freshwater fish. This suggests that these people may have been christians, due to the fact that fish was not regarded as meat and therefore you did not have to abstain from it during periods of fasting. Fish also has a strong idealistic position in Christianity. However, the positions of the buried individulas does not correspond with catholic burial traditions. One explanation for this could be that these individuals were orthodox Christians, possibly from Finland or Russia.

This paper deals with isotope analyses of bones and teeth of two individuals from a medieval cemetery in Västerhus, Jämtland with the purpose to ascertain the diet and how much fish the people ate. The stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen have been analysed with isotope-ratio mass sepectrometry and the diet of the people in Västerhus has been studied. The results show that most of the people had a terrestrial diet and by comparing with Sigtuna, Uppland and Varnhem, Västergötland it was possible to conclude that they ate meat and vegetable feed.

<p>This paper deals with three mediaeval churches in the town Visby, Gotland. These churches were located in different areas in Visby. Allegedly the areas where St Hans and Ste Gertrud were located were inhabited by wealthier people, and the more peripheral area where St Mikael was located was where the poor lived. Therefore, the people that were buried at St Mikael should be of lower social status than the people buried at St Hans and Ste Gertrud. Based on the fact that an individuals diet was dependant on his or hers social status, dietary studies on skeletal remains from the three different churches have been conducted to find out dietary patterns among the individuals buried at each church respectively. The studies have included stable isotope ratio analyses, δ13C and δ15N, in human bone collagen. The results support the hypothesis that there were differences between individuals buried at different churches as stated above.</p>

This paper deals with three mediaeval churches in the town Visby, Gotland. These churches were located in different areas in Visby. Allegedly the areas where St Hans and Ste Gertrud were located were inhabited by wealthier people, and the more peripheral area where St Mikael was located was where the poor lived. Therefore, the people that were buried at St Mikael should be of lower social status than the people buried at St Hans and Ste Gertrud. Based on the fact that an individuals diet was dependant on his or hers social status, dietary studies on skeletal remains from the three different churches have been conducted to find out dietary patterns among the individuals buried at each church respectively. The studies have included stable isotope ratio analyses, δ13C and δ15N, in human bone collagen. The results support the hypothesis that there were differences between individuals buried at different churches as stated above.

The discovery of two mass graves in England in 2010 containing the remains of Scandinavian men in their prime from the Viking age against the historical backdrop of Anglo-Saxon England has elicited questions as to whether or not they were victims of ethnic cleansing. Literature studies combined with the results from the post-excavation analyses render the conclusion that the victims in the grave, most likely, were not subjected to ethnic cleansing. It is more plausible that they were Scandinavian mercenaries who were executed during an intense period where a failing England was desperately paying for its own conquest with the Danegeld. The historical documents give the impression that a nation-wide genocide against Danes took place, however the archaeological material and analyses do not fully support this scenario. / Mot bakgrunden av den anglosaxiska perioden i England har upptäckten 2010 i England av två massgravar innehållande kvarlevor av vikingatida skandinaviska män väckt frågor om huruvida offren var utsatta för etnisk rensning. Resultat från analyser av materialet från utgrävningarna i kombination med litteraturstudier leder till slutsatsen att individerna i graven sannolikt inte var offer för etnisk rensning. Det förefaller mer troligt att männen var legosoldater vilka avrättades under den intensiva period då det skuldtyngda England betalade stora summor danagäld till vikingarna. I de historiska källorna beskrivs hur massmord av daner ägde rum över hela landet, dock finns det inget i det arkeologiska materialet eller i analysresultaten som stöder en sådan händelseutveckling.