In this theses I have investigated what a landscape perspective can say about communities during the Migration Period and what variations may have existed between them. I have done this by using landscape analysis on 16 selected south Swedish localities of bracteates. By analyzing the sites contexts, monument images and landscape formations I have been able to see similarities between places that indicate that the communities had interregional as well as continental contacts. My analysis has also shown that there were variations between sites in how the bracteates were deposited. Most of the bracteates have been found in hoards or as stray find, which indicates that they were not used as personal items. Instead it is more likely that there was some type of organization behind the deposits of the bracteates, that possibly even decided who got to wear bracteates when they were in use. Since the sites are all located close to different types of water sources it is possible that there were also religious reasons to why the bracteates have been deposited in these landscapes.

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<p>The aim of this work is to take the first step into a development process, with the intention to find a way of making prehistoric soil fertility a variable in archaeological landscape analysis. A pilot study is performed on the Mälar basin area, where four topographical and geological factors are reclassified and then combined, resulting in a map which expresses a relative indication of agriculture potential. The map is then compared to the distribution of Migration Period graves and gold finds. This, however, does not mean that the technique is tied to a certain prehistoric period. Because the work is intrinsically experimental, the technique as a whole is finally discussed and evaluated, and suggestions of improvements and further studies are made.</p>

The aim of this work is to take the first step into a development process, with the intention to find a way of making prehistoric soil fertility a variable in archaeological landscape analysis. A pilot study is performed on the Mälar basin area, where four topographical and geological factors are reclassified and then combined, resulting in a map which expresses a relative indication of agriculture potential. The map is then compared to the distribution of Migration Period graves and gold finds. This, however, does not mean that the technique is tied to a certain prehistoric period. Because the work is intrinsically experimental, the technique as a whole is finally discussed and evaluated, and suggestions of improvements and further studies are made.

The rock carvings in southern Scandinavia are an important part of Bronze Age research and the Scandinavian cultural heritage. There are three known sites with rock carvings on the island of Gotland. They are located in the parishes of Lärbro, Fårö, and Lye. The rock carvings on Gotland has been somewhat forgotten and are not a big part of research regarding the Bronze Age on Gotland. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the images on the rock carvings as well as analyse their placements in the landscape, both the natural and the cultural. The images will be analysed and possible interpretations of them will be discussed individually and together. Their relation to other ancient monuments and archaeological features will also be analysed. Each area’s cultural landscape where the rock carvings are present will be presented and compared with the other sites on Gotland. The result of this thesis shows that the rock carvings in Lärbro and Fårö are similar in both images and placement in the landscape. Ships, cupmarks, and weapons are among images carved at both sites. They both have a connection to fresh water and are in close proximity to stone ships. These two rock carving sites show a connection to the sea and a maritime identity in both their images and the surrounding cultural landscape. The rock carving in Lye has a smaller number of images, only cupmarks and a pair of foot soles. It is located in a different landscape which does not exhibit a connection to water in any way but instead shows a link to the land. This indicates that the rock carvings on Gotland had a connection to both the water and the land.

The aim of this BA thesis is to understand the Bronze Age deposit in Tumba, Botkyrka Parish, Sweden, and its unusual placement in the landscape: on land and not in water. In order to achieve this, the deposit is analysed with different points of view: 1) the deposit objects: two socketed axes from Montelius period V–VI and a chisel, are examined for traces of usage; 2) the deposit is seen in relation to two other deposits in its vicinity; 3) the spatial distribution of other Bronze Age remains and monuments are analysed; 4) the deposit is viewed as a part of a natural and cultural landscape. The results demonstrate that, in southern Botkyrka, used axes were deposited in an area free from other Bronze Age monuments. They appear also to have been placed outside the inhabited areas, i.e. where activities like grazing or hunting occurred. This can be understood by viewing the woodland as something with agency, and people in a relationship with the environment.

The Fogdarp hoard from Scania in Sweden is an unusual deposit from the Late Bronze Age. Unlike similar hoards this was not found in a wetland, but was buried in the ground with a rock placed on top of it. Deposits in dry land have sometimes been considered to be a hiding place for a smith’s metalwork. But since the Fogdarp hoard contains ritual bronze objects, it has been called a ritual deposit. The aim of this paper is to investigate the Fogdarp hoard by using a landscape analysis. By doing so the study will contribute to the understanding of the hoards context, and why this hoard was buried and not deposited in a wetland. The landscape analysis shows that the hoard is buried closed to the water and in a ritual landscape on the edge of a valley. The discussion will also analyze the objects in this particular hoard: their symbolic value will be elaborated in the analysis. As a comparison, this paper includes other deposits from the Late Bronze Age. My interpretation of the objects in the Fogdarp hoard is that they are a part of the sun cult of the Nordic Bronze Age, where sun-goddess and the divine twins play an important role.

This paper deals with two women who wore relief brooches from Häste and Brunflo during the Migration period in Jämtland. The purpose of the essay is to investigate similarities and differences in the women’s relief brooches, graves and places in order to understand the women’s relations to each other and their time. The essay has implemented gender theory and a comparative method, complemented by a landscape analysis. The conclusion is that the women from Häste and Brunflo were leaders during their time.

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.