<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.

This thesis is based on the observation that in the Lake Mälaren region, places with the name Stenby ("stone village") tend to be located next to hillforts. I have researched the occurrence of the place name Stenby with medieval evidence for the name in eastern central Sweden and found sixteen that are located in the Mälaren Valley region. Of these, twelve had a hillfort within one kilometer and eleven were assessed as being from the Migration Period. There is one hilltop settlement in the material: Broborg in Uppland. Of the eleven Migration Period hillforts, ten were located close to Lake Mälaren or had a waterway to Lake Mälaren. Eight of the twelve Stenby places with a hillfort were located in areas that could constitute aristocratic central areas with many sacral placenames referring to Norse Gods and names containing -tuna and -lunda. They are in open landscapes with wide views. Two Stenby hillfort complexes were adjacent to a (nautical) fairway. These findings suggest a central organization within the region.  The only exception from the Migration Period hillfort pattern is in Riala Parish, which has an older bank enclosure. Riala is not situated in an Iron Age central district and lacks a water connection with Lake Mälaren. Of the four Stenby without a nearby hillfort, two lacked close Iron-Age burial grounds and are not certain to be Migration Period settlements. One may be associated with a smaller mountain called Onsberget ("Oden's mountain").

<p>Following paper deals with the questions about prehistorian and medieval settlements in the Mälar Valley and their relations to the historically known hamlets or single farmsteads from the 17^th- and 18^th-century cadastral maps. Models over settlement development through the period A.D 200 to 1700 done by geographers Ulf Sporrong and Dan Carlsson are tested and compared to the knowledge won by recent archaeological excavations. Is there a connection between the older settlements linked together by dry-stone walls and the late Iron Age settlements? Does the picture differ from the one presented for the Gotland region? How well are the general theories about different settlement development depending on basic natural conditions as for the potentials for cultivation and topography, corresponding to the physical remains?  Are there other factors involved when the settlement structure takes its form?</p><p>The methods that are used here constitutes mainly of a comparison between different locations in the Mälar Valley that has got a well known prehistory thanks to extensive archaeological excavations. Cadastral maps, soilmaps, topography maps and maps over ancient monuments are intertwined to the same map and analyzed through works in Geographical information systems.</p><p>The results of this study reveal an interesting suspicion in the continuity-question through the Iron Age. Certain settlements seem to be more stable than what was earlier assumed in the general models. This occurrence of continuous use of sites must also be seen in a spatial context and not only a pattern formed by randomly chosen locations. The research has shown that it may be connected to the local political power in the Iron Age community. Related to this are also the different settlement forms where more than one unit occurs on a site. Concerning the different natural landscapes both disparities and similarities are found when it comes to the development that precedes the given situation on the cadastral maps. The conclusion is that the recent archaeological excavations definitely have shown us a more complex situation than what was once outlined in the early years of landscape archaeology.</p>

Following paper deals with the questions about prehistorian and medieval settlements in the Mälar Valley and their relations to the historically known hamlets or single farmsteads from the 17th- and 18th-century cadastral maps. Models over settlement development through the period A.D 200 to 1700 done by geographers Ulf Sporrong and Dan Carlsson are tested and compared to the knowledge won by recent archaeological excavations. Is there a connection between the older settlements linked together by dry-stone walls and the late Iron Age settlements? Does the picture differ from the one presented for the Gotland region? How well are the general theories about different settlement development depending on basic natural conditions as for the potentials for cultivation and topography, corresponding to the physical remains?  Are there other factors involved when the settlement structure takes its form? The methods that are used here constitutes mainly of a comparison between different locations in the Mälar Valley that has got a well known prehistory thanks to extensive archaeological excavations. Cadastral maps, soilmaps, topography maps and maps over ancient monuments are intertwined to the same map and analyzed through works in Geographical information systems. The results of this study reveal an interesting suspicion in the continuity-question through the Iron Age. Certain settlements seem to be more stable than what was earlier assumed in the general models. This occurrence of continuous use of sites must also be seen in a spatial context and not only a pattern formed by randomly chosen locations. The research has shown that it may be connected to the local political power in the Iron Age community. Related to this are also the different settlement forms where more than one unit occurs on a site. Concerning the different natural landscapes both disparities and similarities are found when it comes to the development that precedes the given situation on the cadastral maps. The conclusion is that the recent archaeological excavations definitely have shown us a more complex situation than what was once outlined in the early years of landscape archaeology.

The Bronze Age in Middle Sweden is characterized by several key sites and monuments which have been interpreted by previous research to play an overarching role in the elite ruling system in the Mälar Valley region. King Björn’s mound (a.k.a. the Håga mound) and the hillfort Predikstolen represent one of these complexes and has been referred to as a central hub for trading between the south and east as well as a central meeting point for alliance networks throughout the Mälar Valley region. The ritual importance of the site has been particularly relevant to discussions around the mound and accompanying cult house, Hågakyrkan, since the excavation of the mound in 1902-3 by Oscar Almgren. The investigation of the mound’s central cairn dated the monument to the Bronze Age Period IV, and resulted in the discovery of one of the most spectacular burials in Sweden, including gold and bronze artefacts indicative of connections with south Scandinavia, particularly Denmark, and a ritual role typified by Kristian Kristiansen’s institutional divisions of elites based on artefact assemblages. To understand how Håga and other Bronze Age sites have attained the label of ‘ritual’ places in the landscape, a discussion is included on previous research which has defined the parameters of sacred versus profane activity utilizing theories on identity as demonstrated through material expression explored by Kristian Kristiansen (1987, 2011) and Susanne Thedéen (2004). This thesis also utilizes the ritual practice theory defined by Catherine Bell (2009) to identify the repetitive traditions which define cultic practice during the Bronze Age in Middle Sweden in order to understand the unique phenomenon of Håga as compared to other sites in the Mälar Valley region: two sites with established cultic complexes (Broby and Skeke), and two sites characterized by industrial bronze production (Apalle and Hallunda). These sites were additionally chosen based on their position along a north-south inlet system which directly connected Lake Mälaren from the eastern Baltic sea to south Scandinavia and north-western Europe. A comparative analysis of the relevant features and finds of each site as well as a brief overview of the evidence of conflict in southern Scandinavia and Europe are used to contextualize the role Håga served leading up to and following construction of the Håga mound. The delimitations and potential uses of the results are included in the discussion / Bronsåldern i Mellansverige kännetecknas av några nyckelplatser och monument vilka tidigare har tolkats av forskare att ha spelat en övergripande roll för hövdingadömet i Mälardalsområdet. Kung Björns hög (s.k. Hågahögen) och fornborgen Predikstolen utgör ett av dessa komplex och har kallats ett regionalt nav för handel mellan söder och öster, samt en central mötesplats för alliansnätverk i hela Mälardalen. Den rituella vikten har också påpekats som relevant till diskussionen kring Hågahögen och närliggande kulthuset Hågakyrkan sedan undersökningen ledd av Oscar Almgren år 1902-3. Undersökningen av högens centralrösen har daterat monumenten till bronsåldern Period IV och resulterade i upptäckande av en av de mest spektakulära begravningarna i Sverige, vilket inkluderade guld och bronsartefakter som ger indikationer på kopplingar till Sydskandinavien, speciellt Danmark, och den rituella rollen representerat av Kristian Kristiansens institutionella uppdelningar av eliter baserad på artefaktgrupper. För att förstå hur Håga och andra bronsåldersfornlämningar har märkts som ‘rituella’ platser i landskapet, diskuteras tidigare forskning som har definierat begränsningarna av sakral jämfört profan aktivitet med hjälp av teorier om identitet baserad på materiella uttryck utforskat av Kristian Kristiansen (1987, 2011) och Susanne Thedéen (2004). Uppsatsen använder sig också av rituellpraktiksteori eller s.k. ‘ritual practice theory’ definierad av Catherine Bell (2009) för att identifiera återkommande traditionerna som exemplifierar kultpraxis under bronsåldern i Mellansverige, för att kunna förstå den unika karaktär Håga har jämfört andra fornlämningar i Mälardalen: två fornlämningar med etablerade kultkomplex (Broby och Skeke) och två kännetecknade av industriell bronsproduktion (Apalle och Hallunda). De fornlämningar som har valts ut för jämförelse har också baserats på deras position längst det nord-sydliga vattenledssystemet som direkt kopplar Mälaren från Östersjön till Sydskandinavien och nordvästra Europa. En jämförande analys av relevanta anläggningar och fynd från varje fornlämning plus en kort översikt av bevisen för konflikt i Sydskandinavien och Europa används för att kontextualisera Hågas roll innan och efter byggandet av Hågahögen. Begränsningar och potentiella användingsområden av resultaten inkluderas i diskussionen.

In archaeological research, the province of Uppland has often been viewed as the northern ‘periphery’ of the Nordic Bronze Age region. At the same time, many researchers have also emphasized the distinctive and ‘independent’ regional character of Uppland and northern Mälardalen. Throughout the twentieth century, Late Bronze Age contacts between Uppland and areas to the east – especially Finland, the Baltic countries and Russia – were much discussed and played an important role in the creation of Mälardalen as a distinctive Bronze Age region. This dissertation examines how images of the Late Bronze Age in the Mälardalen region, more specifically Uppland, have been formed from the late nineteenth century until today, and how views on eastern contacts have affected interpretations of Bronze Age Uppland. The study consists of three parts: 1) A critical discussion on political dimensions of archaeology and archaeological concepts of contact, interaction, similarity and difference, with a special focus on Bronze Age research. 2) A historical examination of representations of the Late Bronze Age in Mälardalen and Uppland, including a discussion about contacts with northern Sweden and a case study of Broby, a Late Bronze Age site near Uppsala. 3) An analysis of debates on contacts between Mälardalen and areas further to the east, through case studies of bronze axes, so-called Mälar celts and Ananino celts, ceramics and inhumation burials. In the analysis, special focus is placed on the Volga-Kama region in Russia and archaeological research in Russia and the Soviet Union. The study shows that discussions on contacts and interaction between ‘East’ and ‘West’ have, in many ways, been affected by the changing political situation during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Knowledge about archaeological research in Russia and the Soviet Union has been very limited among archaeologists in Sweden. In order to further investigate the character and importance of eastern contacts during the Late Bronze Age, more collaboration and exchange between researchers in the different countries is needed. Furthermore, in order to better understand eastern contacts, it is also necessary to investigate in greater depth the relations between Mälardalen and northern Sweden.