The Pitted ware dwelling site Ajvide on the west coast of Gotland in the Baltic Sea is, because of its long continuity from the late Mesolithic to the middle of the Scandinavian Bronze Age, an interesting research object concerning Stone Age in the Baltic area. In this essay, a comparison between two activity areas on Ajvide have been carried out in the purpose of finding out what these areas may have been used for during the middle Neolithic.  It has been showed, through zooarchaeological analyses of animal bones, that the areas most likely are depositing sites for slaughters refuse and food debris. If it is a result of everyday or more ceremonial activities is left undetermined.

Research on Stone Age hunters and gatherers in Norrland has been lively since the 1960s. Central to this research are questions about the organization of society, sedentariness, continuity and resource management. One central part of life in the taiga is the need for fire and fuel. This aspect has been little discussed in conjunction with the mentioned research questions. My goal is to show that the matter of fire and fuel is an important one that needs to be taken in to consideration when discussing Stone Age Norrland and hunter/gatherers. The questions concerns fuel consumption and requirement, the amount of available fuel, the impact these factors may have had on settlement patterns and continuity and the possible              ways in which we could proceed to study this subject further. The material consists of ethnographic records, forestry research on old-growth forests, archaeological and environmental archaeological material, experimental research on fuel consumption and records of traditional Sami fire techniques. With this information I have constructed a number of cases, not with the goal of gaining any conclusive answers but rather to discuss different factors and implications the use of fire and need for fuel could have had and how those may connect to the present archaeological record. Lastly I have looked at the possibility of further research, the material and methods that will allow researchers to approach these questions in further depth.

This study deals with the contribution of the genetic variant lactase persistence among Neolithic people from the Baltic Island Öland. Skeletal remains from twelve individuals went through DNA sequencing in order to find the mutation that allows adult individuals to digest milk sugar. The twelve individuals were chosen from two different Neolithic sites, where the archaeological and isotopic data suggest that the individuals from Köpingsvik were hunters and gatherers and the individuals from Resmo were early farmers. The individuals with the genetic variant lactase persistence can be described with selection and genetic flow.  Only five individuals produced results and the mutation was found in two of the subjects. All the individuals who were successfully sequenced came from Resmo, whereasno individuals from Köpingsvik yielded any results.

The Neolithic site Hedningahällan has, with its large amount of mixed ceramics and unique location on top of a steep rock face, been subject to a number of studies. This paper explores factors that may have motivated the location choice based on the landscape features. To investigate Hedningahällan from a landscape perspective could assist to provide a base for more directed and broader research questions alike. The main focuses of location choice factors that are the advantages of an elevated position. This is examined via Individual Distance Viewshed analysis which measures the ability to recognise and identify humans in a given topography, potential overview and availability of game animals and fish found. The study recreating the plausible past environment as well as the phenomenological experience of the landscape in combination with viewshed-analysis. The outcomes of the GIS-results are compared to four other Neolithic coastal settlements with finds of ceramics. Hedningahällan was located on a headland in a small, protected archipelago. The environment was likely an excellent habitat for many marine animals and fish as well as some land animals, however the elevated location of Hedningahällans does not seem primarily got get a good overview of game habitat. It does on the other hand provide a good overview of the surrounding landscape, especially towards the ocean, and that could have facilitated to identify humans that was closing in from the sea. Several Neolithic coastal settlements occur in connection to distinct rock formation such as erratic blocks or eye-catching cliffs, and although Hedningahällan is located upon exposed bedrock, its appearance is like that of a large erratic block. The area included in its viewshed also contains several impressive cobble fields. Phenomenological, contemporary, and ethnological analogies show that distinct rock features can hold emotional, mythological, and practical meanings.

This thesis has illustrated the importance of the identification of tooth marks between humans and carnivores within an archaeological context and has provided further potential for advancement to future research. Stone Age sites from Europe have acted as case studies where the bones from both experimental and archaeological research have been analysed and discussed through an is taphonomic theoretical perspective. For the osteological analysis analysed experimental bones with a microscope to see identifications of tooth marks. In a comparative analysis, the experimental bones have been compared to archaeological assemblages from the Stone Age and one site from the Bronze Age.  The result shows that the experimental material contained every tooth mark in the human-chewed material, whilst the dog-chewed material only contained the back teeth. The bones showed that the human chewing had mainly been processed with the incisors, canine and premolar. In contrast, the dog bones showed that dog chewing had mainly been processed with the premolars and molars. / Denna uppsats har illustrerat vikten av identifiering av tandmärken mellan människor och köttätare i ett arkeologiskt sammanhang och har gett ytterligare potential för avancemang till framtida forskning. Stenåldersplatser från Europa har fungerat som fallstudier där benen från både experimentell och arkeologisk forskning har analyserats och diskuterats genom ett tafonomiskt teoretiskt perspektiv. För osteologisk analys analyserade experimentella ben med ett mikroskop för att se identifieringar av tandmärken. I en jämförande analys har de experimentella benen jämförts med arkeologiska samlingar från stenåldern och en plats från bronsåldern. Resultatet visar att det experimentella materialet innehöll varje tandmärke i det mänskliga tuggade materialet, medan det hundtuggade materialet endast innehöll de bakre tänderna. Benen visade att det mänskliga tuggandet huvudsakligen hade bearbetats med framtänder, hörntand och premolar. Däremot visade hundbenen att hundtuggandet huvudsakligen hade bearbetats med premolarerna och molarerna.

Depåfynd och anledningarna bakom deras nedläggelser har länge varit forskningsfrågor. Begreppet har definierats olika utav diverse författare. Flera forskare har utvecklat kriterier för vad som utgör ett depåfynd, samt om det har nedlagts i sakralt eller profant syfte. Gemensamt för en rituell tolkning är att depåplatsen har extraordinära naturliga egenskaper, något vattenmiljöer uppfattas besitta. Med området Östra Ljungby i Trolle-Ljungby socken, Skåne som undersökningsområde kommer uppsatsen ställa fyndmaterialet mot dessa kriterier. Fyndmaterialet har påträffats i både fast- och våtmark samt består till stor del av olika typer av yxor, verktyg och dolkar som typologiskt dateras till tidsperioder från mesolitikum till äldre bronsålder. Utifrån en hypotes om vattens personskap utforskas även en möjlig koppling mellan vattendepåfynden och folktrossägen. Tidsmässiga likheter och skillnader analyseras samt diskuteras i syfte att förstå deponeringsplatsernas kontinuitet. Det kan slutledas att flera sakrala depåer har nedlagts i Östra Ljungby, där vissa har gjorts på samma plats över långa tidsspann. Alltså finns det tecken som hänvisar till att undersökningsområdet haft en kontinuerlig deponeringstradition. Vidare finns en koppling till seder som gjorts för att skydda sig mot näcken. Däremot bör det belysas att en sådan koppling är svår att fastställa på grund av svårigheterna att rekonstruera forntida ritualer och ideologier. / Hoards and the reason behind their depositions have long been research questions. The term has been defined differently by various authors. Several researchers have developed criteria for what constitutes a hoard, as well as whether it has been deposited for a sacred or profane purpose. Common for a ritual interpretation is that the deposition place has natural properties that are extraordinary, something watery environments are believed to possess. With the area of Östra Ljungby in the parish of Trolle-Ljungby, Skåne as the research area, the essay will compare the finds against these criteria. The material found have been discovered in both solid ground and wetlands, and consists largely of various types of axes, tools and daggers that are typologically dated to time periods from the Mesolithic to the Early Bronze Age. Based on a hypothesis concerning the personhood of water, a possible connection between the wetland hoards and folklore is explored. Temporal similarities and differences are analysed and discussed in order to further understand the continuity of the deposition sites. It can be concluded that several sacral depositions have been made in Östra Ljungby, where some have been made in the same place over long periods of time. Thus, there are signs that point to the study area having a continuous depositional tradition. Furthermore, there is a connection to customs made in order to protect oneself against näcken. However, such a connection is difficult to establish due to the difficulties in reconstructing prehistoric rituals and ideologies.

<p>This thesis examines a sample of Pitted Ware pottery from the Gotlandic site of Ajvide in regard to the spatial and temporal relationship of the shards. Ajvide Stone Age site have been extensively excavated over the past 25 years and the most recent analysis of pottery was carried out by Inger Österholm in 1987 and new analyses of the material are therefore greatly needed. Pottery from three sample areas was analysed in regard to their distribution, decoration, fragmentation, part of pot and quality of the goods. To analyse the material in a contextual way a multivariate statistical analysis called correspondence analysis was used. Two areas denominated “dark areas”, which Österholm defined previously, as possible ritual sites, and one reference area with mixed material were chosen for the analysis. By including two of these “dark areas” the study also examine if similarities or differences could be seen among the shard distribution how these areas have been defined and possibly re-defined.</p>

This thesis examines a sample of Pitted Ware pottery from the Gotlandic site of Ajvide in regard to the spatial and temporal relationship of the shards. Ajvide Stone Age site have been extensively excavated over the past 25 years and the most recent analysis of pottery was carried out by Inger Österholm in 1987 and new analyses of the material are therefore greatly needed. Pottery from three sample areas was analysed in regard to their distribution, decoration, fragmentation, part of pot and quality of the goods. To analyse the material in a contextual way a multivariate statistical analysis called correspondence analysis was used. Two areas denominated “dark areas”, which Österholm defined previously, as possible ritual sites, and one reference area with mixed material were chosen for the analysis. By including two of these “dark areas” the study also examine if similarities or differences could be seen among the shard distribution how these areas have been defined and possibly re-defined.

Denna studie undersöker relationen mellan landskap, miljö och placeringen av boplatser från neolitikum och bronsålder i Ystadområdet. Uppsatsen åstadkommer detta genom maximal entropi modellering av boplatsernas placering i relation till flera variabler i landskapet och miljön. Uppsatsens teoretiska ramverk utgår från en antagen koppling mellan variabler i miljön och placeringen av boplatser. Resultatet av modelleringen översätts till tabeller som visar vilka variabler i miljön och landskapet som är viktiga i relation till placeringen av boplatser under dessa perioder, och till kartor som visar vilka delar av Ystadområdet som har rätt kombination av dessa variabler. Dessa används sedan för att besvara frågeställningarna. Resultaten av studien visar en stark koppling mellan kvartärsjordarten kärrtorv och närvaron av boplatser. Variablerna som föredrogs vid placeringen av boplatser visar också en viss variation mellan tidsperioderna. Utöver detta bedömdes modellen av historisk miljö från Ystadprojektet vara användbar. / This study examines the relationship between landscape, environment, and the placement of settlements during the neolithic and bronze age periods in the Ystad area. The study accomplishes this through maximal entropy modeling of the placement of settlements in relation to several variables in the landscape and environment. The theoretic framework of this study centers around a presumed connection between variables in the environment and the location of settlements. The results are translated into tables that show which of these variables were important in relation to the placement of settlements during the above-mentioned periods. The results are also translated into maps that show which areas of Ystad have the right combination of variables that were determined to be important by the model. These tables and maps are then used to produce an answer to the main questions of this paper. The results of this study show a strong connection between the quaternary soil type bog peat, and the presence of settlements. The preferred conditions also show some variation between time periods. Furthermore, the model of historic environment from the Ystad project was deemed to be useful.

Den här studien är en utforskning av dubbeleggade miniatyryxor av bärnsten som hittas i neolitiska gravar. Tre gravplatser har presenterats: ett flatmarksgravfält i Borgeby, flatmarksgravar i Ajvide på Gotland, och tre gånggrifter i Danmark. Dubbeleggade miniatyrer av bärnsten hittas i alla. Genom att använda praktikteori och begreppet habitus är syftet att uppsatsen ska ge insikt i varför miniatyrerna uppträder i Borgeby, och vad de kan ha haft för betydelse i samhället. En komparativ metod har använts för att jämföra gravplatserna, för att undersöka om det finns några likheter eller skillnader mellan dem. Resultatet visar att människorna i Borgeby hade kontakter med omvärlden. Bärnstenen var importerad från Danmark eller inspirerad av den danska trattbägarkulturen, och gravskicket i sig är inspirerat av den gropkeramiska kulturens gravar. / The study is an examination of double-edged miniature amber axes found in neolithic graves. Three different gravesites stand at the center of the essay: a flat grave field at Borgeby in Skåne, flat graves at Ajvide on Gotland, and three different megalithic passage graves in Denmark. Double-edge miniatures in amber appear in all of them. Using practice theory and the conceptof habitus the essay aims to give an insight in why they appear at Borgeby, as well as what double-edged axes might have meant to the people depositing them in graves. A comparative analysis of the above-mentioned gravesites will also be made, to examine whether any obvious similarities or differences exist between them. The results show that people in Borgeby had connections to the surrounding world. The miniature amber objects seem to be imported from Denmark or inspired by Danish shapes, whereas the graves themselves seem to be inspired by pitted ware culture.