In this study, litho-, bio- and chronostratigraphic investigations combined with RTK GPSleveling have been carried out to reconstruct the paleoenvironment in the central part of theLånghundraleden Trail. The area displays four shallow lake basins of varyingmorphologies. The basins are now covered with peat as a result of infilling and overgrowth.The emergence of the saddle-point, i.e. the highest point of the underlying minerogenicsurface, was estimated to have occurred c. BC/AD. The isolation events of two basins, atc.12.4 and c.12.3 m a.s.l. west and east of the saddle-point, were dated to c.AD 20 andc.AD 30, respectively. By combining these isolation data with six previously investigatedbasins a shore displacement curve for the central part of the Långhundraleden Trail and thesurrounding area, i.e. east of the Ekoln basin was constructed. The curve indicates anaverage regressive shore displacement rate of c.6.2 mm/yr since c. 3200 BC. Around 1500BC, this trend was interrupted by a short period of retarded regression, correlated with theL4 event. The isolation ages of the basins in the Långhundraleden Trail appears relativelyyoung when compared to an average shore displacement rate of 5.6 mm/year in thenorthern part of L. Mälaren, west of the Ekoln basin. As the area is dominated by a fissurevalleylandscape, this discrepancy could be attributed to small-scale irregular tectonicmovements, which caused faster uplift rate, i.e. 6.2 mm/year, east of the Ekoln basin.

There is a tendency in archaeology dealing with watercraft landing sites in a wider context to assume a direct relationship between sites in coastal and shore-bound areas and the practise of landing, without any deeper practical or theoretical exploration of the reality of any such relationship. This problem has its origins in the poor archaeological and conceptual definitions of watercraft landing sites obstructing any real understanding of the role of these sites in the maritime cultural landscape. Landing sites are taken for granted and they are undervalued as an archaeological source of explanation; notwithstanding, the concept of the landing site is readily used in archaeology in order to underpin archaeological interpretations on the maritime activities of past societies. In order to break away from the simplified understandings of past water-bound strategies based on the undefined concept of the landing site, this dissertation suggests a definition of watercraft landing sites in a wider social sense as water-bound contact zones; places of social interaction that can be archaeologically identified and investigated. This perspective integrates the understanding of the intentional character of human activity related to watercraft landing with the remaining archaeological traces. Archaeological definitions of landing sites that can be tested against the archaeological data are provided, and thereby, the dissertation contributes with the possibility to archaeologically evaluate and approach the social function of watercraft landing sites. This dissertation demonstrates that there can be an archaeology of landing sites.

Shore displacement has largely affected both the natural landscape and the humans within. This is especially true for Västergarn parish on Gotland, where low-lying plains make up large parts of the domain. Yet, the land–sea interaction of Västergarn, has not been studied closely for a long time. Through a comprehensive study, as well as a reexamination, of different sources and materials, this study aims to shed new light on the spatial distribution and chronology of Västergarn. To understand this, we need to get a scope of the extent of the sea. Previous research (e.g. Ilves & Darmark 2011; Mikołajczyk et al. 2015) has showed that phosphate analysis may help indicate the position of former shorelines. How can this, methodologically, be applied to phosphate-mapping carried out well over 50 years ago? This thesis does not aim to completely answer this question, but rather to analyze what went into determining a shore-level for 1000 AD during earlier research (e.g. Lundström 1979, 1981). Moreover, this study aims to critically examine the interplay between historical shore-levels and the built world within Västergarn. The Västergarn defensive wall and Paviken bay constitute the two main areas of study, owing to the pursuit of understanding the interplay between these two sites. Västergarn cannot be fully understood without also including the Kronholmen peninsula (formerly island, as the name suggests), why some attention is also directed towards this area. / Strandförskjutningen har till stor del påverkat både naturlandskapet och människorna inom. Detta stämmer i synnerhet för Västergarns socken på Gotland, där i princip hela området är att betrakta som synnerligen låglänt. Ändå har relationen mellan land och hav i Västergarn, inte utforskats närmare på länge. Genom att inkludera och ompröva ett flertal olika källor och material, syftar denna studie till att på nytt belysa Västergarns rumsliga fördelning och kronologi. Tidigare forskning (se Ilves & Darmark 2011; Mikołajczyk et al. 2015) har visat på att analys fosfatvärden kan bära med sig insikt i forna strandlinjenivåer. Hur kan denna kunskap metodologiskt tillämpas på fosfatkarteringar som genomfördes för mer än 50 år sedan? Denna uppsats syftar inte till att fullständigt besvara denna fråga, men däremot att närma sig vad som legat till grund för att fastställa en strandnivå för 1000 e.Kr. under tidigare forskning (se Lundström 1979, 1981). Huvudfokus för denna studie är att kritiskt granska samspelet mellan historiska strandlinjenivåer och bebyggelse i Västergarn. Västergarnsvallen och Paviken utgör, i strävan efter att förstå relationen mellan dessa två platser, de huvudsakliga studieområdena. Västergarn kan dock inte förstås till fullo utan att även blicka mot halvön Kronholmen (tidigare ö, som namnet vittnar om), varför en viss uppmärksamhet också riktas mot detta område.