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Slagg ses ofta som en restprodukt efter metallhantering. När studier genomförs för att nå djupare kunskap om slaggen sker det vanligen genom olika typer av tekniska analyser. I de naturvetenskapliga beskrivningarna av slaggens struktur och olika komponenter försvinner människorna som skapat och hanterat den. Människor som jobbar med olika typer av material, exempelvis trä, skinn och betong, får ett särskilt förhållande till just materialet och dess egenskaper, detta gäller inte minst för metall och därmed slagg. I denna artikel utforskas hur slagg i olika tider använts som identitetsmarkör och hur den påverkat människor, både direkt och indirekt. Exemplen är hämtade från yngre järnålderns Gästrikland och det tidigmoderna och nutida Bergslagen. Genom att vända på perspektivet och istället se slaggen som primär, går det att studera hur den vid olika tider och på olika vis utgjort en viktig social komponent i människors liv. Utgångspunkten är ett materialitetsperspektiv där jag inte ser slaggen som statisk utan istället följer den i dess ständiga förändring genom skapandet av historiska och kulturella processer.

Dødsreisen til den andre siden var ufravikelig og skjebnebestemt. I etno­logiske og historiske kilder var ikke Døden fravær av liv, men følgesvennen som fraktet de døde til et nytt liv blant forfedrene. Helhesten kom og hentet de døende og døde, men Helhesten var ikke kun følgesvennen og transportmiddelet på den siste reisen. Helhesten skulle også begraves med den avdøde, helst levende og gjerne stående, og selv på kirkegårder opp til moderne tid er det historier om hester og andre dyr begravd levende. Helhesten ble gravplassens beskytter og kirkegrim. Enhver ny kirke eller kirkegård hadde en kirkegrim som vokter. Følgesvennen og beskytteren i døden ble avbildet i dyrestil på kirkeporter og runesteiner, men også farlige og uskadeliggjorte dyr, som ormer og drager drept av helter og kjemper i storslagne og kosmiske kamper. De gode vant over det onde og vernet de levende. Døden kom også dansende og dødsdansen tok mennesker med seg til dødsrikene. Spelemannen og Nøkken spilte så intensiv musikk at de levende danset seg til døde og bak alle disse forestillingene ser vi skyggene av Odin. En grunnleggende myte opp gjennom historien er Åsgårdsreien eller Odins jakt. De døde var ikke bare i dødsrikene, men forfedrene og de døde red tilbake til slektningene på sine dødshester.

Sheep are among the earliest domesticated livestock species, with a wide variety of breeds present today. However, it remains unclear how far back this diversity goes, with formal documentation only dating back a few centuries. North European short-tailed (NEST) breeds are often assumed to be among the oldest domestic sheep populations, even thought to represent relicts of the earliest sheep expansions during the Neolithic period reaching Scandinavia <6,000 years ago. This study sequenced the genomes (up to 11.6X) of five sheep remains from the Baltic islands of Gotland and Åland, dating from the Late Neolithic (∼4,100 cal BP) to historical times (∼1,600 CE). Our findings indicate that these ancient sheep largely possessed the genetic characteristics of modern NEST breeds, suggesting a substantial degree of long-term continuity of this sheep type in the Baltic Sea region. Despite the wide temporal spread, population genetic analyses show high levels of affinity between the ancient genomes and they also exhibit relatively high genetic diversity when compared to modern NEST breeds, implying a loss of diversity in most breeds during the last centuries associated with breed formation and recent bottlenecks. Our results shed light on the development of breeds in Northern Europe specifically as well as the development of genetic diversity in sheep breeds, and their expansion from the domestication center in general., De två första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet

The author focuses on explaining the way of using and the function of an iron-and-wood object found during archaeological research of a site at the back of a town plot in the Old Town of Elbląg. The object is dated to the 1240s. A search for analogous archaeological finds in combination with the study of other categories of sources, including ethnographic and iconographic ones, made it possible to establish that this was a tool for cutting grooves in wood. It served to produce long, relatively narrow and not very deep grooves, mainly in shingles.

The Scandinavian interest in the Eurasian fur trade started in the early 8th century. Contacts between the Baltic Finns and the Permian groups in the Volga-Kama-Vjatka river region was the impetus for these contacts. The trail is seen in distinct Nevolino belt fittings, chain holders with twin horse heads and glassbeads emanating from the East. Scandinavian fur traders established close interaction with the Baltic Finns in what is today Finland and probably Northern Estonia increased from AD 700. Scandinavian glass beads and swords were in use in South-Western Finland in the early 8th c. Finnish A III pottery emerged in Eastern Middle Sweden already in the late 7th c., both as imports proper but also as local products made by Finnish women. In this early phase of interaction personal contacts obviously played a major role. After c. AD 860 these connections changed. The Baltic Finns expressed their cultural identity in a more exposed way. Scandinavian traders turned their attention to the expanding market based on Birka and the Rus’. From c. AD 860 territorial claims in the East were accentuated, leading to the later, bigger Rus’.

Fishing in rivers and lakes has traditionally been a longstanding and dependable means of sustenance for the people of inland Scandinavia. However, our understanding of pre-modern fishing traditions has been hampered by a lack of written sources, as well as a scarcity of archaeological data. However, a recent excavation and comprehensive dendrochronological analysis of a fish trapping enclosure system in Lake Nord-Mesna (520 masl.), in the boreal forests of inland Norway, has provided unique insight into freshwater fishing traditions, techniques and organization. The excavated structure, believed to be a fish weir with lath screen traps set into shallow water, was established in the late 1200s. In the following years it was regularly maintained in the spring/early summer. The last documented repair was in 1343. Its abandonment is interpreted as resulting from a recession likely induced by factors such as plague and climatic deterioration, that affected inland areas of Scandinavia in the 1300s. These results provide archaeological evidence of medieval utilization of effective enclosure traps in the region. This contradicts the prevailing notion that this form of fishing was later introduced by Forest Finns who migrated to the area in the 17th century. In addition, the findings give new and significant information about the organization and practice of medieval fishing in inland Scandinavia.

Northern Fennoscandia is a geologically complex region affected by both glacial and postglacial processes. Quartzite was a key material type utilized by hunter-gatherers in Northern Sweden around the period 4 000 – 2 000 BP, and is thus critical to the understanding of raw material procurement and material flow within the region. However, there is a severe lack of methodological development in the characterization of these materials, and provenance of locally available geological material is complex and fraught with uncertainty. 126 quartz/quartzite points and preforms were sampled from 47 archaeological sites along the upper Ångerman river valley in Västerbotten, Sweden. The material has been analysed non-destructively using three separate portable spectroscopic instrumentations (Near-infrared, Raman, X-Ray Fluorescence). Evaluation of the spectra and exploratory data analysis using Principal Component Analysis demonstrates detectable differences in the material that likely stem from diagenetic/paragenetic origin. The presence of graphite, muscovite and biotite could likewise provide information on the material’s metamorphic grade. In addition to reaffirming the potential of field-based screening instrumentation, these results will benefit future surveys of geological sources in the region. They also indicate potential for the construction of a predictive model that could classify the quartzite based on its chemical characteristic. Such a model would prove useful in future spatial analysis and testing of models of raw material management.

Triticum timopheevii sensu lato ('new glume wheat', NGW) was first recognised as a distinct prehistoric cereal crop through work on archaeobotanical finds from Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in northern Greece. This was later followed by its identification in archaeobotanical assemblages from other parts of Europe. This paper provides an overview of the currently known archaeobotanical finds of Timopheev's wheat in southeastern and eastern Europe and observes their temporal span and spatial distribution. To date, there are 89 prehistoric sites with these finds, located in different parts of the study region and dated from the Neolithic to the very late Iron Age. Their latest recorded presence in the region is in the last centuries bce. For assemblages from the site as a whole containing at least 30 grain and/or chaff remains of Timopheev's wheat, we take a brief look at the overall relative proportions of Triticum monococcum (einkorn), T. dicoccum (emmer) and T. timopheevii s.l. (Timopheev's wheat), the three most common glume wheats in our study region in prehistory. We highlight several sites where the overall proportions of Timopheev's wheat might be taken to suggest it was a minor component of a mixed crop (maslin), or an unmonitored inclusion in einkorn or emmer fields. At the same sites, however, there are also discrete contexts where this wheat is strongly predominant, pointing to its cultivation as a pure crop. We therefore emphasise the need to evaluate the relative representation of Timopheev's wheat at the level of individual samples or contexts before making inferences on its cultivation status. We also encourage re-examination of prehistoric and historic cereal assemblages for its remains., Errata: Filipović, D., Jones, G., Kirleis, W. et al. Correction: Triticum timopheevii s.l. (‘new glume wheat’) finds in regions of southern and eastern Europe across space and time. Veget Hist Archaeobot. 2024. DOI: 10.1007/s00334-023-00968-4Correction: Filipović, D., Jones, G., Kirleis, W. et al. Correction: Triticum timopheevii s.l. (‘new glume wheat’) finds in regions of southern and eastern Europe across space and time. Veget Hist Archaeobot (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-024-00991-z

Reconstructions of past land use and related land-cover changes at local and regional scales are needed to evaluate the potential long-term impacts of land use on the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. In this purpose, we selected the Gamleby area at the Swedish Baltic Sea coast for a case study. We use a new, high resolution pollen record from a small lake (Lillsjön) located 3.6 km NNW of the bay Gamlebyviken and detailed analysis of the available archeological data to reconstruct local land-use changes over the last 3000 years. To estimate land-cover change at local (2–3 km radius area) and regional (50 km radius area) scales we use four additional, published pollen records from two small and two large lakes (25–70 km S of Lillsjön) and the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm, a pollen-vegetation modeling scheme. Results show that regional and local (small lakes Lillsjön and Hyttegöl) land-cover changes are comparable over the last 1500 years (Late Iron Age to present), and that landscape openness was much larger locally than regionally (difference of 20–40% cover over the last 500 years). The periods of largest potential impacts on the Gamlebyviken Bay from regional and local land use are 200–950 CE (Late Iron Age) and 1450 CE to present, and of lowest potential impacts 950–1450 CE. The question on whether the large landscape openness 1150–50 BCE and significant afforestation 50 BCE–200 CE reconstructed for Lillsjön’s area are characteristic of the Gamlebyviken region will require additional pollen records in the catchment area.

By-products of metal corrosion, when coming into contact with organic matter, have the capacity to preserve it from decay. A pilot study was conducted aiming to explore the potential and limitations of plant remains preserved in by-products of metal corrosion for archaeobotanical research. The organic remains considered come from the surface/immediate proximity of the metal funerary artefacts of two ancient cemeteries—Varna and Messambria, Eastern Bulgaria. Metal corrosion by-products were observed and sampled, under a low magnification stereo microscope. Subsequently, the plant macrofossils recognised were analysed under reflected light and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Additionally, pollen was extracted from the metal corrosion by-products, using standard acetolysis. The analyses from the graves of both cemeteries allowed identification of textiles and plant fibres, as well as wood (Cornus sp., Pinus sp., Viburnum sp.). At Varna cemetery epidermis fragments of Juncus sp. were recognized, while at Messambria necropolis fruits of almond were found. The pollen analysis from Varna points to use of flowers in the ritual (Daphne tetrads were recorded) and shows a notably open landscape with 77% non-arboreal pollen (NAP). The palynological analysis from the Messambria necropolis revealed the use of flowers in the burial ritual indicated by clusters of Vitis, Cistus and Rosaceae pollen. The surrounding vegetation was dominated by open oak woodland and open habitats (43% NAP) with a strong presence of anthropogenic indicators. The outcome of the study proved to be promising for reconstructing details of the burial rituals including associated plant materials, as well as the surrounding plant habitats during the functioning of the cemeteries.

Det pseudovetenskapliga forskningsinstitutet Ahnenerbe var en del av det nazistiska kampförbundet SS. Före kriget dokumenterade man bland annat bohusländska hällristningar i syfte att spåra ariska kopplingar mellan nordisk forntid och tysk historia. Arbetet leddes av Herman Wirth, som hade tät kontakt med den svenska riksantikvarien.

Slagg ses ofta som en restprodukt efter metallhantering. När studier genomförs för att nå djupare kunskap om slaggen sker det vanligen genom olika typer av tekniska analyser. I de naturvetenskapliga beskrivningarna av slaggens struktur och olika komponenter försvinner människorna som skapat och hanterat den. Människor som jobbar med olika typer av material, exempelvis trä, skinn och betong, får ett särskilt förhållande till just materialet och dess egenskaper, detta gäller inte minst för metall och därmed slagg. I denna artikel utforskas hur slagg i olika tider använts som identitetsmarkör och hur den påverkat människor, både direkt och indirekt. Exemplen är hämtade från yngre järnålderns Gästrikland och det tidigmoderna och nutida Bergslagen. Genom att vända på perspektivet och istället se slaggen som primär, går det att studera hur den vid olika tider och på olika vis utgjort en viktig social komponent i människors liv. Utgångspunkten är ett materialitetsperspektiv där jag inte ser slaggen som statisk utan istället följer den i dess ständiga förändring genom skapandet av historiska och kulturella processer.

Dødsreisen til den andre siden var ufravikelig og skjebnebestemt. I etno­logiske og historiske kilder var ikke Døden fravær av liv, men følgesvennen som fraktet de døde til et nytt liv blant forfedrene. Helhesten kom og hentet de døende og døde, men Helhesten var ikke kun følgesvennen og transportmiddelet på den siste reisen. Helhesten skulle også begraves med den avdøde, helst levende og gjerne stående, og selv på kirkegårder opp til moderne tid er det historier om hester og andre dyr begravd levende. Helhesten ble gravplassens beskytter og kirkegrim. Enhver ny kirke eller kirkegård hadde en kirkegrim som vokter. Følgesvennen og beskytteren i døden ble avbildet i dyrestil på kirkeporter og runesteiner, men også farlige og uskadeliggjorte dyr, som ormer og drager drept av helter og kjemper i storslagne og kosmiske kamper. De gode vant over det onde og vernet de levende. Døden kom også dansende og dødsdansen tok mennesker med seg til dødsrikene. Spelemannen og Nøkken spilte så intensiv musikk at de levende danset seg til døde og bak alle disse forestillingene ser vi skyggene av Odin. En grunnleggende myte opp gjennom historien er Åsgårdsreien eller Odins jakt. De døde var ikke bare i dødsrikene, men forfedrene og de døde red tilbake til slektningene på sine dødshester.

In this thesis I examine current and future uses of Big Data in archaeology. New technologies have enabled a range of data capture, data storage, and analyses. Digitization in our society has brought new ways of working for archaeologists and the increased amount of data affects how we can understand the world. Big Data reshapes the research process and creates new risks and opportunities for digital archaeology. Several sources have been examined in order to understand what this looks like in archaeology, such as articles published in the journal Internet Archaeology, a questionnaire answered by archaeologists and digital humanists, interviews by two representatives of archaeology, one representative of digital humanities and a chatbot. The archaeological material has become more accessible. Big Data contributes to data-driven science which enforces a paradigm shift. As data is created faster in various ways and to a voluminous extent archaeologists are forced to work with issues related to the management and storage of data. Digital humanists and archaeologists emphasize that Big Data brings efficient working methods and analyses that can contribute with new questions and reliable knowledge. This can increase the relevance of humanities subjects in the research community. That being said, the nature of Big Data often includes quantitative structured data and its result can be characterized as objective and trustworthy. Perceptions of data as bias-free and that Big Data affects theory to become obsolete may jeopardize the use of source criticism. There is a lack of standardization in how to measure and store data in archaeology which contributes to decontextualization of data. I urge that archaeologists should reflect on how cutting edge data-modeling and AI-modeling can assist in the research process as well as how ethical aspects of data should be considered in order not to risk interpretations overlooking people, places and practices.

The Mesolithic period in Sweden lasted generally between 9500-4000 BC and is characterised by the dynamic landscape. People usually lived in smaller groups by the coast, sustained by the forests and the sea’s resources. The study is limited to central Sweden, specifically the province of Västmanland. Fourteen settlements are analysed through an archaeological analysis with an ecological perspective in order to answer how the Mesolithic people utilised the landscape resources and how this is reflected in said landscape. In conclusion, people used the landscape in order to accommodate their current needs long term or short term.

This thesis analyzes and documents the splint armor material from Valsgärde 8 and Vendel I,X, and XI. This armor is then contextualized in the warrior institutions, weapon-systems, and fighting techniques of warbands from Central Sweden. Analogies for the splint armor are sought after with the closest parallels being found around the Black Sea area, associated with Byzantine, Sassanid, and Steppe-Nomadic martial cultures. The systems of exchange between these two regions are then analyzed in order to inform as to where this armor came from, whyit is there in Central Sweden, and what this can tell us about the development of military contacts between Central Sweden and the Black Sea area during the Vendel Period., Denna uppsats berör analysen och dokumentationen av det Vendeltida skenpansarmaterialet från Valsgärde 8 och Vendel I, X och XI, där skenpansarna sätts i kontext med krigarinstitutioner, vapensystem och stridstekniker från krigsband i Centrala Sverige. Analogier för dessa skenpansar med närmaste paralleller har påträffats i Svartahavsområdet och associeras med Bysantinska, Sasanidiska och stäppnomadiska krigarkulturer. Utbytessystem mellan dessa två regioner analyseras för att få förståelse för var denna typ av rustning härrör ifrån, varför den har hamnat i Centrala Sverige och vad de kan säga om utvecklingen av militära kontakter mellan Centrala Sverige och Svartahavsområdet under Vendeltiden.

The influence of nationalism on different heritage sites within the former Yugoslavian region – similarities and differences. Five heritage sites are examined and discussed, the Bosnian “Pyramids”, Jajce fortress, the Old Bridge Mostar, Mrakovica monument and Ptuj castle. Most these sites have had issues with their own narratives, either being reinvented or contested, which later led to greater consequences. While the active use of most of these sites is in the past the Bosnian “pyramids” are still active and in contradiction to the opinion of most archaeologists and scientific institutions. With narrative freedom the Bosnian “pyramids” risk following the same path other heritage sites have in the past.

Among the many shifts within public archaeology and heritage during recent years is an endeavour to find new methods of engagement which has been broadly undertaken within the field. This thesis suggests one such method could be found in the use of Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPGs). It does so by examining the current issues in public archaeology and how an intersection between archaeology and game studies could be applied. This includes the importance of empathy and roleplaying in understanding of the past and how this could be applied to the field of public archaeology., Under de senaste åren har det funnits en strävan av att hitta nya metoder för att presentera och engagera människor för arkeologi och kulturarv. I den här uppsatsen har en sådan metod i form av brädspel som inkluderar rollspel (TTRPGs) presenterats och analyserats. I uppsatsen tas aktuella frågor inom publik arkeologi upp och hur interaktionen mellan arkeologi och spelstudier skulle kunna tillämpas och bidra till att engagera människor i arkeologi och kulturarv. Studien inkluderar betydelsen av empati och rollspel och hur detta skulle kunna appliceras inom området publik arkeologi.

Osteological, spatial, and grave condition analysis in St Giles’ Cathedral revealed the social hierarchy in medieval Scotland, from the 12th century to the 15th century. Cultural life in the cathedral was divided between the ecclesiastical people active in it, ranging from grave construction to grave sectioning and mortuary rites. This was mirrored in the way the individuals were buried, which made it possible to analyze them and make conclusions on the cultural and social life during the Middle Ages in Scotland.

Studies of human sacrifice during the Iron Age in the Nordic countries have long been based on historical literary sources. Scientific studies of human sacrifice often lack archaeological material in the form of human skeletons. This is because of the difficulty in detecting injuries on human bones that can be linked to lethal violence. Studies of bog bodies have mainly been done on bog mummies and therefore studies of wetland skeletons have lagged behind. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether it is possible to find archaeological evidence for historical literary sources' claim that people in the Nordic countries were sacrificed alive during the Iron Age. The aim is also to investigate during which periods of the Nordic Iron Age these human sacrifices took place. It is hoped that this thesis will make an archaeological contribution to research on Nordic human sacrifice and thus pave the way for more interdisciplinary studies of the subject.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the relationship between grave goods and the identity of buried individuals. The interpretation of sex and gender, as well as gendered grave goods in Late Iron Age Scandinavia, is of a particular focus. A comparative analysis of 163 graves was carried out using an intersectional theoretic perspective, statistical analysis, and a database, with the Lovö cemeteries serving as the case study. The results of this analysis revealed certain patterns and variances that demonstrate a relationship between the grave goods assemblages that were chosen and aspects of an individual’s identity, including gender for some grave goods, but a lack of a correlation for other grave goods. Thus, it concluded that “normal” burials are influenced by factors such as facets of one’s identity, community standing and social status, familial ties and kinship, and lived experiences, with each grave tailored to suit the individual, and that gender as a whole has little influence on how a burial is constructed., Syftet med detta examensarbete är att analysera sambandet mellan gravgods och begravda individers identitet. Tolkningen av kön och genus, samt könsbestämda gravgods i yngre järnålders Skandinavien, av särskilt fokus. En jämförande analys av 163 gravar genomfördes med ett intersektionellt teoretiskt perspektiv, statistisk analys och en databas, med Lovö kyrkogårdar som fallstudie. Resultaten av denna analys avslöjade vissa mönster och varianser som visar ett samband mellan de gravgodssammansättningar som valts ut och aspekter av en individs identitet, inklusive kön för vissa gravgods, men en brist på en korrelation för andra gravgods. Således drog den slutsatsen att "normala" begravningar påverkas av faktorer som aspekter av ens identitet, samhällsställning och social status, välbekanta band och släktskap och levda upplevelser, med varje grav skräddarsydd för att passa individen, och att kön som helhet har liten påverkan på hur en begravning är uppbyggd.

Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka om det är möjligt att förutse var de okända fångstgropar befinner sig i landskapet med hjälp av karaktärsdragen från de kända lämningarna. Målet med detta arbete är att identifiera och registrera okända fångstgropar för att skydda dem från att skadas av skogsbruket. Denna studie förhåller sig till ett undersökningsområde (kommunerna Karlskoga och Degerfors) men diskuterar även andra fångstgropar i Sverige. Under detta arbete har de kända fångstgroparna nyttjats på flera olika sätt; med hjälp av terrängskuggning granskades området vid fångstgroparna i syfte att se om det fanns ytterligare gropar i närheten samt att studera hur en grop kunde synas i terrängskuggningen. Sedan fältbesöktes de kända fångstgroparna för att kunna sammanställa deras karaktärsdrag och med hjälp av detta, samt tidigare forskning och kartanalyser kunde fem karaktärsdrag uppmärksammas. I slutändan upptäcktes åtta okända fångstgropar, varav tre är kvalitetssäkrade av Ulf Eriksson, arkeolog på Skogsstyrelsen och är/kommer bli registrerade i Kulturmiljöregistret. Uppsatsen diskuterar också det nuvarande kunskapsläget om fångstgropar till olika bytesdjur, samt jakt- och fångstmetoderna vargskall och varggård. Detta har dessvärre inte kunnat nå en slutsats då det fanns alldeles för många osäkra faktorer i tidigare forskning som påverkade uppsatsen negativt., This paper aims to investigate whether it is possible to predict the location of the unknown pits in the landscape using the characteristics of the known remains. The goal of this work is to identify and register unknown pitfalls to protect them from being damaged by forestry. This study relates to an investigation area (the municipalities of Karlskoga and Degerfors) but also discusses other catch pits in Sweden. During this work, the known catch pits have been used in several different ways; with the help of terrain shading, the area at the trapping pits was examined to see if there were additional pits nearby and to study how a pit could be seen in the terrain shading. The known trapping pits were then visited in the field to be able to compile their characteristics. With the help of previous research and map analyses, five characteristics could be noticed. In the end, seven unknown trap pits were discovered, three of which are quality assured by Ulf Eriksson, archaeologist at the Swedish Forest Agency. The thesis also discusses the current state of knowledge about trapping pits for various prey animals, as well as the hunting and trapping methods wolf hunting and wolf enclosure. Unfortunately, this has not been able to reach a conclusion as too many uncertain factors in previous research affected the essay negatively.

De kvinnliga kultledarna som vi känner som völvan eller valan tolkas traditionellt utifrån de materiella tingen som följt kvinnorna i graven. Ofta är dessa gravar enastående i sin sammansättning där de värdefulla och kännetecknande föremålen signalerar om den upphöjda statusen vilka dessa kvinnor ägt och förvaltat. I sammanhanget lyfts ofta två sådana völvagravar, Osebergsgraven och grav 4 i Fyrkat där de botaniska lämningarna också har förstärkt denna kontext utifrån växternas verkningsgrad som drog med vanebildande och hallucinogena egenskaper. Med en utgångspunkt i arkeobotaniken och ett tvärvetenskapligt förhållningssätt undersöks hur specifika botaniska spår kan tolkas i flera olika kvinnogravar som anlagts under järnåldern. Ofta finns en etnobiologisk och folkloristisk historia kring växtmaterialet som kan fungera som användbara verktyg för den arkeologiska tolkningen. De botaniska lämningarna är oftast underrepresenterade i det arkeologiska materialet vilket också ofta ger en uteslutande bild av dess närvaro och betydelse. Genom att vända på perspektivet och låta de botaniska lämningarna styra materialsamling, undersökning och analys kan också andra tolkningsvärden, för hur vi definierar völvan, uppnås., This essay presents alternative ways to interpret how we can connect the völva to archaeological material. This is traditionaly done thrue high status objects and personal belongings. The völva also represents an adecvat knowledge of healing, magic and also the power to anticipate the future which included a props of botanical skills. With that starting point, with the botanical remains as a reference, and what we can se and interpret in the archaeobotanical remains I want to, if possible, extend how we characterize the concept of the völva.

Through the examination of four different burial sites located on the island of Öland this essay identifies and interprets different socially constructed age groups present in iron age communities based on the graves of children from the period. This is done mainly by studying the placements, constructions and contents of the graves, as well as the relationships between the graves on the burial sites.

During the 9th and 10th centuries large amounts of Islamic coins arrived in Scandinavia. Most of them were used as silver in a bullion-economy and were often fragmented because of this. However, their use was not limited to only economic purposes because we see large amounts of pendants made of these coins. By suspending a coin with a loop or only a hole you transform it into something completely different, something that has a new meaning. This new meaning is the focus of this thesis and by analysing graves where Islamic coin pendants were deposited, we can conclude how they were thought of and used. In this thesis I conclude that Islamic coin-pendants were used as status objects during the Viking-age, by both elite and non-elite people in Uppland. The Islamic inscriptions on the coins were most likely not understood and probably only seen as symbols and patterns similarly to other European coin-pendants.

The paper reports an historical-archaeological study of a place in Stockholm’s Old Town that has been associated with German immigrants since the 12th century. Today’s Juno Quarter was once the site of a hall that hosted the ceremonies and feast-day celebrations of the Saint Gertrud guild. Historical sources say it was the largest of some 20 guildhouses in medieval Stockholm, yet nothing is known about its size and shape, or whether and how it was incorporated into the chapel built on the site in 1580 or the church that stands there today, built in 1682. Drawing on the ideas and techniques of buildings archaeology, the undercroft is analysed with the aim of situating the place of the guildhouse in the space of medieval Stockholm, at the crossroads between royal power (it lay down the hill from the castle), clerical power (it was in the shadow of the Blackfriars monastery, dismantled after the Reformation) and commercial power (it would have overlooked the harbour where the Baltic Sea met Lake Mälaren, on which iron ore was transported from the north, bound for the continent). With the use of analogies, the place that the Stockholm Germans made for themselves is situated in the larger context of a medieval Europe undergoing dynamic urbanisation, and the rise of a cosmopolitan mercantile class.

This report presents the results of archaeological investigations of maritime remains on the northern part of Björkö in Lake Mälaren, in connection with L2017:1904, Adelsö parish, in Uppland. The investigations included surveys, geochemical analyses and excavations as well as a topographic investigation of the so-called Salviksgropen. The results of a ground penetrating radar survey and an osteoarchaeological analysis of the bone material from the 2020-2021 excavations of a shipyard site are also discussed. The investigations were carried out by the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical studies at Stockholm University. The results show that the stone row, which in the previous survey was referred to as the possible remains of a jetty or boat landing site, probably constituted a breakwater, as well as a landing site, that was constructed to protect the adjacent shipyard site. The osteological analysis shows that the bone material consists of food remains, and a possible place for food preparation is indicated by the soil chemical analyses. The same analysis also points to a possible site for blacksmithing activities associated with the shipyard site. The georadar survey shows traces of ploughed-over burial mounds, indicating that the cemetery Hemlanden surrounded the shipyard site on all sides. The height mapping of the potential harbour arms at Salviksgropen shows that these, as they look today, are too low in the landscape in relation to the maritime remains at Korshamn to have had this function.

The expansion of people speaking Bantu languages is the most dramatic demographic event in Late Holocene Africa and fundamentally reshaped the linguistic, cultural and biological landscape of the continent1-7. With a comprehensive genomic dataset, including newly generated data of modern-day and ancient DNA from previously unsampled regions in Africa, we contribute insights into this expansion that started 6,000-4,000 years ago in western Africa. We genotyped 1,763 participants, including 1,526 Bantu speakers from 147 populations across 14 African countries, and generated whole-genome sequences from 12 Late Iron Age individuals8. We show that genetic diversity amongst Bantu-speaking populations declines with distance from western Africa, with current-day Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo as possible crossroads of interaction. Using spatially explicit methods9 and correlating genetic, linguistic and geographical data, we provide cross-disciplinary support for a serial-founder migration model. We further show that Bantu speakers received significant gene flow from local groups in regions they expanded into. Our genetic dataset provides an exhaustive modern-day African comparative dataset for ancient DNA studies10 and will be important to a wide range of disciplines from science and humanities, as well as to the medical sector studying human genetic variation and health in African and African-descendant populations. We gathered genetic data for 1,763 individuals from 147 populations across 14 African countries, and 12 Late Iron Age individuals, to trace the expansion of Bantu-speaking peoples over the past 6,000 years.

Institutionen för arkeologi och antikens kultur bedrev mellan åren 1958 och 2007 sina seminariegrävningar på olika gravfält Lovö, Lovö sn, Uppland. De flesta gravfält blev med tiden totalutgrävda vilket givit ett rikt, sammanhållet material för vidare forskning. Denna bok är en sammanställning av de tidigare tio i serien och syftar till att ge en kort överblick över tidigare forskning och nuvarande forskningsläge.

Denna rapport behandlar den arkeologiska undersökningen av Lenstad fornborg (L1956:5511, Torslunda RAÄ 9:1) som genomfördes i maj 2023 av Arkeologiska forskningslaboratoriet, Institutionen för arkeologi och antikens kultur vid Stockholms universitet. Undersökningen ingår i forskningsprogrammet "Kris, konflikt och klimat – samhällsförändring i Skandinavien år 300–700", ett samarbete mellan Arkeologiska forskningslaboratoriet (AFL), Stockholms universitet, Linnéuniversitetet och Kalmar Länsmuseum. Resultaten baseras på arkeologiska utgrävningar, geokemisk kartering, arkeobotanisk analys, 14C-datering samt en specialinriktad drönarflygning med laserscanner. Resultaten visar att aktiviteterna vid Lenstad borg är relativt tidiga då de dateras till tidig romersk järnålder samtidigt som de flesta andra av Ölands ringborgar dateras till folkvandringstid. Dateringen är baserad på en 14C-datering av ett förkolnat sädeskorn från en grophärd inuti borgen till 79-235 cal CE (2s). Det saknas starka spår av intensivt boende och hantverk i Lenstad borg men här finns lämningar efter viss brandaktivitet, odling och insamling av växter, samt eventuellt textilhantverk. Vi har inte hittat några hus längs insidan av muren, vilket förekommer i flera andra borgar, men möjliga strukturer finns i den centrala till södra delen av borgplanen. Själva ringborgens murkonstruktion är fortfarande oidentifierad, och vi ifrågasätter om den yttre "muren" i norr och väster faktiskt hör till denna anläggning., This report deals with the archaeological investigation of Lenstad borg (L1956:5511, Torslunda RAÄ 9:1) carried out in May 2023 by the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Stockholm University. The survey is part of the research programme "Crisis, conflict and climate - societal change in Scandinavia 300-700", a collaboration between the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University, the Linnaeus University and Kalmar County Museum. The results are based on archaeological excavations, geochemical mapping, archaeobotanical analysis, radiocarbon dating and a detailed topographic laser scanner drone investigation. The results show that the activities at Lenstad borg are relatively early as they are dated to the Early Roman Iron Age, while most other ringforts on Öland are dated to the Migration Period. The date is based on a radiocarbon analysis of a charred grain from a pit-hearth inside the fort to 79-235 cal CE (2s). There are no strong evidence for intensive dwelling acitivities in Lenstad borg, but there are remains of some fire activity, cultivation and collection of plants, and possibly textile crafts. We have not found any houses along the inside of the wall, which has been observed in several other ringforts, but possible structures do exist in the central to southern part of the yard. The wall construction of the ringfort itself is still unidentified, and we question whether the outer 'wall' to the north and west actually belongs to this fort., Kris, konflikt och klimat – samhällsförändring i Skandinavien år 300–700

To date, traditional narratives of the Late Iron Age have focused almost exclusively on discussions of the elite. These were the martial rulers and major landholders who occupied the upper strata of Scandinavian society. The lives of lower-status population groups, including enslaved and other ‘unfree’ or dependent peoples such as landless farmers, have long been marginalized in archaeological discourse. We have little knowledge of the ways in which the lifeways of subaltern peoples were shaped by the construction and maintenance of socio-political hierarchies and networks, or of how social inequality permeated and impacted the daily lives of communities. In this article, the authors propose that the concept of structural violence, developed by sociologist Johan Galtung, has the potential to offer an interdisciplinary framework for multi-proxy studies of (bio)archaeological and textual data.

We report the archaeological survey, dendrochronological analysis, and archival research concerning two shipwrecks located in shallow waters outside Vaxholm in the Stockholm Archipelago, Baltic Sea. According to oral tradition, the two wrecks are the remains of Neptunus and To Løver, two former Danish warships that were taken as prizes at the battle of Fehmarn in 1644. The Swedish navy then used the two ships until 1659, when they were reportedly scuttled as a blockage along the sea route towards Stockholm. Before being intentionally scuttled, the two ships drifted away and sank. The work presented in this article confirms the substance of the tradition and reports that substantial portions of the two ships are preserved. Moreover, the two wrecks shed light on the scuttling process and the construction of an underwater barrier., "Den glömda flottan – Sveriges "blåa" kulturarv 1450-1850"

This article discusses the use of statistical methods for systematising 96 archaeological ship finds, mainly from the southern and south-eastern coast of Norway. It draws on an article published in 2009 by Jan Bill, where he did a similar investigation of material from the Danish area. The method of multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) provides a way to summarise categorical data in a reduced number of dimensions. The results are presented in a geographical space, a plot, that can be used for making interpretations and assumptions of cohesions and divergences in the material. It is a way of analysing continuity and change in boatbuilding techniques that avoids using arbitrary and ambiguous concepts of historical (ship) types. Instead, the building techniques, the ways of ‘doing things’, make the premises for classification. The results in this article can be considered preliminary, its primary function being a discussion on methodology.

The article evaluates recent scholarship on famines in Europe during the medieval and early modern periods (c. 700–1800), synthesizing the state-of-the-art knowledge and identifying both research gaps and interdisciplinary potentials. Particular focus is placed on how, and to what extent, climatic change and variability is given explanatory power in famine causation. Current research, supported by recent advances in palaeoclimatology, reveals that anomalous cold conditions constituted the main environmental backdrop for severe food production crises that could result in famines in pre-industrial Europe. Such food crises occurred most frequently between c. 1550 and 1710, during the climax of the Little Ice Age cooling, and can be connected to the strong dependency on grain in Europe during this period. The available body of scholarship demonstrates that famines in medieval and early modern Europe best can be understood as the result of the interactions of climatic and societal stressors responding to pre-existing vulnerabilities. Recent research has shown that societal responses to these famines, and the appropriation of their consequences, have been much more comprehensive, dynamic, and substantial than previously assumed. The article concludes by providing recommendations for future studies on historical famines.

This article discusses ethical frameworks for planning and implementing composite research in the United States. Composites, defined here as archaeological materials with multiple genetic sources, include materials such as sediment, coprolites, birch pitch, and dental calculus. Although composites are increasingly used in genetic research, the ethical considerations of their use in ancient DNA studies have not been widely discussed. Here, we consider how composites' compositions, contexts, and potential to act as proxies can affect research plans and offer an overview of the primary ethical concerns of ancient DNA research. It is our view that ethical principles established for analyses of Ancestral remains and related materials can be used to inform research plans when working with composite evidence. This work also provides a guide to archaeologists unfamiliar with genetics analyses in planning research when using composite evidence from the United States with a focus on collaboration, having a clear research plan, and using lab methods that provide the desired data with minimal destruction. Following the principles discussed in this article and others allows for engaging in composite research while creating and maintaining positive relationships with stakeholders. El presente trabajo analiza las preocupaciones eticas para la planificacion e implementacion de investigaciones compuestas en los Estados Unidos. Los compuestos, definidos aqui como muestras arqueologicas con multiples fuentes geneticas, incluyen materiales como sedimentos, paleofecas, brea de abedul y calculo dental. Sin embargo, si bien los compuestos se han utilizado cada vez mas en la investigacion genetica arqueologica, las consideraciones eticas de su uso en estudios de aADN no se han discutido ampliamente. Aqui consideramos como las composiciones, los contextos y el potencial de los compuestos para actuar como sustitutos pueden afectar los planes de investigacion y ofrecer una vision general de l

Prehistoric chewed pitch has proven to be a useful source of ancient DNA, both from humans and their microbiomes. Here we present the metagenomic analysis of three pieces of chewed pitch from Huseby Klev, Sweden, that were dated to 9,890–9,540 before present. The metagenomic profile exposes a Mesolithic oral microbiome that includes opportunistic oral pathogens. We compared the data with healthy and dysbiotic microbiome datasets and we identified increased abundance of periodontitis-associated microbes. In addition, trained machine learning models predicted dysbiosis with 70–80% probability. Moreover, we identified DNA sequences from eukaryotic species such as red fox, hazelnut, red deer and apple. Our results indicate a case of poor oral health during the Scandinavian Mesolithic, and show that pitch pieces have the potential to provide information on material use, diet and oral health.

This paper presents a study of ceramics from Northwest China from the Neolithic and Bronze Age (c. 3300-600 BCE), providing insights into variations in human-ceramic interactions over time and space. Based on macroscopic and petrographic analysis of ceramics from 10 sites, this paper shows that there is much more complexity in ceramic technology than previously thought. It identifies a development from a bi-modal distinction between painted fine ware and rusticated coarse wares shared among communities across Northwest China to strongly localised ceramic traditions with new fabrics, vessel shapes, and decorations, some of them potentially of outside origin, reflecting considerable societal change.

The Maderö wreck was discovered in the 1960s in the Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden. An archaeological investigation undertaken in 2022 included the inspection and documentation of visible ship parts, sampling for dendrochronological analysis and sampling for ICP analysis from the brick cargo. The results show that the wood originates from the Baltic Sea area and was felled after 1467, while the clay for the brick originates from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern area. The ship's technical analysis shows that it is a large clinker-built merchant ship. Traces of iron on a recovered stone shot indicate that the ship was armed when it sank., "Den glömda flottan – Sveriges "blåa" kulturarv 1450-1850"

Blekinge museum har på uppdrag av Länsstyrelsen i Blekinge undersökt och dokumenterat vraket efter flöjtskeppet Constantia (1676), beläget öster om Inlängan i Blekinge skärgård. Lämningen dokumenterades genom fotogrammetri och manuell uppmätning. Därutöver sågades fem prov för dendrokronologisk analys och ett fyra tegelstenar bärgades för ICP-analys. Området runt vraket metalldetekterades och flera större utslag noterades, möjligtvis kanoner. På lämningen påträffades en träsked samt flera metallfragment från en klocka vilka skyddsbärgades efter samråd med Länsstyrelsen. Undersökningen visar att lämningen trots sitt nedbrutna tillstånd innehåller flera välbevarade och orörda arkeologiska kontexter vilka kan ge en unik inblick i livet ombord på ett krigsfartyg under stormaktstiden och inte minst användningen av bestyckade handelsfartyg. Därutöver illustrerar hela händelseförloppet kring Constantias förlisning på det strategiska behovet av en flottbas i södra Östersjön, ett behov som Karlskrona därefter kommit att tillgodose., Den glömda flottan – Sveriges "blåa" kulturarv 1450-1850

Det pseudovetenskapliga forskningsinstitutet Ahnenerbe var en del av det nazistiska kampförbundet SS. Före kriget dokumenterade man bland annat bohusländska hällristningar i syfte att spåra ariska kopplingar mellan nordisk forntid och tysk historia. Arbetet leddes av Herman Wirth, som hade tät kontakt med den svenska riksantikvarien.

Northern Fennoscandia is a geologically complex region affected by both glacial and postglacial processes. Quartzite was a key material type utilized by hunter-gatherers in Northern Sweden around the period 4 000 – 2 000 BP, and is thus critical to the understanding of raw material procurement and material flow within the region. However, there is a severe lack of methodological development in the characterization of these materials, and provenance of locally available geological material is complex and fraught with uncertainty. 126 quartz/quartzite points and preforms were sampled from 47 archaeological sites along the upper Ångerman river valley in Västerbotten, Sweden. The material has been analysed non-destructively using three separate portable spectroscopic instrumentations (Near-infrared, Raman, X-Ray Fluorescence). Evaluation of the spectra and exploratory data analysis using Principal Component Analysis demonstrates detectable differences in the material that likely stem from diagenetic/paragenetic origin. The presence of graphite, muscovite and biotite could likewise provide information on the material’s metamorphic grade. In addition to reaffirming the potential of field-based screening instrumentation, these results will benefit future surveys of geological sources in the region. They also indicate potential for the construction of a predictive model that could classify the quartzite based on its chemical characteristic. Such a model would prove useful in future spatial analysis and testing of models of raw material management.

Reconstructions of past land use and related land-cover changes at local and regional scales are needed to evaluate the potential long-term impacts of land use on the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. In this purpose, we selected the Gamleby area at the Swedish Baltic Sea coast for a case study. We use a new, high resolution pollen record from a small lake (Lillsjön) located 3.6 km NNW of the bay Gamlebyviken and detailed analysis of the available archeological data to reconstruct local land-use changes over the last 3000 years. To estimate land-cover change at local (2–3 km radius area) and regional (50 km radius area) scales we use four additional, published pollen records from two small and two large lakes (25–70 km S of Lillsjön) and the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm, a pollen-vegetation modeling scheme. Results show that regional and local (small lakes Lillsjön and Hyttegöl) land-cover changes are comparable over the last 1500 years (Late Iron Age to present), and that landscape openness was much larger locally than regionally (difference of 20–40% cover over the last 500 years). The periods of largest potential impacts on the Gamlebyviken Bay from regional and local land use are 200–950 CE (Late Iron Age) and 1450 CE to present, and of lowest potential impacts 950–1450 CE. The question on whether the large landscape openness 1150–50 BCE and significant afforestation 50 BCE–200 CE reconstructed for Lillsjön’s area are characteristic of the Gamlebyviken region will require additional pollen records in the catchment area.

By-products of metal corrosion, when coming into contact with organic matter, have the capacity to preserve it from decay. A pilot study was conducted aiming to explore the potential and limitations of plant remains preserved in by-products of metal corrosion for archaeobotanical research. The organic remains considered come from the surface/immediate proximity of the metal funerary artefacts of two ancient cemeteries—Varna and Messambria, Eastern Bulgaria. Metal corrosion by-products were observed and sampled, under a low magnification stereo microscope. Subsequently, the plant macrofossils recognised were analysed under reflected light and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Additionally, pollen was extracted from the metal corrosion by-products, using standard acetolysis. The analyses from the graves of both cemeteries allowed identification of textiles and plant fibres, as well as wood (Cornus sp., Pinus sp., Viburnum sp.). At Varna cemetery epidermis fragments of Juncus sp. were recognized, while at Messambria necropolis fruits of almond were found. The pollen analysis from Varna points to use of flowers in the ritual (Daphne tetrads were recorded) and shows a notably open landscape with 77% non-arboreal pollen (NAP). The palynological analysis from the Messambria necropolis revealed the use of flowers in the burial ritual indicated by clusters of Vitis, Cistus and Rosaceae pollen. The surrounding vegetation was dominated by open oak woodland and open habitats (43% NAP) with a strong presence of anthropogenic indicators. The outcome of the study proved to be promising for reconstructing details of the burial rituals including associated plant materials, as well as the surrounding plant habitats during the functioning of the cemeteries.

Dødsreisen til den andre siden var ufravikelig og skjebnebestemt.I etnologiske og historiske kilder var ikke Døden fravær av liv, menfølgesvennen som fraktet de døde til et nytt liv blant forfedrene.Helhesten kom og hentet de døende og døde, men Helhesten varikke kun følgesvennen og transportmiddelet på den siste reisen.Helhesten skulle også begraves med den avdøde, helst levende oggjerne stående, og selv på kirkegårder opp til moderne tid er dethistorier om hester og andre dyr begravd levende. Helhesten blegravplassens beskytter og kirkegrim. Enhver ny kirke eller kirkegårdhadde en kirkegrim som vokter. Følgesvennen og beskyttereni døden ble avbildet i dyrestil på kirkeporter og runesteiner, menogså farlige og uskadeliggjorte dyr, som ormer og drager drept avhelter og kjemper i storslagne og kosmiske kamper. De gode vantover det onde og vernet de levende. Døden kom også dansende ogdødsdansen tok mennesker med seg til dødsrikene. Spelemannenog Nøkken spilte så intensiv musikk at de levende danset seg tildøde og bak alle disse forestillingene ser vi skyggene av Odin. Engrunnleggende myte opp gjennom historien er Åsgårdsreien ellerOdins jakt. De døde var ikke bare i dødsrikene, men forfedrene ogde døde red tilbake til slektningene på sine dødshester.

Among the many shifts within public archaeology and heritage during recent years is an endeavour to find new methods of engagement which has been broadly undertaken within the field. This thesis suggests one such method could be found in the use of Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPGs). It does so by examining the current issues in public archaeology and how an intersection between archaeology and game studies could be applied. This includes the importance of empathy and roleplaying in understanding of the past and how this could be applied to the field of public archaeology., Under de senaste åren har det funnits en strävan av att hitta nya metoder för att presentera och engagera människor för arkeologi och kulturarv. I den här uppsatsen har en sådan metod i form av brädspel som inkluderar rollspel (TTRPGs) presenterats och analyserats. I uppsatsen tas aktuella frågor inom publik arkeologi upp och hur interaktionen mellan arkeologi och spelstudier skulle kunna tillämpas och bidra till att engagera människor i arkeologi och kulturarv. Studien inkluderar betydelsen av empati och rollspel och hur detta skulle kunna appliceras inom området publik arkeologi.

Studies of human sacrifice during the Iron Age in the Nordic countries have long been based on historical literary sources. Scientific studies of human sacrifice often lack archaeological material in the form of human skeletons. This is because of the difficulty in detecting injuries on human bones that can be linked to lethal violence. Studies of bog bodies have mainly been done on bog mummies and therefore studies of wetland skeletons have lagged behind. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether it is possible to find archaeological evidence for historical literary sources' claim that people in the Nordic countries were sacrificed alive during the Iron Age. The aim is also to investigate during which periods of the Nordic Iron Age these human sacrifices took place. It is hoped that this thesis will make an archaeological contribution to research on Nordic human sacrifice and thus pave the way for more interdisciplinary studies of the subject.

In this thesis I examine current and future uses of Big Data in archaeology. New technologies have enabled a range of data capture, data storage, and analyses. Digitization in our society has brought new ways of working for archaeologists and the increased amount of data affects how we can understand the world. Big Data reshapes the research process and creates new risks and opportunities for digital archaeology. Several sources have been examined in order to understand what this looks like in archaeology, such as articles published in the journal Internet Archaeology, a questionnaire answered by archaeologists and digital humanists, interviews by two representatives of archaeology, one representative of digital humanities and a chatbot. The archaeological material has become more accessible. Big Data contributes to data-driven science which enforces a paradigm shift. As data is created faster in various ways and to a voluminous extent archaeologists are forced to work with issues related to the management and storage of data. Digital humanists and archaeologists emphasize that Big Data brings efficient working methods and analyses that can contribute with new questions and reliable knowledge. This can increase the relevance of humanities subjects in the research community. That being said, the nature of Big Data often includes quantitative structured data and its result can be characterized as objective and trustworthy. Perceptions of data as bias-free and that Big Data affects theory to become obsolete may jeopardize the use of source criticism. There is a lack of standardization in how to measure and store data in archaeology which contributes to decontextualization of data. I urge that archaeologists should reflect on how cutting edge data-modeling and AI-modeling can assist in the research process as well as how ethical aspects of data should be considered in order not to risk interpretations overlooking people, places and practices.

This thesis analyzes and documents the splint armor material from Valsgärde 8 and Vendel I,X, and XI. This armor is then contextualized in the warrior institutions, weapon-systems, and fighting techniques of warbands from Central Sweden. Analogies for the splint armor are sought after with the closest parallels being found around the Black Sea area, associated with Byzantine, Sassanid, and Steppe-Nomadic martial cultures. The systems of exchange between these two regions are then analyzed in order to inform as to where this armor came from, whyit is there in Central Sweden, and what this can tell us about the development of military contacts between Central Sweden and the Black Sea area during the Vendel Period., Denna uppsats berör analysen och dokumentationen av det Vendeltida skenpansarmaterialet från Valsgärde 8 och Vendel I, X och XI, där skenpansarna sätts i kontext med krigarinstitutioner, vapensystem och stridstekniker från krigsband i Centrala Sverige. Analogier för dessa skenpansar med närmaste paralleller har påträffats i Svartahavsområdet och associeras med Bysantinska, Sasanidiska och stäppnomadiska krigarkulturer. Utbytessystem mellan dessa två regioner analyseras för att få förståelse för var denna typ av rustning härrör ifrån, varför den har hamnat i Centrala Sverige och vad de kan säga om utvecklingen av militära kontakter mellan Centrala Sverige och Svartahavsområdet under Vendeltiden.