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The emergence of Gamla Uppsala as a centre has been discussed for centuries. During the past years, old excavations have been incorporated into the frame-work of the archaeological research project Gamla Uppsala - the emergence of a mythical centre (GUAM), with GIS and excavations in combination with survey results and reinterpretations, as old excavations are placed in relation to new investigations. This article is based on the results from excavations in 2011 and 2015 and studies of previous investigations in the light of new results. We have chosen to present a stand der forschung of what we currently know about the 6th to 8th century estate in the centre of Gamla Uppsala, how it emerges as part of an un-paralleled monumentalization of the area, what we know of a Migration Period prelude and its transformation during the 8th/9th century. Today we can discuss the relationship between a multitude of elements in the complex, such as in-dividual mounds, the great hall, workshops, economy buildings, fences, paved courtyards, post-row monuments and not least landscape development and resource exploitation on a broad scale. In our strategic work, previously isolated monuments are tied together in a project that will continue in the years ahead., Gamla Uppsala - the emergence of a mythical centre

Gamla Uppsala - framväxten av ett mytiskt centrum

This article is a result of settlement investigations in Gamla ("Old") Uppsala, which have been carried out regularly over the past 20 years. The material can be divided into two chronological and spatial groups. In the peripheral parts of the historical village several large settlements, mainly dated to the Early Iron Age, have been investigated. In the central area quite many excavations have been made of Late Iron Age and medieval remains. But these are usually small and scattered. By compiling a large number of large and small excavations, accumulated over the years, we may gain a coherent view of Gamla Uppsala's settlement development from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. The establishment of monumental edifices - such as the Uppsala Mounds, great halls on artificial terraces and the cathedral from the 12th century - can progressively be related to changes in the settlement structure. Moreover, traces of metal craft increase continuously, and seem to be present over vast areas. More and more, Gamla Uppsala emerges as a place of cult, as a central farmstead with royal connections and as a large village. Gamla Uppsala can now be characterized as something resembling a proto-urban site in the Viking Age. However, interestingly enough, the site is located in a completely different geographical environment to early coastal towns such as Birka and Sigtuna. What can be said for certain is that the Late Iron Age society in Gamla Uppsala is something entirely different from the large peasant village we meet in late medieval and post-reformation phases., Denna artikel är ett resultat av boplatsundersökningar i Gamla Uppsala under de senaste 20 åren. Materialet som behandlas kan delas in i två grupper. I utkanterna av den historiska byns ägor har ett antal boplatser med huvudsakliga dateringar till äldre järnålder undersökts. I det centrala området har ett flertal mindre undersökningar av lämningar från hela järnåldern och medeltiden genomförts. Genom sammanställningar av den stora mängden undersökningar som gjorts genom åren är det möjligt att skapa en utförligare bild av bebyggelseutvecklingen från bronsålder till medeltid. Uppförandet av monument såsom Uppsala högar, stora hallar på konstruerade platåer samt katedralen från 1100-talet kan i hög grad relateras till förändringar i bebyggelsestrukturen. Med tiden ökar det specialiserade hantverkets omfattning och spåren av dessa aktiviteter påträffas över stora ytor. Gamla Uppsala framträder efter hand allt mer som en kultplats, med en central gård med kunglig anknytning. Platsen rymmer dessutom en osedvanligt stor bebyggelse med många gårdar. Med den nya kunskapen kan Gamla Uppsala karakteriseras som en tidig urban miljö under vikingatid. Intressant nog är platsen belägen i en helt annan geografisk miljö än exempelvis Birka och Sigtuna. Gamla Uppsala är fascinerande på så vis att här har alltid funnits en stor bebyggelse men den roll platsen har spelat har varit under ständig förändring genom historien. Gamla Uppsalas olika ansikten avspeglas i de lämningar som avsatts i landskapet under historien, och som sammantaget utgör dagens Gamla Uppsala.