AbstractErlandsson, K-O. 2007. Återanvända fornlämningar. En studie av Ölands rösen. Re-used ancient monuments.

My aim was to get a deeper insight about the parish clerk and how this profession has changed over time in Sweden from the Middle Ages up to the eighteenth century. Who was the parish clerk? Is it possible to find out in what way his duties changed over time? The information mainly derives from written historical sources, such aslaws. It seems like the parish clerk in the countryside often was a layman whom had to be approved by the parish, the parish priest or the bishop. His position in the early Middle Ages seems to have taken the form of assistant to the priest, participating in the liturgy.

The purpose with this thesis is to study how the arranging of archaeological objects in permanent exhibitions has changed over time. To find out about this I have been analysing three museums with prehistorical permanent exhibitions. The exhibition at Statens Historiska museum was produced in 2005, Nationalmuseum in Köpenhamn was produced in 1972 with additions from 1988 and 1995 and, finally, Malmö Museer exhibition which was produced in 1977. These exhibitions have been compared to analyse developments during the last 30 years. The result shows that there are different ideals within the exhibitions.

This paper aims to investigate the embalming process and the Balanites aegyptiaca from two pottery originated in ancient Egypt. The two objects were from Medelhavsmuseet in Stockholm. Samples were collected and analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify which components the samples contained. The results show complex mixtures mainly consisting of resin origin from Pinaceae and the vegetable oils from the Balanites aegyptiaca..

I wanted to look at school-children's perspective of prehistory. I also wanted to look at the literature at their disposal, provided by the schools.In this essay I am looking at a school-class in the fourth grade from a school in Malmö and a fifth grade-class at a school in Klågerup just outside Malmö. I am trying to determine the student's view of what prehistory is all about, as well as how their own school-literature is connected to that knowledge. Six books in all were examined. The essay is concentrated on prehistory and only at those two schools.

This paper deals with the late Viking age/early medieval grave field in Björned, Torsåker parish, Ångermanland County in northern Sweden. The grave field in Björned is rare because it has all the signs of being Christianized before the surroundings. This awakes questions such as if the people of Björned came from another place and brought the religion with them or if someone else did that for them. To find these answers I have analysed the stable isotope ratios [delta]13C, [delta]15N and [delta]34S in human bone collagen. Through these stable isotopes we can not only see what the people consumed but also where their food had its origin.

This essay deals with the ideas of social change in the Iron Gates Gorge site of Lepenski Vir during the Mesolithic. The change from a mainly fish-based subsistence strategy to a strategy that came to rely more on hunting and later domesticated animals could have been the onset of the social change that is noticeable in the material culture from the site. Theessay is divided in two main segments. The first consists of a case-study based on three themes that describes and searches for changes in the subsistence-, settlement- and burialpractises during the Mesolithic and beginning of the Neolithic phases, and the second part analyses the results from the case-study. It is primarily the idea of transformations and reproductions of traditions that will be dealt with in the analysis which is facilitated by a theoretic structure based on and inspired by the works of Emilé Durkheim and Anthony Giddens..

This paper concerns the treatment of people at execution places and it is focusing on Gotland and the execution place called Galgberget. The material in the paper comes from Galgberget and a gallow in Denmark called Slots Bjergby. Together with this the laws of Gotland during the medieval and later periods are discussed and also how the archaeological material (especially the buttons) found on the excavation site can help to understand the people buried on the gallow site. The result of the analysis shows that the laws and the material found on the excavation site often tells different things. The punishments are often softer then what the law says.

The main purpose of this essay is to analyze the late medieval shirt found in the cathedral of Lund. It has been preserved in the church and later on exhibited in the museum of Lunds cathedral. The most interesting thing about this shirt is probably its close connection to the secular world, as well as to the church. At first sight it appears to be a liturgical garment, it seams to be far too big for a regular, profane smock or shirt, but in a letter received by the church of Lund from Christian I of Denmark this shirt is mentioned as a chemise, or smock. The questions I aim to answer on the following pages goes, what characterizes the chemise or smock? What characterizes the mass shirt or alba? How can you use this type of analyse to examine the shirt from the cathedral of Lund?.

This paper deals with flat iron fragments from the Viking Age hall situated in Birkas Garrison, Adelsö parish in Uppland. The aim of the study was to identify which objects these flat fragments were originally derived from. The aim was also to discuss the function of these objects and their presence in the hall. This would hopefully increase the knowledge about the hall and the warriors who lived and worked there. In some cases the fragments form and placement in the hall has not provided enough information to classify the object from which they derived.

This essay is a study regarding the existence of Bronze Ages and Iron Ages battlefields in Scandinavia and the possibility to trace and find them by using the Battlefield Archaeological Method.Based on a theoretical background and results from historical battlefield research and excavation experiences, the discussion deals with some of the problems and possibilities of applying the Battlefield Archaeological Method on older places. The existence of these battlegrounds is also an unknown factor, and a major part of this study is trying to find evidence of their existence. For that purpose I am using as an example a deeper analysis of an Iron Age battlefield archaeological excavation in Germany in order to compare and draw parallels with the Scandinavian society of that time. I am also using the evolution of weaponry, in particular the sword, to show parallels between the Mediterranean and the Scandinavian societies in the matter of warfare and tactics..

Jag hade flera förslag på experiment när jag började kursen, varav tillverkandet av filar var ett av dem. Jag är intresserad av medeltida träarbete, och av verktygen som detta gjordes med, och egentligen av verktyg i allmänhet. Jag har en dröm om att återskapa en så komplett medeltida verktygslåda som möjligt, och detta har lett till att jag funderat en hel del över hur man tillverkar olika verktyg. Inför experimentkursen funderade jag över att tillverka, hyvlar, spånhyvlar, borrar, navare, bandknivar, och filar. Det som verkade mest utmanande, men också svårast (egentligen omöjligt) var filarna, för de andra verktygen visste jag hur de tillverkades, och användes.

Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka om det finns vikingatida musikinstrument eller ljudredskap i materialet från Järrestad, Uppåkra eller Löddeköpinge, vilket innebär att jag utifrån bestämda kriterier undersökte fyndmaterial från Järrestad och Uppåkra, Cajsa S. Lund har undersökt Löddeköpingematerialet. Resultaten visade att bjällror, en del av en klocka, en del av en stämnyckel till lyra, förarbete till spaltflöjt, kantflöjt, möjlig lockpipa, bensnurror i olika former funnits på någon eller några av platserna. De tre platserna har alla varit betydande under vikingatiden och skulle mycket väl ha kunnat tillverka alla av de nämnda musikinstrumenten eller ljudredskapen, eller ha kommit i kontakt med dem genom det kontaktnät de hade med omgivningen och andra länder..

The main purpose of this essay is to examine if it is possible to identify farms of ?forest Finnish? people in Sweden, by means of an archaeological analysis, comparing the forest Finnish settlement with known none-forest Finnish settlements. This study is based on material excavated from the farms of Grannäs, and Råsjö, in the Swedish provinces of Jämtland and Medelpad. Both farms are dated to the 17th and 18th century. The study itself is divided into three parts, firstly a general study to get an overview of the material, secondly a study of ceramics as an attempt to discern social status and lastly a study of the animal bone material for analyzing the forest Finns? livestock and possible hunting habits.

The intention of this essay is to put the light on and to discuss if there is a connection between a pre-Christian creation mythology and naked rocks on prehistoric sacred places in Scandinavia. Archaeological as well as historical materials are studied. The historical material is mostly from Snorre Sturlasons Asasagan with the explanation of the creation of the world. In this story the world was built from the body of a killed and deposited giant named Ymer. Almost the same myth is told in all Indo-European countries.