Symbolisk dekoration
En studie av Järnspiralen som symbol under yngre järnålder.
Iron spiralsLate Iron AgeShip symbolismOld UppsalaContextualizingJärnålderVendeltidJärnbeslagSymboler
When the Iron spirals investigated in this paper saw the light again no one looked at them as nothing more than decoration. It was first during the 2011 excavation in Old Uppsala that the symbolism of the items no longer could be ignored. The spirals of Old Uppsala lay along the walls of the great hall, which stood upon one of the human constructed plateaus in the area. The hall had been burned down and then cleared of all lumber. Then the iron spirals had been placed in the positions and then everything was sealed with a layer of clay.A study of the artifact began with the purpose to contextualize and interpret the iron spiral. Several others iron spirals were investigated and compared. The others comparing context were found in boat graves or boat contexts. With a new perspective on the spirals as active agents I soon realized the symbolic value of the artifact. The spiral contexts were clearly sym-bolic and connected with the belief about the Hall and Ship symbolism. Several evidences indicated that the hall in Old Uppsala was meant to look as a boat and the iron spirals helped the hall doing so as well as reinforce the symbolism of the ship. The hall and the ship stood for power and structure on land respectively on water. The spiral symbol itself may well be a symbol connected with law, power and structure.