The official report of the large excavation at the Professorn 1 site, Sigtuna, Sweden, 1999-2000. Meddelanden och rapporter från Sigtuna Museum nr 63. Wikström, A. Söderberg, A. Roslund, M. (eds). Authors: A Wikström, A Söderberg, M Roslund, O Heimer, J Runer, K Fogelberg, M Pettersson, C Nathanson. 2021.
The report is written in Swedish.
During 2017, a Viking age - early-medieval grave field was excavated in Oppeby, Nyköping Municipa... more During 2017, a Viking age - early-medieval grave field was excavated in Oppeby, Nyköping Municipality, County of Södermanland, Sweden. The oldest burials were at the earliest from the late ninth century, while most graves could be dated to the 11th century. Both heathen and Christian burials were found. The youngest grave, a mound, had a very late dating: to the middle of the 13th century. It is discussed that the late iron age-style burials may have had a connection to the conflicts that then existed between a conservative fraction, the so-called "Folkungapartiet", and the new kingship wich was supported by the papal church.
From Sea to Land or Christ and the Odal. A study of Sweden during the Early Middle Ages based on the Romanesque churches., Dec 2006
This dissertation studies the transition from the Viking Age to Middle Ages in Sweden using the R... more This dissertation studies the transition from the Viking Age to Middle Ages in Sweden using the Romanesque churches as the main source material. The aim is to explain societal change, especially that connected to land ownership and taxation.
When Christianity was introduced into early medieval Swedish society, most of the cultivated land was already “locked” by odal (allodium), which meant that the land could only be used by members of a family holding the right of odal. A strategy used by the Church in its struggle for overtaking land was to demonstrate its full ownership of the land of a vicarage by means of the architecture of the parish church – the church was provided with an apse. If the land of the vicarage consisted of “borrowed” odal land, the chancel was built instead with a straight east wall. This can be demonstrated by way of a comparison of the land-holdings of vicarages as shown on cadastral maps from the 17th century. The situation shown on these maps should reflect the early medieval situation, and an analysis shows that the vicarages of churches with an apse have most of their holdings concentrated to large blocks of land, whereas the vicarages of churches without an apse have their holdings mixed with the land of the other farms of the village.
Analysis of the distribution of the different architectural types of parish church in relation to other recorded phenomena shows the great importance of the collective in pre-Christian and early medieval society. The idea of odal was linked to collective society. The Folkung rebellion in the 13th century was most probably caused by the transition from a society based on the collective to a society based more on the power and ownership of individuals. The king’s odal right to Uppsala öd (the land of the old royal dynasty) was converted into a new type of ownership, according to which the king held the land in virtue of his office.
“Lo, how a rose e'er blooming”. Concerning the ornamentation on three medieval church bells
The S... more “Lo, how a rose e'er blooming”. Concerning the ornamentation on three medieval church bells The Swedish History Museum holds two richly decorated late-medieval church bells from the Cistercian monastery church of Nydala and parish church of Bringetofta in Småland, with a third bell also attributed to the same master, still in use in the parish church at Nye. The Nydala bell, cast after a 1471 fire, features images inspired by the legend of Saint Eustace and the Book of Isaiah. Prominently, a couple of images show the pregnant Mary as a flower bud and the born Jesus as the blooming flower. The Bringetofta bell, from 1473, depicts, among other things, a rose symbolising Mary. The Nye bell shows a small horse, likely symbolizing Mary through a wordplay on the similarity between the terms for horse (O Sw. ‘Ros’ / Low German ‘Ros’) and rose (O Sw. ‘Ros’ / L Ger. ‘Rose / Ros’). The Nydala bell’s motif, with its radical representation of the connection between Jesus and Mary, suggests the Nydala monastery was aligned with contemporary Carthusian views on Mary. The oldest record of the German Christmas psalm “Es ist ein Ros ent-sprungen” has a Cartusian origin and reflects similar imagery. The influential 15th century theologian and mystic Denis the Carthusian emphasized Mary’s extensive role in salvation, aligning with the theme on the Nydala bell and the German psalm. The ornamentation on the bells was carved directly into the moulds, a demanding technique indicating a skilled artist distinct from the specialist bell-caster. Evidence suggests that the caster and artist were likely commissioned at the same time for the bell at Nydala, and in association with this also for the bells from Bringetofta and Nye. The artwork on the bells resembles frescoes by Albertus Pictor, hinting he might have been the hired artist. The choice of motif on the Nydala bell indicates that the monastery and its abbot at this time were strongly influenced by Carthusian theology, as were several other prominent figures in Sweden at that time. One Carthusian advocate was the regent Sten Sture the Elder and another Archbishop Jakob Ulfsson who furthermore was a patron of Albertus Pictor.
D et finns en speciell kategori vikingati-da nordiska mynt som tidigare be-nämnts "Birka-myn... more D et finns en speciell kategori vikingati-da nordiska mynt som tidigare be-nämnts "Birka-mynt". Dessa mynt har de-batterats under lång tid. Myntens övergri-pande kronologi har aldrig varit särskilt om-tvistad såtillvida att mynten säkert kan sä-gas vara präglade under vikingatidens äldre del (Malmer 1966, 1996:90). Det som främst har diskuterats är av vem och var dessa mynt har präglats. Tidigare ansågs in-om forskningen allmänt att mynten var präglade av kungen i Birka (se forsknings-historik hos Malmer 1966:1ff). I dag anser man att det finns övertygande argument för att all nordisk myntning under äldre vi-kingatid skedde i Hedeby eller dess närhet (Malmer 1966:176ff, 1968:147, 1996:90). Syftet bakom den äldre vikingatidens myntning har aldrig föranlett någon större diskussion. Bertil Almgren, som med sin samtid antog att präglingsorten var Birka, tolkade mynten som ett försök från kungen att införa myntmonopol för att därigenom kunna tillgodogöra sig inkomster genom myn...
D et finns en speciell kategori vikingati-da nordiska mynt som tidigare be-nämnts "Birka-myn... more D et finns en speciell kategori vikingati-da nordiska mynt som tidigare be-nämnts "Birka-mynt". Dessa mynt har de-batterats under lång tid. Myntens övergri-pande kronologi har aldrig varit särskilt om-tvistad såtillvida att mynten säkert kan sä-gas vara präglade under vikingatidens äldre del (Malmer 1966, 1996:90). Det som främst har diskuterats är av vem och var dessa mynt har präglats. Tidigare ansågs in-om forskningen allmänt att mynten var präglade av kungen i Birka (se forsknings-historik hos Malmer 1966:1ff). I dag anser man att det finns övertygande argument för att all nordisk myntning under äldre vi-kingatid skedde i Hedeby eller dess närhet (Malmer 1966:176ff, 1968:147, 1996:90). Syftet bakom den äldre vikingatidens myntning har aldrig föranlett någon större diskussion. Bertil Almgren, som med sin samtid antog att präglingsorten var Birka, tolkade mynten som ett försök från kungen att införa myntmonopol för att därigenom kunna tillgodogöra sig inkomster genom myn...
In September 2016 geophysical surveys were conducted at Korshamn, as one of the main harbour bays... more In September 2016 geophysical surveys were conducted at Korshamn, as one of the main harbour bays of the island of Bjorko, situated outside the town boundaries of the Viking town of Birka. The inve ...
This dissertation studies the transition from the Viking Age to Middle Ages in Sweden using the R... more This dissertation studies the transition from the Viking Age to Middle Ages in Sweden using the Romanesque churches as the main source material. The aim is to explain societal change, especially that connected to land ownership and taxation. When Christianity was introduced into early medieval Swedish society, most of the cultivated land was already “locked” by odal (allodium), which meant that the land could only be used by members of a family holding the right of odal. A strategy used by the Church in its struggle for overtaking land was to demonstrate its full ownership of the land of a vicarage by means of the architecture of the parish church – the church was provided with an apse. If the land of the vicarage consisted of “borrowed” odal land, the chancel was built instead with a straight east wall. This can be demonstrated by way of a comparison of the land-holdings of vicarages as shown on cadastral maps from the 17th century. The situation shown on these maps should reflect the early medieval situation, and an analysis shows that the vicarages of churches with an apse have most of their holdings concentrated to large blocks of land, whereas the vicarages of churches without an apse have their holdings mixed with the land of the other farms of the village. Analysis of the distribution of the different architectural types of parish church in relation to other recorded phenomena shows the great importance of the collective in pre-Christian and early medieval society. The idea of odal was linked to collective society. The Folkung rebellion in the 13th century was most probably caused by the transition from a society based on the collective to a society based more on the power and ownership of individuals. The king’s odal right to Uppsala öd (the land of the old royal dynasty) was converted into a new type of ownership, according to which the king held the land in virtue of his office. in Swedish, with an extensive English summary
Mycket tyder på att den storgård som har hittats på Björkö har tillhört kungens fogde Hergeir, ha... more Mycket tyder på att den storgård som har hittats på Björkö har tillhört kungens fogde Hergeir, han som kristnades av Ansgar. Ytterligare fynd tyder på en föregångare till gården.
The official report of the large excavation at the Professorn 1 site, Sigtuna, Sweden, 1999-2000. Meddelanden och rapporter från Sigtuna Museum nr 63. Wikström, A. Söderberg, A. Roslund, M. (eds). Authors: A Wikström, A Söderberg, M Roslund, O Heimer, J Runer, K Fogelberg, M Pettersson, C Nathanson. 2021.
The report is written in Swedish.
During 2017, a Viking age - early-medieval grave field was excavated in Oppeby, Nyköping Municipa... more During 2017, a Viking age - early-medieval grave field was excavated in Oppeby, Nyköping Municipality, County of Södermanland, Sweden. The oldest burials were at the earliest from the late ninth century, while most graves could be dated to the 11th century. Both heathen and Christian burials were found. The youngest grave, a mound, had a very late dating: to the middle of the 13th century. It is discussed that the late iron age-style burials may have had a connection to the conflicts that then existed between a conservative fraction, the so-called "Folkungapartiet", and the new kingship wich was supported by the papal church.
From Sea to Land or Christ and the Odal. A study of Sweden during the Early Middle Ages based on the Romanesque churches., Dec 2006
This dissertation studies the transition from the Viking Age to Middle Ages in Sweden using the R... more This dissertation studies the transition from the Viking Age to Middle Ages in Sweden using the Romanesque churches as the main source material. The aim is to explain societal change, especially that connected to land ownership and taxation.
When Christianity was introduced into early medieval Swedish society, most of the cultivated land was already “locked” by odal (allodium), which meant that the land could only be used by members of a family holding the right of odal. A strategy used by the Church in its struggle for overtaking land was to demonstrate its full ownership of the land of a vicarage by means of the architecture of the parish church – the church was provided with an apse. If the land of the vicarage consisted of “borrowed” odal land, the chancel was built instead with a straight east wall. This can be demonstrated by way of a comparison of the land-holdings of vicarages as shown on cadastral maps from the 17th century. The situation shown on these maps should reflect the early medieval situation, and an analysis shows that the vicarages of churches with an apse have most of their holdings concentrated to large blocks of land, whereas the vicarages of churches without an apse have their holdings mixed with the land of the other farms of the village.
Analysis of the distribution of the different architectural types of parish church in relation to other recorded phenomena shows the great importance of the collective in pre-Christian and early medieval society. The idea of odal was linked to collective society. The Folkung rebellion in the 13th century was most probably caused by the transition from a society based on the collective to a society based more on the power and ownership of individuals. The king’s odal right to Uppsala öd (the land of the old royal dynasty) was converted into a new type of ownership, according to which the king held the land in virtue of his office.
“Lo, how a rose e'er blooming”. Concerning the ornamentation on three medieval church bells
The S... more “Lo, how a rose e'er blooming”. Concerning the ornamentation on three medieval church bells The Swedish History Museum holds two richly decorated late-medieval church bells from the Cistercian monastery church of Nydala and parish church of Bringetofta in Småland, with a third bell also attributed to the same master, still in use in the parish church at Nye. The Nydala bell, cast after a 1471 fire, features images inspired by the legend of Saint Eustace and the Book of Isaiah. Prominently, a couple of images show the pregnant Mary as a flower bud and the born Jesus as the blooming flower. The Bringetofta bell, from 1473, depicts, among other things, a rose symbolising Mary. The Nye bell shows a small horse, likely symbolizing Mary through a wordplay on the similarity between the terms for horse (O Sw. ‘Ros’ / Low German ‘Ros’) and rose (O Sw. ‘Ros’ / L Ger. ‘Rose / Ros’). The Nydala bell’s motif, with its radical representation of the connection between Jesus and Mary, suggests the Nydala monastery was aligned with contemporary Carthusian views on Mary. The oldest record of the German Christmas psalm “Es ist ein Ros ent-sprungen” has a Cartusian origin and reflects similar imagery. The influential 15th century theologian and mystic Denis the Carthusian emphasized Mary’s extensive role in salvation, aligning with the theme on the Nydala bell and the German psalm. The ornamentation on the bells was carved directly into the moulds, a demanding technique indicating a skilled artist distinct from the specialist bell-caster. Evidence suggests that the caster and artist were likely commissioned at the same time for the bell at Nydala, and in association with this also for the bells from Bringetofta and Nye. The artwork on the bells resembles frescoes by Albertus Pictor, hinting he might have been the hired artist. The choice of motif on the Nydala bell indicates that the monastery and its abbot at this time were strongly influenced by Carthusian theology, as were several other prominent figures in Sweden at that time. One Carthusian advocate was the regent Sten Sture the Elder and another Archbishop Jakob Ulfsson who furthermore was a patron of Albertus Pictor.
D et finns en speciell kategori vikingati-da nordiska mynt som tidigare be-nämnts "Birka-myn... more D et finns en speciell kategori vikingati-da nordiska mynt som tidigare be-nämnts "Birka-mynt". Dessa mynt har de-batterats under lång tid. Myntens övergri-pande kronologi har aldrig varit särskilt om-tvistad såtillvida att mynten säkert kan sä-gas vara präglade under vikingatidens äldre del (Malmer 1966, 1996:90). Det som främst har diskuterats är av vem och var dessa mynt har präglats. Tidigare ansågs in-om forskningen allmänt att mynten var präglade av kungen i Birka (se forsknings-historik hos Malmer 1966:1ff). I dag anser man att det finns övertygande argument för att all nordisk myntning under äldre vi-kingatid skedde i Hedeby eller dess närhet (Malmer 1966:176ff, 1968:147, 1996:90). Syftet bakom den äldre vikingatidens myntning har aldrig föranlett någon större diskussion. Bertil Almgren, som med sin samtid antog att präglingsorten var Birka, tolkade mynten som ett försök från kungen att införa myntmonopol för att därigenom kunna tillgodogöra sig inkomster genom myn...
D et finns en speciell kategori vikingati-da nordiska mynt som tidigare be-nämnts "Birka-myn... more D et finns en speciell kategori vikingati-da nordiska mynt som tidigare be-nämnts "Birka-mynt". Dessa mynt har de-batterats under lång tid. Myntens övergri-pande kronologi har aldrig varit särskilt om-tvistad såtillvida att mynten säkert kan sä-gas vara präglade under vikingatidens äldre del (Malmer 1966, 1996:90). Det som främst har diskuterats är av vem och var dessa mynt har präglats. Tidigare ansågs in-om forskningen allmänt att mynten var präglade av kungen i Birka (se forsknings-historik hos Malmer 1966:1ff). I dag anser man att det finns övertygande argument för att all nordisk myntning under äldre vi-kingatid skedde i Hedeby eller dess närhet (Malmer 1966:176ff, 1968:147, 1996:90). Syftet bakom den äldre vikingatidens myntning har aldrig föranlett någon större diskussion. Bertil Almgren, som med sin samtid antog att präglingsorten var Birka, tolkade mynten som ett försök från kungen att införa myntmonopol för att därigenom kunna tillgodogöra sig inkomster genom myn...
In September 2016 geophysical surveys were conducted at Korshamn, as one of the main harbour bays... more In September 2016 geophysical surveys were conducted at Korshamn, as one of the main harbour bays of the island of Bjorko, situated outside the town boundaries of the Viking town of Birka. The inve ...
This dissertation studies the transition from the Viking Age to Middle Ages in Sweden using the R... more This dissertation studies the transition from the Viking Age to Middle Ages in Sweden using the Romanesque churches as the main source material. The aim is to explain societal change, especially that connected to land ownership and taxation. When Christianity was introduced into early medieval Swedish society, most of the cultivated land was already “locked” by odal (allodium), which meant that the land could only be used by members of a family holding the right of odal. A strategy used by the Church in its struggle for overtaking land was to demonstrate its full ownership of the land of a vicarage by means of the architecture of the parish church – the church was provided with an apse. If the land of the vicarage consisted of “borrowed” odal land, the chancel was built instead with a straight east wall. This can be demonstrated by way of a comparison of the land-holdings of vicarages as shown on cadastral maps from the 17th century. The situation shown on these maps should reflect the early medieval situation, and an analysis shows that the vicarages of churches with an apse have most of their holdings concentrated to large blocks of land, whereas the vicarages of churches without an apse have their holdings mixed with the land of the other farms of the village. Analysis of the distribution of the different architectural types of parish church in relation to other recorded phenomena shows the great importance of the collective in pre-Christian and early medieval society. The idea of odal was linked to collective society. The Folkung rebellion in the 13th century was most probably caused by the transition from a society based on the collective to a society based more on the power and ownership of individuals. The king’s odal right to Uppsala öd (the land of the old royal dynasty) was converted into a new type of ownership, according to which the king held the land in virtue of his office. in Swedish, with an extensive English summary
Mycket tyder på att den storgård som har hittats på Björkö har tillhört kungens fogde Hergeir, ha... more Mycket tyder på att den storgård som har hittats på Björkö har tillhört kungens fogde Hergeir, han som kristnades av Ansgar. Ytterligare fynd tyder på en föregångare till gården.
Tänk dig en undersökning av två gravar från yngre järnålder. Arkeologerna hittar två spännen av b... more Tänk dig en undersökning av två gravar från yngre järnålder. Arkeologerna hittar två spännen av brons, en mycket rostig torshammarring av järn, två järnknivar, en liten rostig järnklump och fyra nitar av järn. De hittar ock-så ett fragmentariskt träföremål och en dåligt bevarad lädersnodd. Totalt alltså tio metallföremål och två föremål av organiskt material. I undersökningens budget finns medel avsatta för att konservera två metallföremål. I det här fallet betyder det att man slänger föremålen av fel material, det vill säga träet och lädersnodden. Man kastar nitarna och knivarna, som anses vara simpla föremål. Och så kastar man det som är mycket rosigt, som torshammarringen, och det man inte känner igen, järnklumpen. Kvar blir två hela brons-spännen. De två spännena är säkert värda att spara. Men tänk om torshammarringen innehöll en viktig ledtråd till hur seden med sådana ringar uppkom. Träföremålet kanske var en del av en unik skulptur. Lädersnodden kanske var tvinnad av ett sällsamt skinn. Nitarna kanske var av en typ som indikerar att de kom från ett särskilt före-mål. Knivarna kanske hade märkliga stämplar. Järnklumpen kanske gömde ett ovanligt lås. Inget av detta kommer vi någonsin att få veta. När jag började min bana som arkeolog på 1990-talet var insam-ling och bevarande av arkeologiska fynd centralt. Från tiden som student vid universitetets grävning på Gotland, där minsta fnyk av den gropkeramiska keramiken sparades, till min första grävning inför ett bygge i Gamla Stan i Stockholm då allt, även spikar och tegelfragment, tillvaratogs. I dag är det annorlunda, och då särskilt i den så kallade exploateringsarkeologin, undersökningar som görs innan något ska byggas. Ofta, särskilt vid mindre undersökningar, är det stående order från länsstyrelserna att så få fynd som möjligt ska tillvaratas. Formuleringar som att " inga fynd kommer tillvaratas " och " fyndinsamlingen kommer vara ytterst restriktiv " är snarast regel i undersökningsdirektiven. Och även när det gäller större undersökningar ratas och kastas betydligt mer än tidigare.
In September 2016 geophysical surveys were conducted at Korshamn, as one of the main harbour bays... more In September 2016 geophysical surveys were conducted at Korshamn, as one of the main harbour bays of the island of Björkö, situated outside the town boundaries of the Viking town of Birka. The investigation of a solitarily raised plateau at Erik Steffanssons hemland revealed the outline of a large Vendel-period house. Together with further anomalies at a one-sided terrace at Kalvhagen a whole manor complex might be seizable predating the Viking-age settlement activities on the island. The latter dwelling is superimposed by a major Viking-age hall connecting to a »fenced special area« as known from e. g. Lejre and Tissø and linked to cult activities. Both the structures and the chronological depth correlate well with the »ancestral property« of Birka’s royal bailiff Herigar as mentioned in Rimbert’s Vita Anskarii. If this assumption is correct even the whereabouts of Scandinavia’s first church should be located in the immediate vicinity. The consequences of this identification cannot be overestimated: In terms of the emergence of the Viking town, its royal administration and the earliest Christian mission to Scandinavia.
HUSEBYER – STATUS QUO OPEN QUESTIONS AND PERSPECTIVES. Papers from a workshop at the National Museum Copenhagen 19–20 March 2014, 2016
The paper concerns the husabyar, their status and function, and their relation to the emerging Sw... more The paper concerns the husabyar, their status and function, and their relation to the emerging Swedish state during the late Iron Age and early medieval period.
In the grounds of the present-day Sigtuna Museum, which occupies a central location in the town, ... more In the grounds of the present-day Sigtuna Museum, which occupies a central location in the town, extensive evidence of an early Christian milieu has been found, comprising a cemetery and the foundations of a stone church. It is assumed that this was a diocesan church from the finding of what is likely to be a bishop’s grave under its eaves. The formation of the cemetery has been dated to the middle of the 11th century while the stone church is considered to have been built some decades later. It has previously been noted that there are two categories of graves in the cemetery. The later category is contemporary with the stone church, as these graves have a similar E-W orientation as the church. The earlier category is orientated WNW-ENE, and these graves are believed to be connected to a postulated wooden church preceding the stone church.
In the summer of 2013 a minor archaeological investigation was conducted on the site by Stockholm County Museum. A skull was found that arguably belonged to a grave with a different orientation to either of the above. Several graves with diverging orientations occur elsewhere in Sigtuna. It is thus concluded that there existed a third category of burials that were inserted prior to the existence of any church or cemetery. The orientation of these latter graves was determined in relation to the townscape of adjacent plot boundaries, alleys, and streets. These graves were thus originally arranged within smaller burial sites that were integrated into the urban landscape. These burial sites were in use during a period from the 10th to the mid-11th century. It is considered that a royal residence was situated in the grounds of Sigtuna Museum from the town’s earliest days. A royal presence is also discernible through the coinage modelled on that of England that was minted here during the late 10th–early 11th century. It is therefore suggested that the place as a whole, up to the middle of the 11th century, was a Christian royal centre, perhaps established along the lines of an English minster. This Christian centre would have formed the backdrop for the earliest burial sites. The subsequent creation of a cemetery and the construction of a wooden church most likely signals a period when the older royal centre had lost its importance. An episcopal see may have replaced it, functioning as the centre for the new Sigtuna diocese established through the Archdiocese of Bremen, an event that can be dated on historical grounds to the early 1060’s.
I samband med en arkeologisk undersökning påträffades tre skelettgravar från sen vikingatid samt... more I samband med en arkeologisk undersökning påträffades tre skelettgravar från sen vikingatid samt lämningar av medeltida industri i form av ett tegelbruk från 1200-talet samt en möjlig kalkugn från 1000-talet. Utöver detta påträffades bland annat även fragmentariska lämningar av ett möjligen medeltida hus samt lämningar av bebyggelse från 1700-talet.
Vid arkeologisk undersökning inom Sigtuna stadslager påträffades sju gravanläggningar innehålland... more Vid arkeologisk undersökning inom Sigtuna stadslager påträffades sju gravanläggningar innehållandes åtta individer. Gravarna var i samtliga fall skelettgravar och bedöms ha ingått i en så kallad tidigkristen gravgård från sen vikingatid.
"Under perioden 11 oktober till 22 december 2010 utförde
Arkeologikonsult en slutundersökning av... more "Under perioden 11 oktober till 22 december 2010 utförde
Arkeologikonsult en slutundersökning av gravfältet
Spånga 193:1-2 i norra Stockholm. Gravfältet
har av allt att döma hört till den före detta byn Rissne.
Undersökningen föranleddes av att Trafikverket
planerade bygga en ny trafikplats vid det så kallade
Rissnekorset som en del av utbyggnaden av E18.
Föreliggande rapport är en redovisning av slutundersökningen
och dess resultat.
Antalet undersökta gravar uppgick till drygt femtio.
Tillsammans med de nio gravar som undersöktes
1969 bör gravfältet totalt ha omfattat cirka sextio
gravar. Alla gravar utom en var anlagda enligt tidigkristen
sed med jordande av de döda, men med
inslag av förkristna föreställningar och spår av handlingar
i syfte att avvärja gengångare. Gravfältet har
varit i bruk fram till senare delen av 1000-talet e.Kr.
När de första gravarna uppfördes är inte helt klarlagt.
Samtliga var dock vikingatida."
Stockholms läns museum har genomfört en förundersökning i form av en schaktningsövervakning inom ... more Stockholms läns museum har genomfört en förundersökning i form av en schaktningsövervakning inom fornlämningen RAÄ Sigtuna 195 (stadslager).
Schaktet upptogs på Lilla torget invid kv. Urmakaren 3. Det rörde sig om ett ca 5 meter långt och ca 1 meter brett schakt för en avloppsledning. Djupet varierade mellan ca 0,5 – 1,2 meter.
Schaktet berörde längst i öster ett redan tidigare upptaget schakt, i övrigt framkom orörda kulturlager. Närmast huskroppen kv. Urmakaren 3 genomgrävdes dessa längs en ca 0,5 meter lång och 0,5 meter djup sträcka. En profilritning av de
genomgrävda lagren upprättades.
Ungefär i mitten av det upptagna schaktet framkom i ett kulturlager, ca 0,7 meter under nuvarande gatunivå, ett mänskligt kranium. Grävningen avbröts på denna nivå, och efter dokumentation täcktes kraniet över. Avloppsledningen lades sedan på en nivå över detta.
Stockholms länsmuseum har genomfört en förundersökning i form av enschaktningsövervakning på skol... more Stockholms länsmuseum har genomfört en förundersökning i form av enschaktningsövervakning på skolgården till Sankt Pers skola, inom fornlämningen RAÄ Sigtuna 195 (stadslager).
Stockholm Archaeological Reports, SAR, Field Studies, Nr 9, 2012
Stockholm Archaeological Reports Field Studies Nr 9, 2012 2 3 KARSVIK En platåhusmiljö i Norra Än... more Stockholm Archaeological Reports Field Studies Nr 9, 2012 2 3 KARSVIK En platåhusmiljö i Norra Ängby Stockholm 226 och Bromma 66:1-3, 109:1, Bromma socken, Uppland
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Books by Johan Runer
The official report of the large excavation at the Professorn 1 site, Sigtuna, Sweden, 1999-2000. Meddelanden och rapporter från Sigtuna Museum nr 63. Wikström, A. Söderberg, A. Roslund, M. (eds). Authors: A Wikström, A Söderberg, M Roslund, O Heimer, J Runer, K Fogelberg, M Pettersson, C Nathanson. 2021.
The report is written in Swedish.
In Swedish.
When Christianity was introduced into early medieval Swedish society, most of the cultivated land was already “locked” by odal (allodium), which meant that the land could only be used by members of a family holding the right of odal. A strategy used by the Church in its struggle for overtaking land was to demonstrate its full ownership of the land of a vicarage by means of the architecture of the parish church – the church was provided with an apse. If the land of the vicarage consisted of “borrowed” odal land, the chancel was built instead with a straight east wall. This can be demonstrated by way of a comparison of the land-holdings of vicarages as shown on cadastral maps from the 17th century. The situation shown on these maps should reflect the early medieval situation, and an analysis shows that the vicarages of churches with an apse have most of their holdings concentrated to large blocks of land, whereas the vicarages of churches without an apse have their holdings mixed with the land of the other farms of the village.
Analysis of the distribution of the different architectural types of parish church in relation to other recorded phenomena shows the great importance of the collective in pre-Christian and early medieval society. The idea of odal was linked to collective society. The Folkung rebellion in the 13th century was most probably caused by the transition from a society based on the collective to a society based more on the power and ownership of individuals. The king’s odal right to Uppsala öd (the land of the old royal dynasty) was converted into a new type of ownership, according to which the king held the land in virtue of his office.
in Swedish, with an extensive English summary
Papers by Johan Runer
The Swedish History Museum holds two richly decorated late-medieval church bells from the Cistercian monastery church of Nydala and parish church of Bringetofta in Småland, with a third bell also attributed to the same master, still in use in the parish church at Nye. The Nydala bell, cast after a 1471 fire, features images inspired by the legend of Saint Eustace and the Book of Isaiah. Prominently, a couple of images show the pregnant Mary as a flower bud and the born Jesus as the blooming flower. The Bringetofta bell, from 1473, depicts, among other things, a rose symbolising Mary. The Nye bell shows a small horse, likely symbolizing Mary through a wordplay on the similarity between the terms for horse (O Sw. ‘Ros’ / Low German ‘Ros’) and rose (O Sw. ‘Ros’ / L Ger. ‘Rose / Ros’).
The Nydala bell’s motif, with its radical representation of the connection between Jesus and Mary, suggests the Nydala monastery was aligned with contemporary Carthusian views on Mary. The oldest record of the German Christmas psalm “Es ist ein Ros ent-sprungen” has a Cartusian origin and reflects similar imagery. The influential 15th century theologian and mystic Denis the Carthusian emphasized Mary’s extensive role in salvation, aligning with the theme on the Nydala bell and the German psalm.
The ornamentation on the bells was carved directly into the moulds, a demanding technique indicating a skilled artist distinct from the specialist bell-caster. Evidence suggests that the caster and artist were likely commissioned at the same time for the bell at Nydala, and in association with this also for the bells from Bringetofta and Nye.
The artwork on the bells resembles frescoes by Albertus Pictor, hinting he might have been the hired artist. The choice of motif on the Nydala bell indicates that the monastery and its abbot at this time were strongly influenced by Carthusian theology, as were several other prominent figures in Sweden at that time. One Carthusian advocate was the regent Sten Sture the Elder and another Archbishop Jakob Ulfsson who furthermore was a patron of Albertus Pictor.
The official report of the large excavation at the Professorn 1 site, Sigtuna, Sweden, 1999-2000. Meddelanden och rapporter från Sigtuna Museum nr 63. Wikström, A. Söderberg, A. Roslund, M. (eds). Authors: A Wikström, A Söderberg, M Roslund, O Heimer, J Runer, K Fogelberg, M Pettersson, C Nathanson. 2021.
The report is written in Swedish.
In Swedish.
When Christianity was introduced into early medieval Swedish society, most of the cultivated land was already “locked” by odal (allodium), which meant that the land could only be used by members of a family holding the right of odal. A strategy used by the Church in its struggle for overtaking land was to demonstrate its full ownership of the land of a vicarage by means of the architecture of the parish church – the church was provided with an apse. If the land of the vicarage consisted of “borrowed” odal land, the chancel was built instead with a straight east wall. This can be demonstrated by way of a comparison of the land-holdings of vicarages as shown on cadastral maps from the 17th century. The situation shown on these maps should reflect the early medieval situation, and an analysis shows that the vicarages of churches with an apse have most of their holdings concentrated to large blocks of land, whereas the vicarages of churches without an apse have their holdings mixed with the land of the other farms of the village.
Analysis of the distribution of the different architectural types of parish church in relation to other recorded phenomena shows the great importance of the collective in pre-Christian and early medieval society. The idea of odal was linked to collective society. The Folkung rebellion in the 13th century was most probably caused by the transition from a society based on the collective to a society based more on the power and ownership of individuals. The king’s odal right to Uppsala öd (the land of the old royal dynasty) was converted into a new type of ownership, according to which the king held the land in virtue of his office.
in Swedish, with an extensive English summary
The Swedish History Museum holds two richly decorated late-medieval church bells from the Cistercian monastery church of Nydala and parish church of Bringetofta in Småland, with a third bell also attributed to the same master, still in use in the parish church at Nye. The Nydala bell, cast after a 1471 fire, features images inspired by the legend of Saint Eustace and the Book of Isaiah. Prominently, a couple of images show the pregnant Mary as a flower bud and the born Jesus as the blooming flower. The Bringetofta bell, from 1473, depicts, among other things, a rose symbolising Mary. The Nye bell shows a small horse, likely symbolizing Mary through a wordplay on the similarity between the terms for horse (O Sw. ‘Ros’ / Low German ‘Ros’) and rose (O Sw. ‘Ros’ / L Ger. ‘Rose / Ros’).
The Nydala bell’s motif, with its radical representation of the connection between Jesus and Mary, suggests the Nydala monastery was aligned with contemporary Carthusian views on Mary. The oldest record of the German Christmas psalm “Es ist ein Ros ent-sprungen” has a Cartusian origin and reflects similar imagery. The influential 15th century theologian and mystic Denis the Carthusian emphasized Mary’s extensive role in salvation, aligning with the theme on the Nydala bell and the German psalm.
The ornamentation on the bells was carved directly into the moulds, a demanding technique indicating a skilled artist distinct from the specialist bell-caster. Evidence suggests that the caster and artist were likely commissioned at the same time for the bell at Nydala, and in association with this also for the bells from Bringetofta and Nye.
The artwork on the bells resembles frescoes by Albertus Pictor, hinting he might have been the hired artist. The choice of motif on the Nydala bell indicates that the monastery and its abbot at this time were strongly influenced by Carthusian theology, as were several other prominent figures in Sweden at that time. One Carthusian advocate was the regent Sten Sture the Elder and another Archbishop Jakob Ulfsson who furthermore was a patron of Albertus Pictor.
In the summer of 2013 a minor archaeological investigation was conducted on the site by Stockholm County Museum. A skull was found that arguably belonged to a grave with a different orientation to either of the above. Several graves with diverging orientations occur elsewhere in Sigtuna. It is thus concluded that there existed a third category of burials that were inserted prior to the existence of any church or cemetery. The orientation of these latter graves was determined in relation to the townscape of adjacent plot boundaries, alleys, and streets. These graves were thus originally arranged within smaller burial sites that were integrated into the urban landscape. These burial sites were in use during a period from the 10th to the mid-11th century. It is considered that a royal residence was situated in the grounds of Sigtuna Museum from the town’s earliest days. A royal presence is also discernible through the coinage modelled on that of England that was minted here during the late 10th–early 11th century. It is therefore suggested that the place as a whole, up to the middle of the 11th century, was a Christian royal centre, perhaps established along the lines of an English minster. This Christian centre would have formed the backdrop for the earliest burial sites. The subsequent creation of a cemetery and the construction of a wooden church most likely signals a period when the older royal centre had lost its importance. An episcopal see may have replaced it, functioning as the centre for the new Sigtuna diocese established through the Archdiocese of Bremen, an event that can be dated on historical grounds to the early 1060’s.
Utöver detta påträffades bland annat även fragmentariska lämningar av ett möjligen medeltida hus samt lämningar av bebyggelse från 1700-talet.
Arkeologikonsult en slutundersökning av gravfältet
Spånga 193:1-2 i norra Stockholm. Gravfältet
har av allt att döma hört till den före detta byn Rissne.
Undersökningen föranleddes av att Trafikverket
planerade bygga en ny trafikplats vid det så kallade
Rissnekorset som en del av utbyggnaden av E18.
Föreliggande rapport är en redovisning av slutundersökningen
och dess resultat.
Antalet undersökta gravar uppgick till drygt femtio.
Tillsammans med de nio gravar som undersöktes
1969 bör gravfältet totalt ha omfattat cirka sextio
gravar. Alla gravar utom en var anlagda enligt tidigkristen
sed med jordande av de döda, men med
inslag av förkristna föreställningar och spår av handlingar
i syfte att avvärja gengångare. Gravfältet har
varit i bruk fram till senare delen av 1000-talet e.Kr.
När de första gravarna uppfördes är inte helt klarlagt.
Samtliga var dock vikingatida."
Schaktet upptogs på Lilla torget invid kv. Urmakaren 3. Det rörde sig om ett ca 5 meter långt och ca 1 meter brett schakt för en avloppsledning. Djupet varierade mellan ca 0,5 – 1,2 meter.
Schaktet berörde längst i öster ett redan tidigare upptaget schakt, i övrigt framkom orörda kulturlager. Närmast huskroppen kv. Urmakaren 3 genomgrävdes dessa längs en ca 0,5 meter lång och 0,5 meter djup sträcka. En profilritning av de
genomgrävda lagren upprättades.
Ungefär i mitten av det upptagna schaktet framkom i ett kulturlager, ca 0,7 meter under nuvarande gatunivå, ett mänskligt kranium. Grävningen avbröts på denna nivå, och efter dokumentation täcktes kraniet över. Avloppsledningen lades sedan på en nivå över detta.
Inget av antikvariskt intresse framkom.