Papers by Christian Løchsen Rødsrud
Kulturhistorisk museum Arkeologisk seksjon KULTURHISTORISK MUSEUM UNIVERSITETET I OSLO SAMMENDRAG... more Kulturhistorisk museum Arkeologisk seksjon KULTURHISTORISK MUSEUM UNIVERSITETET I OSLO SAMMENDRAG Lokaliteten lå i utmarken til Bamble prestegård (41/1) tett på grensen mot gården Hydal (40/1). Den var registrert av Telemark fylkeskommune som hadde påvist to gravhauger og en del av et hulveisystem (ID 144943). De to gravhaugene og hulveisystemet lå på en flate avgrenset av fylkesvei 206 i nord, berg i øst, fuktig skogbunn i vest og bratt en ravinedal i sør. Fra nord mot sør skar et våtmarksområde/bekkefar gjennom flaten, og på tvers av hulveiene, like øst for gravhaugene. Gårds-/ bruksnavn G.nr./ b.nr. Bamble prestegård med Lønneråg 41/1
SAMMENDRAG I tidsrommet 17. oktober-22. november 2011 foretok Kulturhistorisk museum en arkeologi... more SAMMENDRAG I tidsrommet 17. oktober-22. november 2011 foretok Kulturhistorisk museum en arkeologisk utgravning av en lokalitet på Huseby av Skedsmo forrige prestegård (37/1). Undersøkelsen fant sted i forbindelse med realisering av reguleringsplan for Husebyjordet. Planområdet lå i dyrket mark og hage, og omfattet Husebyjordet og tunet på Huseby gård (Skedsmo forrige prestegård). Huseby gård, med tilliggende dyrket mark, er godt synlig i kulturlandskapet mellom E6 og Skedsmo sentrum. Planområdet lå på en høyde og terrenget faller etter hvert mot Nitelva i vest-sørvest og Leira i øst. Huseby gård ligger ca. 900 meter nordøst for Skedsmo middelalderkirke (id85451). 220-380 meter nord nordvest for kirka (id 85451) ligger gravfeltet ved Sten-Taerud skole (id 64342, id 12735, id 80237). Ved maskinell flateavdekking ble det åpnet 6151 m 2 fordelt på fire felt, og funnet 312 strukturer som omfattet bosetningsspor. 71 stolpehull er tilknyttet seks ulike stolpebygde konstruksjoner. Fire av konstruksjonene ble avdekket på id143690, Felt 1 og Felt 2, og omfattet et toskipet, enfaset hus samt tre mulige treskipede hus som lå innenfor samme husområde. En stolperekke inntil dagens tun på Huseby og en firestolperskonstruksjon ble funnet på id144471, Felt 3 og Felt 4. Husebyjordet av Skedsmo forrige prestegård (37/1), Skedsmo Saksnr. 2011/9147 Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i Oslo Fornminneseksjonen Husebyjordet av Skedsmo forrige prestegård (37/1), Skedsmo Saksnr. 2011/9147 3 Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i Oslo Fornminneseksjonen
Kulturhistorisk museum, Universitetet i OsloFornminneseksjonen, 2006
Complexity and dynamics. Settlement and landscape from the Bronze Age to the Renaissance in the Nordic Countries (1700 BC–AD 1600). Edited by Marie Ødegaard & Ingrid Ystgaard, 2023
This article focuses on the transmission of technological knowledge and social change at Augland ... more This article focuses on the transmission of technological knowledge and social change at Augland in southernmost Norway around AD 200–450/60. In the first 150 years of this period the Augland artisans produced a regionally standard and relatively “frozen” set of pottery shaped by coiling/roughout techniques and tempered with granites (known as the
southern mode), while the final century was characterised by a dual production mode that also included the manufacture of the novel and regionally distinct bucket-shaped pottery (known as the western mode). The latter was made using a markedly different plate/mould technique, eventually tempered with soapstone and asbestos. The social dynamics
behind this technological change remain ambiguous, and the long-forgotten Augland site offers a unique opportunity in this regard, being the only known locality where soapstone tempering was incorporated into the southern mode. This study explores how and why the new material entered the production of the typical bucket-shaped type. At the same time, however, the evidence clearly indicates that potters experimented with soapstone for other ceramic pastes and shapes, even across crafts. We approach the material in four analytical stages: (1) analysis of raw material content; (2) evaluation of craft specialization; (3) fine-tuning the chronology for ceramic recipes; and (4) discussion of the social dynamics of knowledge transmission.
AmS-Varia
In 2015, the Museum of Cultural History organized a large excavation project in Løten, Hedmark wi... more In 2015, the Museum of Cultural History organized a large excavation project in Løten, Hedmark with over 90 sites. During the project both clearance cairns and cairns interpreted as graves were excavated. The field at Skillingstad contained more than 100 cairns, of which approximately 40 were excavated. Although originally thought to be clearance cairns, results obtained over the course of the excavation demanded that this interpretation be reconsidered. In the area surrounding Skillingstad, four smaller cairn fields were also excavated, ranging in size from 4 to 21 cairns. Several of these were associated with small, oval, bowl-shaped fields that overlapped in time with the graves at Skillingstad. The plant macrofossil analyses returned few interesting results, but the cairns containing graves and the clearance cairns differed significantly in their micromorphological results. In addition, there were clear differences in structural organization and the relationship between the cair...
This article discusses why pottery production in Norway ceases at the transition to the Late Iron... more This article discusses why pottery production in Norway ceases at the transition to the Late Iron Age in Norway. The use of pottery undergoes a range of changes throughout the Iron Age, from simple storage vessels, via various forms of decorated tableware which are a part of a sophisticated table service placed in graves, to simpler forms of storage vessels with stamped decoration, before disappearing altogether. The decline of pottery production coincides with a number of larger societal changes, involving the abandonment of farms, a change in inheritance regulations, and trade contacts with Europe. There is a decrease in the number of grave finds at the same time as there are changes in clothing styles and weapons use. In addition, the use of hillforts intensifies, as does the hoarding of precious metals, and these changes together provide the basis for the theories of societal restructuring due to crisis and rivalry. Hypotheses about the decline in pottery production are discusse...
Only 500 m south of the famous Gokstad mound outside the town of Sandefjord in Vestfold, in a !el... more Only 500 m south of the famous Gokstad mound outside the town of Sandefjord in Vestfold, in a !eld called Heimdalsjordet, a new trade and production site from the Viking Age was partly excavated in 2012 and 2013. It is situated in a valley at what was in the Viking Age a well-hidden natural harbour, located by a small strait that connected the inner reaches of the two fjords Mefjorden and Sandefjord behind the island of Vesterøya (Figures 11.1, 11.2). This newly discovered site is bound to have a substantial impact on our understanding of Viking-Age trade in south-eastern Norway and beyond, in particular because it demonstrates that the renowned international marketplace at Kaupang in Larvik municipality, only 15 km to the south of Gokstad, was not as dominating as previously thought (Skre 2007, 2008a, 2011). The goal of this chapter is to provide a !rst preliminary report and discussion of the site for an international readership (see Bill and Rødsrud 2013 for a presentation in Nor...
In 2015, the Museum of Cultural History organized a large excavation project in Løten, Hedmark wi... more In 2015, the Museum of Cultural History organized a large excavation project in Løten, Hedmark with over 90 sites. During the project both clearance cairns and cairns interpreted as graves were excavated. The field at Skillingstad contained more than 100 cairns, of which approximately 40 were excavated. Although originally thought to be clearance cairns, results obtained over the course of the excavation demanded that this interpretation be reconsidered. In the area surrounding Skillingstad, four smaller cairn fields were also excavated, ranging in size from 4 to 21 cairns. Several of these were associated with small, oval, bowl-shaped fields that overlapped in time with the graves at Skillingstad. The plant macrofossil analyses returned few interesting results, but the cairns containing graves and the clearance cairns differed significantly in their micromorphological results. In addition, there were clear differences in structural organization and the relationship between the cair...
Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2020
The unique ceramic production site at Augland in southernmost Norway thrived for more than 250 ye... more The unique ceramic production site at Augland in southernmost Norway thrived for more than 250 years until its demise in the troubled Migration Period. Contrary to previous opinions, we argue that production ended around AD 450–460 and not in the sixth century. Our approach, based on the craft practices, reveals that the introduction of a novel technology accelerated the process, fuelled by a regional power shift that severed once‐resilient ties to south Scandinavia. This outcome is based on the analysis of Augland’s terminal century: 1) re‐analysis of radiocarbon data; 2) ceramic macroscopy; and 3) fine‐sorting of pastes using handheld XRF data.
Ingen vei utenom: Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med etablering av ny rv. 3/25 i Løten og Elverum kommuner, Innlandet (Eds. Rødsrud, C.L. & Mjærum, A.), 2020
MAN OVER BOARD – ON
MISSING SKELETAL REMAINS, LACK
OF ARTEFACTS AND THE SYMBOLIC
MEANING BEHIND C... more MAN OVER BOARD – ON
MISSING SKELETAL REMAINS, LACK
OF ARTEFACTS AND THE SYMBOLIC
MEANING BEHIND CAIRN AND MOUND
CONSTRUCTIONS
This paper builds on the results from the excavation
of the field of cairns at Skillingstad (see chapter
3). There are four topics that will be discussed in
particular: Do the cairns represent graves, clearance
or something else? How should the lack of skeletal
remains be interpreted? How should the lack of
artefacts be interpreted? How should the symbolic
meaning of memorial features in the landscape be
understood?
As shown throughout the text cairn and mound
constructions with a lack of both skeletal remains and
artefacts are far from uncommon. This suggests that
the construction and the symbolic significance of the
monument have been as important as the deposition
of remains of the dead. Perhaps mimicking the form
and presumably ritualized construction of the cairn/
mound as part of the rituals of life and death in the past
society has been sufficient when erecting monuments.
Simple monuments with no visible grave appear to
have played a major role at Skillingstad and several
other burial fields in the early Iron Age. The cairns
are interpreted as a more mundane category of graves,
but alternatively, they can be understood as traces of
rituals performed at the site.
Ingen vei utenom: Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med etablering av ny rv. 3/25 i Løten og Elverum kommuner, Innlandet (eds. Rødsrud, C.L. & Mjærum, A.). Cappelen Damm Akademisk, 2020
A PAST BORDERLAND –
LANDSCAPES, COMMUNICATION ROUTES
AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDS
OF LØTEN AND ... more A PAST BORDERLAND –
LANDSCAPES, COMMUNICATION ROUTES
AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDS
OF LØTEN AND ELVERUM IN EASTERN
NORWAY
The rich soils in the central parts of the region of
Hedmarken in the inland region of eastern Norway
offer good farming conditions. Meanwhile the neighbouring valley of Østerdalen mainly consists of forested areas which are rich in wild game and iron ore.
The Løten and Elverum municipalities form the
border between the two regions, and in the article,
the archaeological record from this frontier zone is
compiled and compared in detail.
By applying a longue durée perspective, the authors argue that the differences in natural conditions
were essential for a long-lasting, mutual relationship
between Hedmarken and Østerdalen. The areas were
linked by the roads that were in use during the Iron
Age (c. 500 BC–AD 1050), and that were probably
established even earlier in prehistory. The farms By
in Løten and Åker in the central part of Hedmarken
were strategically positioned on lines of communication: both on the road system and on routes using
waterways. Their localizations at nodal points for travel
is crucial to an understanding of the development of
By, and especially of Åker, as places of regional power.
Ingen vei utenom: Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med etablering av ny rv. 3/25 i Løten og Elverum kommuner, Innlandet (eds. Rødsrud, C.L. & Mjærum, A.), 2020
NO OTHER WAY
The exploitation of the borderland, where Løten and
Elverum represent contact points... more NO OTHER WAY
The exploitation of the borderland, where Løten and
Elverum represent contact points for the interaction between the agricultural areas Hedmarken and areas
of dense forest in inland Norway, is the focus point
of this book. The two districts have been complimenting each other throughout prehistory. However, the
agricultural production in Glomma Valley (chapters
2 and 6) and the charcoal production, moose traps
and pasture in today’s Løten (chapter 2), make it clear
that the story is not without nuances.
Being nodal points for travel, Løten and Elverum
play a prominent role in historical development of
the region. The road connections through Løten and
Elverum via Midtskogen and Rokosjøen have been of
particular importance. These roads were established in
the Stone Age and are traceable through the Middle
Ages and up to our day. There has simply been no
way around.
Ingen vei utenom: Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med etablering av ny rv. 3/25 i Løten og Elverum kommuner, Innlandet (eds. Rødsrud, C.L. & Mjærum, A.), 2020
When studying the physical remains from an excavation, focus is naturally at the microscopic leve... more When studying the physical remains from an excavation, focus is naturally at the microscopic level. Fernand
Braudel emphasized the necessity to rise above the
explanation of individual events and of limited periods,
highlighting the resilient and long-lasting trends (la
longue durée). In this book we intend to overcome
this dichotomy by switching between a micro and
a macro perspective. A broad perspective makes it
possible both to study the landscape of agriculture
over a long period of time, and to delve into details
at the local level.
Elverum and Løten are situated in a frontier zone – a
place where the forested areas with a lean soil extend
towards the more fertile soils of Hedmarken. This zone
has always been a region of considerable prosperity,
partly as a result of its position as a border zone for travel
between the neighbouring agricultural and forested
areas, thus benefiting from local and regional trade.
Ingen vei utenom: Arkeologiske undersøkelser i forbindelse med etablering av ny rv. 3/25 i Løten og Elverum kommuner, Innlandet (eds. Rødsrud, C.L. & Mjærum, A.), 2020
Metal detecting at a cooking pit site at Rømma in
Løten, Hedmark (discussed in chapter 7), lead t... more Metal detecting at a cooking pit site at Rømma in
Løten, Hedmark (discussed in chapter 7), lead to the
discovery of a brooch formed like a bird. The brooch is
unusual and has no exact parallels. This paper presents
the bird brooch and discusses its chronological dating
to the early Norwegian Merovingian Period, ca. 550
AD. Similar and associated iconography within the
Hedmark region is considered, and we discuss why and
how the brooch ended up at the cooking pit site. The
aim of the paper is to consider the bird brooch from
Rømma in a wider context and thus to regard it as part
of a distinct tradition surrounding bird images in this
period that is associated with a supra-regional warrior
elite in Hedmark.
In this article I have discussed three source categories: Roman-made glass with repairs and gilde... more In this article I have discussed three source categories: Roman-made glass with repairs and gilded fittings, ceramics that imitate glass and window sills (ceramics with shards of glass inserted into the vessel body). The selected subject categories have potential for new understanding, which has hitherto been little utilized. The source categories are good examples of how foreign objects (from the Roman Empire) meet and integrate into a local system (the Germanic society of present Norway). The term Romanization was previously interpreted as an acculturation and acquisition of Roman identity, and it was discussed whether Germanic peoples took up Roman customs and used the objects as they were used at the place of origin. Today, research has shifted towards actions that are culturally and socially conditioned, created by interaction in a tightly intertwined network of excited societal structures and the behavioral patterns of groups or individuals. It is thus the meeting point between Roman and German culture that is the articles focus and the concepts of interaction, identity, colonization and hybridity are assigned to the discussion of how material culture from distant areas are adopted and melts together with local material culture.
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Papers by Christian Løchsen Rødsrud
southern mode), while the final century was characterised by a dual production mode that also included the manufacture of the novel and regionally distinct bucket-shaped pottery (known as the western mode). The latter was made using a markedly different plate/mould technique, eventually tempered with soapstone and asbestos. The social dynamics
behind this technological change remain ambiguous, and the long-forgotten Augland site offers a unique opportunity in this regard, being the only known locality where soapstone tempering was incorporated into the southern mode. This study explores how and why the new material entered the production of the typical bucket-shaped type. At the same time, however, the evidence clearly indicates that potters experimented with soapstone for other ceramic pastes and shapes, even across crafts. We approach the material in four analytical stages: (1) analysis of raw material content; (2) evaluation of craft specialization; (3) fine-tuning the chronology for ceramic recipes; and (4) discussion of the social dynamics of knowledge transmission.
MISSING SKELETAL REMAINS, LACK
OF ARTEFACTS AND THE SYMBOLIC
MEANING BEHIND CAIRN AND MOUND
CONSTRUCTIONS
This paper builds on the results from the excavation
of the field of cairns at Skillingstad (see chapter
3). There are four topics that will be discussed in
particular: Do the cairns represent graves, clearance
or something else? How should the lack of skeletal
remains be interpreted? How should the lack of
artefacts be interpreted? How should the symbolic
meaning of memorial features in the landscape be
understood?
As shown throughout the text cairn and mound
constructions with a lack of both skeletal remains and
artefacts are far from uncommon. This suggests that
the construction and the symbolic significance of the
monument have been as important as the deposition
of remains of the dead. Perhaps mimicking the form
and presumably ritualized construction of the cairn/
mound as part of the rituals of life and death in the past
society has been sufficient when erecting monuments.
Simple monuments with no visible grave appear to
have played a major role at Skillingstad and several
other burial fields in the early Iron Age. The cairns
are interpreted as a more mundane category of graves,
but alternatively, they can be understood as traces of
rituals performed at the site.
LANDSCAPES, COMMUNICATION ROUTES
AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDS
OF LØTEN AND ELVERUM IN EASTERN
NORWAY
The rich soils in the central parts of the region of
Hedmarken in the inland region of eastern Norway
offer good farming conditions. Meanwhile the neighbouring valley of Østerdalen mainly consists of forested areas which are rich in wild game and iron ore.
The Løten and Elverum municipalities form the
border between the two regions, and in the article,
the archaeological record from this frontier zone is
compiled and compared in detail.
By applying a longue durée perspective, the authors argue that the differences in natural conditions
were essential for a long-lasting, mutual relationship
between Hedmarken and Østerdalen. The areas were
linked by the roads that were in use during the Iron
Age (c. 500 BC–AD 1050), and that were probably
established even earlier in prehistory. The farms By
in Løten and Åker in the central part of Hedmarken
were strategically positioned on lines of communication: both on the road system and on routes using
waterways. Their localizations at nodal points for travel
is crucial to an understanding of the development of
By, and especially of Åker, as places of regional power.
The exploitation of the borderland, where Løten and
Elverum represent contact points for the interaction between the agricultural areas Hedmarken and areas
of dense forest in inland Norway, is the focus point
of this book. The two districts have been complimenting each other throughout prehistory. However, the
agricultural production in Glomma Valley (chapters
2 and 6) and the charcoal production, moose traps
and pasture in today’s Løten (chapter 2), make it clear
that the story is not without nuances.
Being nodal points for travel, Løten and Elverum
play a prominent role in historical development of
the region. The road connections through Løten and
Elverum via Midtskogen and Rokosjøen have been of
particular importance. These roads were established in
the Stone Age and are traceable through the Middle
Ages and up to our day. There has simply been no
way around.
Braudel emphasized the necessity to rise above the
explanation of individual events and of limited periods,
highlighting the resilient and long-lasting trends (la
longue durée). In this book we intend to overcome
this dichotomy by switching between a micro and
a macro perspective. A broad perspective makes it
possible both to study the landscape of agriculture
over a long period of time, and to delve into details
at the local level.
Elverum and Løten are situated in a frontier zone – a
place where the forested areas with a lean soil extend
towards the more fertile soils of Hedmarken. This zone
has always been a region of considerable prosperity,
partly as a result of its position as a border zone for travel
between the neighbouring agricultural and forested
areas, thus benefiting from local and regional trade.
Løten, Hedmark (discussed in chapter 7), lead to the
discovery of a brooch formed like a bird. The brooch is
unusual and has no exact parallels. This paper presents
the bird brooch and discusses its chronological dating
to the early Norwegian Merovingian Period, ca. 550
AD. Similar and associated iconography within the
Hedmark region is considered, and we discuss why and
how the brooch ended up at the cooking pit site. The
aim of the paper is to consider the bird brooch from
Rømma in a wider context and thus to regard it as part
of a distinct tradition surrounding bird images in this
period that is associated with a supra-regional warrior
elite in Hedmark.
southern mode), while the final century was characterised by a dual production mode that also included the manufacture of the novel and regionally distinct bucket-shaped pottery (known as the western mode). The latter was made using a markedly different plate/mould technique, eventually tempered with soapstone and asbestos. The social dynamics
behind this technological change remain ambiguous, and the long-forgotten Augland site offers a unique opportunity in this regard, being the only known locality where soapstone tempering was incorporated into the southern mode. This study explores how and why the new material entered the production of the typical bucket-shaped type. At the same time, however, the evidence clearly indicates that potters experimented with soapstone for other ceramic pastes and shapes, even across crafts. We approach the material in four analytical stages: (1) analysis of raw material content; (2) evaluation of craft specialization; (3) fine-tuning the chronology for ceramic recipes; and (4) discussion of the social dynamics of knowledge transmission.
MISSING SKELETAL REMAINS, LACK
OF ARTEFACTS AND THE SYMBOLIC
MEANING BEHIND CAIRN AND MOUND
CONSTRUCTIONS
This paper builds on the results from the excavation
of the field of cairns at Skillingstad (see chapter
3). There are four topics that will be discussed in
particular: Do the cairns represent graves, clearance
or something else? How should the lack of skeletal
remains be interpreted? How should the lack of
artefacts be interpreted? How should the symbolic
meaning of memorial features in the landscape be
understood?
As shown throughout the text cairn and mound
constructions with a lack of both skeletal remains and
artefacts are far from uncommon. This suggests that
the construction and the symbolic significance of the
monument have been as important as the deposition
of remains of the dead. Perhaps mimicking the form
and presumably ritualized construction of the cairn/
mound as part of the rituals of life and death in the past
society has been sufficient when erecting monuments.
Simple monuments with no visible grave appear to
have played a major role at Skillingstad and several
other burial fields in the early Iron Age. The cairns
are interpreted as a more mundane category of graves,
but alternatively, they can be understood as traces of
rituals performed at the site.
LANDSCAPES, COMMUNICATION ROUTES
AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDS
OF LØTEN AND ELVERUM IN EASTERN
NORWAY
The rich soils in the central parts of the region of
Hedmarken in the inland region of eastern Norway
offer good farming conditions. Meanwhile the neighbouring valley of Østerdalen mainly consists of forested areas which are rich in wild game and iron ore.
The Løten and Elverum municipalities form the
border between the two regions, and in the article,
the archaeological record from this frontier zone is
compiled and compared in detail.
By applying a longue durée perspective, the authors argue that the differences in natural conditions
were essential for a long-lasting, mutual relationship
between Hedmarken and Østerdalen. The areas were
linked by the roads that were in use during the Iron
Age (c. 500 BC–AD 1050), and that were probably
established even earlier in prehistory. The farms By
in Løten and Åker in the central part of Hedmarken
were strategically positioned on lines of communication: both on the road system and on routes using
waterways. Their localizations at nodal points for travel
is crucial to an understanding of the development of
By, and especially of Åker, as places of regional power.
The exploitation of the borderland, where Løten and
Elverum represent contact points for the interaction between the agricultural areas Hedmarken and areas
of dense forest in inland Norway, is the focus point
of this book. The two districts have been complimenting each other throughout prehistory. However, the
agricultural production in Glomma Valley (chapters
2 and 6) and the charcoal production, moose traps
and pasture in today’s Løten (chapter 2), make it clear
that the story is not without nuances.
Being nodal points for travel, Løten and Elverum
play a prominent role in historical development of
the region. The road connections through Løten and
Elverum via Midtskogen and Rokosjøen have been of
particular importance. These roads were established in
the Stone Age and are traceable through the Middle
Ages and up to our day. There has simply been no
way around.
Braudel emphasized the necessity to rise above the
explanation of individual events and of limited periods,
highlighting the resilient and long-lasting trends (la
longue durée). In this book we intend to overcome
this dichotomy by switching between a micro and
a macro perspective. A broad perspective makes it
possible both to study the landscape of agriculture
over a long period of time, and to delve into details
at the local level.
Elverum and Løten are situated in a frontier zone – a
place where the forested areas with a lean soil extend
towards the more fertile soils of Hedmarken. This zone
has always been a region of considerable prosperity,
partly as a result of its position as a border zone for travel
between the neighbouring agricultural and forested
areas, thus benefiting from local and regional trade.
Løten, Hedmark (discussed in chapter 7), lead to the
discovery of a brooch formed like a bird. The brooch is
unusual and has no exact parallels. This paper presents
the bird brooch and discusses its chronological dating
to the early Norwegian Merovingian Period, ca. 550
AD. Similar and associated iconography within the
Hedmark region is considered, and we discuss why and
how the brooch ended up at the cooking pit site. The
aim of the paper is to consider the bird brooch from
Rømma in a wider context and thus to regard it as part
of a distinct tradition surrounding bird images in this
period that is associated with a supra-regional warrior
elite in Hedmark.
The transition from urns to sets of table goods also relates to a change of pottery shapes, temper and ornamentation. The rough, undecorated cooking-/storage vessels that dominate in the graves from the earliest periods were often used as urns. In the later part of the period tableware with finer temper and a polished, often decorated surface are developed. The transition to tableware also coincides with Roman glass and bronze vessels occurring in some graves.
The use of pottery is compared to mythic beliefs, ritual performances and the social development in general. In mythology vessels are linked to ritual meals/sacrifices, feasting and death, probably as a symbol of regeneration and rebirth. The consumption metaphor is closely related to burials in urns, as both a dead body and a meal are transformed through the use of fire. The change from urns to tableware mark a shift from a passive death, where the dead is consumed by fire, to a life aspect where the deceased more or less participate in a feast or drinking party in death. The new focus on food and drink is interpreted as referring to an idealized lifestyle, as it appears in the hall, with a banquet and entertainment of guests. From a high level of standardization in large cemeteries with urns, the graves are increasingly individualized by the use of mounds and a wider variety of grave goods, for instance vessels for food and drink, as a way of standing out. The use of tableware reaches its peak around 400 AD, after which the custom gradually declines and disappears.
http://www.hf.uio.no/iakh/english/research/news-and-events/news/rodsrud.html
http://sciencenordic.com/pottery-grave-goods-tell-us-about-life
The publication is part of the Joint Research Program (Forskning i fellesskap) conducted by the University Museums of Norway and co-funded by The Research Council of Norway.