Gotlandic picture stones, hybridity and material culture

2014

Archaeological research on the Hanseatic towns established in the Middle Ages in the Baltic region has been conducted on a large scale since the 1980’s. Discoveries made since then allow to formulate a thesis about the cultural unity among the inhabitants of towns situated on the South Baltic coast between the 13th and 15th centuries. Based on selected instances of the urban culture, widely discussed in archaeological sources, the paper is an attempt to prove that a number of similarities can be revealed in various spheres of life led by the inhabitants of towns located in the Baltic region, often situated far away from one another. The analysis covered the following aspects: architecture – quoting the example of tenements with entrance halls which in the 14th century became a common element of the cultural landscape in towns located in the Baltic region; pottery – quoting the example of popular in this part of Europe stoneware and red glazed jugs; and, last but not least, devotiona...

2010

Besides the economic, technical and social innovations most Neo-

2010

The principal aim of this article is to discuss the cultural significance of the material remains in the middle of northern Sweden during the last two millennia Be. Several fmd categories from the provinces of Angermanland, Jlimtland and Medelpad are discussed in order to illuminate the debated relationship between the coast and the interior. The material evidence consists of asbestos-tempered pottery, rhombic shafthole axes, mounds of firecracked stone, cairns, bronze artefacts and moulds. The interpretative discussion focuses both on the spatial distribution and on the contextual meaning of the material. It is here suggested that the cultural significance of the material from the investigation area should not be described in terms of a dualism of cultures. The cultural setting is rather to be interpreted as an intricate system of kinship relations, marriage exchange, ritual strategies and interactional contexts, in which various groups of mobile hunter-gatherers were involved.

2010

Identity Formation and Diversity in the Early Medieval Baltic and Beyond, 2017

Fees are subject to change. This book is printed on acid-free paper and produced in a sustainable manner. Contents List of Illustrations VII List of Contributors xi 1 Identity Formation and Diversity: Introduction 1 Johan Callmer, Ingrid Gustin and Mats Roslund 2 Societies East and West of the Baltic Sea: Prehistoric Culture Contacts Revisited 17 Marika Mägi 3 Riding to the Afterworld: Burying with Horses and Riding Equipment in Estonia and the Baltic Rim 48 Valter Lang 4 A Site of Intersection: Staraya Ladoga, Eastern Silver, and Long-Distance Communication Networks in Early Medieval Europe 76 Søren M. Sindbaek 5 Creating a Cultural Expression: On Rus' Identity and Material Culture 91 Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson 6 "Varangian Christianity" and the Veneration of Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian Saints in Early Rus' 107 John H. Lind 7 The Rise of the Dominion of the ar-Rus in the Northern Parts of Eastern Europe, Seventh to Ninth Centuries a.d.: A Case of Culture Construction 136 Johan Callmer 8 Bringing "the Periphery" into Focus: Social Interaction between Baltic Finns and the Svear in the Viking Age and Crusade Period (c.800 to 1200) 168 Mats Roslund Contents vi 9 Contacts, Identity, and Hybridity: Objects from Southwestern Finland in the Birka Graves 205 Ingrid Gustin 10 Swords from the Carolingian Empire to the Baltic Sea and Beyond 259 Anne Stalsberg 11 Dirham Hoards from the Gulf of Finland Region 281 Tuukka Talvio Index 293 2.2 Reconstruction of Tõnija Tuulingumäe Roman Period tarand-grave, Saaremaa 24 2.3 Viking Age stone-circle graves at Piila, Saaremaa 31 2.4 Three examples of about 30 Estonian sword hilts and more than 30 spear-head sockets decorated in Scandinavian animal styles 33 3.1 One of the typical find complexes of horse equipment from the island of Saaremaa (a stone grave at Randvere) 49 3.2 Two examples of pendants with impressions of horses from the areas of the eastern Finno-Ugrians 52 3.3 Pendants of eastern Finno-Ugrians representing female riders 53 3.4 A picture-stone at Klinte Hunninge, Gotland 61 3.5 A picture-stone at Alskog Tjängvide 62 3.6 An appliqué on a felt carpet from the fifth barrow at Pazyryk, Altai, fifth-fourth centuries b.c. 63 3.7 A dedication relief from Yevpatoria, the Crimea, second century ad 63 3.8 Investiture scene from Sveshtari, Guinina Moguila, Balkan Peninsula, fourththird centuries b.c. 64 5.2 Mounts from the belt-set from Birka's garrison. Each mount display a post-Sasanian palmetto motif closely related to Volga Bulgar design 98 5.3 Reconstruction of an archer with eastern equipment, based on the archaeological finds from Birka 99 5.4 Hilt from a sword of Petersen's type D with Borre-style ornament. Found in Gnezdovo,

The Baltic in the Bronze Age: Regional patterns, interactions and boundaries, 2022

Archaeological Review from Cambridge, 27: 2, 2012

V o l u m e 2 7 . 2 . N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2 A r c h a e o l o g y a n d t h e (D e) Co n s t r u c t i o n o f N at i o n a

2013

This thesis has compared the distribution of certain types of Viking Age Eastern Baltic bronze artifacts discovered on Gotland. This was done in order to observe different parts of Gotland´s interaction with different groups in the Baltic Sea region and how this might have influenced the identities and ideas of the individuals involved in the interaction. The objects and their finding contexts were subjected to a geographical analysis and applied to a map of Viking Age Gotland. Different distribution can be observed for different types of artifacts, as well as a shift in patterns of interaction in the Baltic Sea region over time. Denna uppsats har jämfört spridningsmönstren för olika vikingatida objekt från Baltikum som påträffats på Gotland. Detta för att kunna studera hur olika delar av Gotland har interagerat med andra grupper i Östersjöregionen och hur detta kan ha influerat individens identiteter och idéer. Föremålen samt deras kontexter har analyserats geografiskt, samt applicerats på en karta över det vikingatida Gotland. Olika spridningsmönster kunde observeras för olika typer av artefakter. Även förändringar i interaktionsmönstret över tid i östersjöregionen kunde noteras.

Summary of doctoral dissertation, 2015