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QR-koder 13 000 år

QR codes 13 000 years

Arkeologi + naturvetenskapliga analyser = sant

14C-metod

Alltsedan 1960-talet har den så kallade 14C-metoden (uttalas kol 14-metoden) varit den främsta analysen för arkeologer att datera fornlämningar. Metoden fungerar på allt organiskt material, men vanligen används träkol och ben. En kolbit stor som huvudet på en tändsticka räcker för att få reda på när trästockarna, i exempelvis en eldstad, brändes.

Innan 14C -metoden fanns var arkeologer utlämnade till att bedöma ålder utifrån de fynd man eventuellt hittade. 14C-metoden gjorde det möjligt att undersöka och datera helt nya typer av fornlämningar, som exempelvis spår av hus, eldstäder, järnframställningsplatser och mycket mer!

Metoden bygger på att kol i luften ständigt tas upp i allt levande. När ett djur eller en växt dör börjar ett radioaktivt sönderfall av kolisotopen 14C, medan isotopen 12C är helt stabil. Genom att mäta mängdförhållandet mellan kolisotoperna i ett prov kan man beräkna när djuret eller växten dog och därmed slutade att ta upp 14C.

Makrofossilanalys

Makrofossil är ett samlingsnamn för fröer och kärnor från vilda eller odlade växter och det hittas i nästan alla fornlämningsmiljöer. Ibland har makrofossil bevarats eftersom det har förkolnat, ibland för att det har legat i vatten och ibland för att det har legat extremt torrt.  Genom att använda makrofossilanalys vid arkeologiska undersökningar, kan speciella forskare ta reda på vilka växter som har använts till mat, i mediciner, vid ritualer och som dekoration. Man kan också hitta växter som har köpts in från andra länder.

Pollenanalys 

Enorma mängder pollen sprids i naturen varje år. När de hamnar i sjöar, mossar, brunnar eller i marken, kan de bevaras i tusentals år. Genom att analysera pollen i jordprover eller borrkärnor och ta reda på vilka växter de kommer ifrån, är det möjligt att rekonstruera de landskap som våra förfäder levde i.

Pollenanalys kan exempelvis berätta om vilka växter som fanns på en boplats och hur det omgivande landskapet såg ut – både det vilda och det som människor format genom odling och med sina betesdjur. Pollenanalys kan också användas för att visa hur man smyckade en forntida begravning och när på året det skedde. Eftersom växterna skiftas med förändringar i klimatet kan pollenanalys också användas till att belysa klimatförändringar.

Archaeology + scientific analyzes = true

14C method

Since the 1960s, the so-called 14C method (pronounced carbon 14 method) has been the main analysis for archaeologists to date ancient remains. The method works on all organic materials, but charcoal and bone are usually used. A piece of charcoal as big as the head of a match is enough to find out when the logs, for example, in a fireplace, were burned.

Before the 14C method, archaeologists were left to assess age based on the findings they may have discovered. The 14C method made it possible to investigate and date completely new types of ancient remains, such as traces of houses, fireplaces, ironworks, and much more!

The method is based on carbon in the air being constantly absorbed into all living things. When an animal or a plant dies, a radioactive decay of the carbon isotope 14C begins, while the isotope 12C is entirely stable. By measuring the ratio of the carbon isotopes in a sample, one can calculate when the animal or plant died and thus stopped absorbing 14C.

Macrofossil analysis

Macrofossil is a collective name for seeds and kernels from wild or cultivated plants and it is found in almost all ancient monument sites. Sometimes macrofossil has been preserved because it has charred, sometimes because it has been in water and sometimes because it has been in an extremely dry place. By using macrofossil analysis in archaeological research, special researchers can find out which plants have been used for food, in medicines, in rituals and as decoration. You can also find plants that have been purchased from other countries.

Pollen analysis

Enormous amounts of pollen are spread in nature every year. When they end up in lakes, bogs, wells or in the ground, they can be preserved for thousands of years. By analyzing pollen in soil samples or drill cores and finding out which plants they come from, it is possible to reconstruct the landscapes in which our ancestors lived.

Pollen analysis can, for example, tell us about what plants could be found in a settlement and what the surrounding landscape looked like – both the wild and what humans had formed through cultivation and with their grazing animals. Pollen analysis can also be used to show how an ancient funeral was decorated and when in the year it took place. As plants change with climate change, pollen analysis can also be used to shed light on this phenomenon.

Armringarna på Teleborg

3 700 år sedan

De äldsta föremålen av metall kom till Skandinavien redan under slutet av stenåldern, för drygt 4 000 år sedan. De var gjorda av koppar eller brons. Kunskapen om hur man använde metall är dock äldre än så. De första spåren av metallhantverk finns i sydöstra Europa och är 6 000 år gamla.

I en hällkista på Teleborg söder om Växjö hittades två armringar av brons vid en arkeologisk undersökning. Det är några av de äldsta metallfynden vi känner till från länet. En analys av armringarna från Teleborg har visat att de tillverkades i södra Skandinavien för ungefär 3 700 år sedan. Antagligen kom metallen från en bronsyxa som smältes ned för att göras om till armringar.

Smyckena innehåller olika sammansättning av metaller och har därför haft olika färg från början. Den hela armringen innehåller mer tenn och har varit mer gul. Den trasigare innehåller mer koppar och har haft en djupare rödbrun färg. Brons är en blandning av koppar och tenn.

Liknande armringar från samma tid har hittats i nuvarande Danmark, Tyskland, Polen och Tjeckien. Eftersom armringarna låg i en grav antar vi att de gjorts till en särskild person. Det bör ha varit någon med smala armar, kanske en ung människa.

The bracelets at Teleborg

3,700 years ago

The oldest metal objects came to Scandinavia as early as the end of the Stone Age, just over 4,000 years ago. They were made of copper or bronze. However, the knowledge of how to use metal is older than that. The first traces of metal crafts are found in southeastern Europe and are 6,000 years old.

In a gallery grave in Teleborg south of Växjö, two bronze bracelets were found during an archaeological investigation. These are some of the oldest metal finds we know from the county. An analysis of the bracelets from Teleborg has shown that they were made in southern Scandinavia about 3,700 years ago. The metal probably came from a bronze ax that was melted down in order to be turned into bracelets.

The jewelry contains different compositions of metals and has therefore had a different colour from the beginning. The whole bracelet contains more tin and has been more yellow. The broken one contains more copper and has had a deeper reddish brown colour. Bronze is a mixture of copper and tin.

Similar bracelets from the same period have been found in present-day Denmark, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Since the bracelets were placed in a grave, we assume that they were made for a special person. Most likely it was for someone with thin arms, maybe a young person.

Asatro

Kunskapen om vad människor trodde på innan kristendomen kommer framför allt från skriftliga källor, men kan också spåras i till exempel ortnamn och genom arkeologiska fynd. Några av de viktigaste källorna till kunskap om den förkristna religionen i Skandinavien kom från den romerske ämbetsmannen Tacitus som beskrev germanska stammar på 100-talet, från Jordanes på 500-talet och Adam av Bremen, en tysk historieskrivare på 1000-talet.

Eftersom vikingarna rörde sig även öster ut finns källor som nedtecknats även i dessa områden, tex från en muslimsk lärd man vid namn Ibn-Fadlan på 900-talet. Andra inhemska källor är den poesi och diktning som tillkom i Skandinavien från 800-talet och framåt. Till dessa räknas de så kallade eddadikterna och även de isländska berättelser som nedtecknades av bland annat Snorre Sturlasson på 1200-talet. Samtida med Snorre Sturlasson var också Saxo-Grammaticus, en munk som var verksam i Danmark.

Läs mer om vikingarnas mytologiska värld till exempel på Historiska museets hemsida.

Andra källor: Fornskandinavisk religion av Britt-Marie Näsström.

Sources of Norse Religion

The knowledge of what people believed in before Christianity comes primarily from written sources, but can also be traced in, for example, place names and through archaeological finds. Some of the most important sources of knowledge about the pre-Christian religion in Scandinavia came from the Roman official Tacitus who described Germanic tribes in the 100s, from Jordanes in the 500s and from Adam of Bremen, a German historian in the 1000s.

As the Vikings also moved east, there are sources that have been recorded in these areas as well, for example from a Muslim scholar named Ibn-Fadlan in the 10th century. Other domestic sources are the poetry and poems that appeared in Scandinavia from the ninth century onwards. These include the so-called Edda poems and also the Icelandic stories written down by, among others, Snorre Sturlasson in the 13th century. Contemporary with Snorre Sturlasson was also Saxo-Grammaticus, a monk who was active in Denmark.

Read more about the Vikings’ mythological world, for example on the Swedish Historical Museum’s website: Historiska museets hemsida.

Other sources: Ancient Scandinavian Religion by Britt-Marie Näsström.

In a gallery grave in Teleborg south of Växjö, two bronze bracelets were found during an archaeological investigation. These are some of the oldest metal finds we know from the county. An analysis of the bracelets from Teleborg has shown that they were made in southern Scandinavia about 3,700 years ago. The metal probably came from a bronze ax that was melted down in order to be turned into bracelets.

The jewelry contains different compositions of metals and has therefore had a different colour from the beginning. The whole bracelet contains more tin and has been more yellow. The broken one contains more copper and has had a deeper reddish brown colour. Bronze is a mixture of copper and tin.

Similar bracelets from the same period have been found in present-day Denmark, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Since the bracelets were placed in a grave, we assume that they were made for a special person. Most likely it was for someone with thin arms, maybe a young person.

Bronshalsringarna i Växjösjön

När torparen Lindquist grävde på biskopsgårdens mark vid Växjösjön i slutet av 1800-talet, fick han sig nog en chock.  Ur marken drog han 8 st vridna bronshalsringar! De hade antagligen offrats i strandkanten till någon eller några gudar under yngre bronsåldern.

När vattennivån sänktes, torrlades marken och användes till hagmark. Lindquist ersattes med 40 kronor (nu ca 2 500 kr), när han lämnade fornfyndet till Witterhetsakademien i Stockholm. En ganska snål summa för ett sådant praktfynd!

I närheten av fyndplatsen, inom bostadsområdet Biskopshagen i Växjö, undersöktes över hundra år senare ett antal gravar och boplatsspår från bronsåldern.

Läs mer om undersökningen

Foto: Historiska museet

The bronze neck rings in Växjösjön

When the crofter Lindquist dug on the bishop’s land by the lake “Växjösjön” at the end of the 19th century, he probably got a shock. From the ground he pulled 8 twisted bronze necklaces! They had probably been sacrificed on the shore to one or more gods during the Late Bronze Age.

When the water level was lowered, the dried soil which appeared was used for pasture. Lindquist was paid SEK 40 (now about SEK 2,500), when he left the ancient find to the Witterhetsakademien in Stockholm. A rather meager sum for such a magnificent find!

Near the site, within the residential area Biskopshagen in Växjö, a number of graves and settlement traces from the Bronze Age were examined over a hundred years later.

Photo: Historiska museet

Flinta

Flinta var stenålderns redskapsmaterial nummer ett, även om föremål av ben, horn och trä säkert var minst lika vanliga. Flinta finns naturligt i den skånska och danska berggrunden och den kan se lite olika ut. Flinta som hittas utanför dessa områden har förts dit av människor. Det gäller även för Småland. All flinta vi hittar här är ”importerad” från Skåne eller Danmark.

Människor i olika delar av Småland har använt olika sorters flinta. I öster är den mörka Kristianstadflintan vanligast och i väster den ljusare flintan från sydvästra Skåne. Det kan tyda på att människor hade olika kontaktvägar beroende på var man uppehöll sig mestadels. I den västra delen kom flintan genom kontakter med människor från hallandskusten och åarna, i den östra delen via kontakter längs Blekinges åar.

Utöver flinta använde sig människorna i Småland även av andra stenmaterial, till exempel porfyr och kvarts.

Flint

Flint was the number one material for making tools during the Stone Age, although objects made of bone, horn and wood were certainly at least as common. Flint is found naturally in the Scanian and Danish bedrock and it can look a little different. Flint found outside these areas has been brought there by humans. This also applies to Småland. All flint we find here is ”imported” from Scania or Denmark.

People in different parts of Småland have used different types of flint. In the east, the dark Kristianstad flint is most common and in the west the lighter flint from southwestern Skåne. This may indicate that people had different contact paths depending on where they lived most of the time. In the western part, the flint came through contacts with people from the Halland coast and the rivers, in the eastern part via contacts along the Blekinge rivers.

In addition to flint, the people in Småland also used other stone materials, such as porphyry and quartz.

Fornborgar

Fornborgar är fornlämningar som är vanligast i södra halvan av Sverige. De kan se olika ut, men har vissa saker gemensamt. De flesta är byggda på bergskrön, där toppen på olika sätt har hägnats in och avgränsats med stenvallar och murar. I Skåne, på Öland och Gotland ligger fornborgarna däremot oftast på plan mark och är byggda som ringmurar. Trots att de har en gemensam benämning kan fornborgar alltså se mycket olika ut.

Namnet fornborg för tankarna till försvarsanläggningar, men genom arkeologiska undersökningar vet man att många av dem har haft andra funktioner. Vissa verkar ha fungerat som handels- och hantverksplatser, andra som kult- och begravningsplatser eller som boplatser med odlingar. I några fall vet man inte alls hur de har använts, eftersom det inte finns några bevarade spår förutom murarna.

Fornborgar byggdes under bronsåldern och järnåldern. Det är en lång period på 2000 år, så egentligen är det inte konstigt att fornborgarna har byggts och använts för helt olika ändamål.

I södra Småland finns två kända fornborgar, en på Cirkön i sjön Åsnen och en på Gripeberg i Notteryd utanför Växjö. Gripeberg ligger på en bergshöjd och täcker ett område som är 200×90 meter stort. Det som syns av fornborgen idag är två raserade murar och stenvallar. De går tvärs över bergshöjdens norra och södra del.

Genom arkeologiska undersökningar vet vi att murarna byggdes under yngre bronsåldern, alltså omkring 1100 – 500 f. Kr. Det gör Gripeberg till en av de äldsta fornborgarna i landet.

Hill forts

Hill forts are ancient monuments that are most common in the southern half of Sweden. They may look different, but have some things in common. Most are built on mountain ridges, where the top has been fenced in and demarcated in various ways with stone ramparts and walls. In Skåne, on Öland and Gotland, on the other hand, the ancient castles are usually on flat ground and are built as ring walls. Even though they have a common name, hill forts castles can look very different.

The name “hill fort” is reminiscent of defense installations, but through archaeological research it is known that many of them have had other functions. Some seem to have served as trading and craft sites, others as places of worship and burial or as settlements with plantations. In some cases, it is not known at all how they have been used, as there are no preserved traces other than the walls.

Hill forts were built during the Bronze Age and Iron Age. It is a long period of 2000 years, so it is really no wonder that the hill forts  have been built and used for completely different purposes.

In southern Småland there are two famous hill forts, one on Sirkön in lake Åsnen and one on Gripeberg in Notteryd, outside Växjö. Gripeberg is located on a mountain height and covers an area that is 200 × 90 meters large. What can be seen of the hill fort today are two demolished walls and stone ramparts. They cross the northern and southern part of the mountain height.

Through archaeological research, we know that the walls were built during the Late Bronze Age, ie around 1100 – 500 BC. This makes Gripeberg one of the oldest hill forts in the country.

Gravar under bronsåldern

Typiska spår från bronsåldern är massiva gravrösen eller högar. Gravrösena är stora och att bygga ett gravröse var en omfattande gemensam arbetsinsats. Man tror att det behövdes mellan 5 000 och 6 000 vagnslaster med sten för att bygga ett enda röse.  Störst i det här länet är Limmerör utanför Ingelstad som är 45 meter i diameter och 4,5 meter högt.

Bara enstaka bronsåldersrösen och -högar i länet är undersökta, men från danska gravar vet man att de döda ofta fick exklusiva gravgåvor med sig. Kläderna var gjorda av ull eller läder. Kvinnorna kunde ha en kort tröja och kjol med ett vävt skärp. Männen hade också en slags kjol och mantel.

Ibland fick de döda med sig kärl av keramik med mat eller dryck.  Här i Småland är bevaringsförhållandena i jorden sämre än i Danmark och kläder har inte bevarats. Det är bara gravgåvor som armband, halsringar, dolkar, svärd och spännen eller dräktsmycken av brons som finns kvar.

Från senare delen av bronsålder finns också en del gravfält med brandgravar. Det kan vara gropar eller låga stensättningar med ett fåtal brända ben. Ett liknande gravfält undersöktes vid Öjabymotet utanför Växjö år 2020. Förutom två stora gravrösen, fanns ett mindre gravfält med sex stensättningar. I stensättningarna fanns gravurnor med brända ben och fragment av fingerringar i brons.

Mer om undersökningarna vid Öjabymotet

Läs mer om undersökningen vid Öjabymotet och se bilder på Museiarkeologi Sydosts hemsida.

Graves during the Bronze Age

Typical traces from the Bronze Age are massive burial mounds or mounds. The burial mounds are large and building a burial mound was an extensive joint work effort. It is believed that between 5,000 and 6,000 cargo loads of stone were needed to build a single cairn. The largest in this county is Limmerör outside Ingelstad, which is 45 meters in diameter and 4.5 meters high.

Only a few Bronze Age cairns and mounds in the county have been examined, but it is known from Danish graves that the dead were often buried along with exclusive burial gifts. The clothes were made of wool or leather. The women could wear a short sweater and skirt with a woven belt. The men also wore a kind of skirt and cloak.

Sometimes pottery vessels with food or drink were buried alongside the dead. Here in Småland, the conservation conditions in the soil are worse than in Denmark and clothes have not been preserved. Only grave goods such as bracelets, necklaces, daggers, swords and buckles or bronze jewelery worn on costumes remain.

From the latter part of the Bronze Age there are also some burial grounds with fire graves. It can be pits or low stone settings with a few burnt bones. A similar burial ground was investigated at Öjabymotet outside Växjö in 2020. In addition to two large burial mounds, there was a smaller burial ground with six stone settings. In the stone settings there were grave urns with burnt bones and fragments of finger rings in bronze.

Hällkistan i Hamneda

Cirka 4 000 år sedan

När E4:an byggdes ut under mitten av 1990-talet undersökte arkeologer från bland annat Smålands museum en hällkista utanför Hamneda. Hällkistan låg på den högsta punkten av en större bergknalle. Själva stenkistan var täckt av ett lågt stenröse. När arkeologerna undersökte den togs skikt efter skikt av stenar bort och till slut framträdde själva stenkistan.

Där fanns inga rester av människoben, de hade vittrat sönder under tidens gång. Däremot hittades ett antal avslag av flinta och rester av ett kärl av keramik. Det var gåvor som lagts ner tillsammans med den döda. 

Vid undersökningen togs också en del jordprover. I jorden fanns pollen från olika växter bevarade ända från den tid då begravningen skedde. Genom att undersöka pollen kan man få en bild av vilka växter som vuxit i närheten av platsen. Pollenkorn är nämligen märkvärdigt beständiga. I proverna från keramikkärlet fanns höga halter av sädespollen, vilket visar att krukan från början innehållit en gravgåva i form av säd, mjöl eller bröd. I hällkistans centrala delar fanns en hög halt pollen från en ranunkelväxt, troligen vitsippa. Vi tänker oss alltså att vitsippor lagts ned hos den döda i samband med begravningen.

Och plötsligt får vi en ögonblicksbild av en begravning under stenåldern. En vårdag då människor förberett att lägga en älskad människa i en grav som de byggt med möda. Den sista hälsningen innan stenhällarna lades på som tak på stenkistan, var att lägga ner ett fång vitsippor.

Mer om undersökningen

Läs mer om den arkeologiska undersökningen

The gallery grave in Hamneda

About 4,000 years ago

When the E4 highway was expanded in the mid-1990s, archaeologists from, among others, Småland’s Museum examined a gallery grave outside Hamneda. The gallery grave was located on the highest point of a larger rock outcrop. The stone coffin itself was covered by a low pile of stones.

When the archaeologists examined it, layer after layer of stones was removed and finally the gallery grave itself appeared. There were no remains of human bones, they had weathered over time. However, a number of flint fragments and remnants of a ceramic vessel were found. These were gifts laid down with the dead.

During the survey, some soil samples were also taken. In the soil, pollen from various plants was preserved from the time of the burial. By examining the pollen, you can get an idea of ​​which plants have grown near the site. Pollen grains are remarkably durable. The samples from the ceramic vessel contained high levels of grain pollen, which shows that the pot originally contained a grave gift in the form of grain, flour or bread.

In the central parts of the gallery grave there was a high content of pollen from a buttercup plant, probably white anemone. We therefore imagine that white anemones were laid with the dead in connection with the funeral.

And suddenly we get a snapshot of a funeral during the Stone Age. A spring day when people prepared to put a loved one in a grave that they built with effort. Before the stone slabs were put on, as a roof, on the stone coffin the last greeting was to lay down a bunch of white anemones.

Huseby – ett vikingatida skrytbygge

500–1 000 e Kr

I Huseby utanför Alvesta finns ännu ett exempel på en aristokratisk gård från vikingatid. Den grävdes ut 2008 i en arkeologisk undersökning på platsen som idag är parkeringen för Huseby bruk.

Här kunde arkeologerna undersöka rester av ett par större gårdar som legat intill varandra under en lång tid under mellersta och yngre järnåldern (ca 500 – 1 000 e Kr). Gårdarna har byggts om då och då men har i stort sett legat i samma område. Husen var olika stora. Man bodde i vissa hus och i andra hade man förråd. Några på gården bodde större och bättre än de andra. Troligen var det gårdens trälar som bodde i de mindre husen.

Ett av husen väcker många frågor. Det har varit större och högre än alla andra och det måste ha synts på långt håll. Huset var en viktig mötesplats och har använts för olika ceremonier, fester och andra möten. Väggarna var av trä och taket var av vass, grästorv eller halm. Antagligen var huset utsmyckat med snidade träfigurer som föreställde djur eller gudar. Kanske hängde också vävda tyger på insidan av väggarna. För de ledande personerna på gården var huset något att skryta med och visade att de hade makt och inflytande, inte bara på den egna gården utan också i trakterna runt omkring.

Hus av det här slaget kallas ”trelleborgshus” eftersom de först upptäcktes på de vikingatida danska ”trelleborgarna”, en slags ringborgar. Ibland finns den här sortens hus också på större gårdar under vikingatid. Det trelleborgshus som undersöktes i Huseby är det första tydliga exemplet på den här sortens byggnad i Sverige, norr om de gamla danska landskapen Skåne och Halland.

När gården vid Huseby var igång för tusen år sedan fanns här jordbruksredskap, utrustning för smide, vävstolar för att väva tyger, smycken, vapen, grytor, krukor och mycket annat. Efter århundraden i jorden har det mesta förmultnat och brutits ned och det som grävts fram är bara en bråkdel av allt som en gång funnits här. När gården undersöktes 2008 hittades rester av lerkrukor, bitar av brons och järn, till exempel rester av spännen som hållit ihop kläder, samt ett antal knivar.

Mer om utgrävningarna

Läs mer om utgrävningarna i Huseby

Den arkeologiska rapporten i fulltext

Huseby – big and tall in the Viking era

500–1 000 e Kr

In Huseby outside Alvesta there is yet another example of an aristocratic farm from Viking times. It was excavated in 2008 in an archaeological survey at the site which today is the car park of Huseby mill.

Here, archaeologists were able to examine the remains of a couple of larger farms that lay next to each other for a long time during the Middle and Late Iron Age (ca. 500 – 1,000 AD). The farms have been rebuilt from time to time but have largely been in the same area.

The houses were different sizes. People lived in some houses and in others they had storage. Some people on the farm lived bigger and better than the others. It was probably the slaves of the farm who lived in the smaller houses.

One of the houses raises many questions. It was bigger and taller than all the others and it must have been seen even at a distance. The house was an important meeting place and has been used for various ceremonies, parties and other meetings. The walls were made of wood and the roof was made of reed, turf or straw.

The house was probably decorated with carved wooden figures depicting animals or gods. Maybe woven fabrics also hung on the inside of the walls. For the leading people on the farm, the house was something to brag about and showed that they had power and influence, not only on their own farm but also in the surrounding areas.

Houses of this kind are called ”trelleborgshus”, because they were first discovered in the Viking-age Danish ”trelleborgarna”, a kind of ring fort. Sometimes this type of house is also found on larger farms during the Viking Age. The Trelleborg house that was investigated in Huseby is the first clear example of this type of building in Sweden, north of the old Danish provinces of Skåne and Halland.

When the farm at Huseby was up and running a thousand years ago, there were agricultural implements, equipment for forging, looms for weaving fabrics, jewelery, weapons, kettles, pots and much more. After centuries in the earth, most things have decayed and decomposed and what has been excavated is only a fraction of everything that once existed here. When the farm was examined in 2008, remains of clay pots, pieces of bronze and iron were found, such as remains of buckles that held clothes together, and a number of knives.

Kittakull – en ovanlig bronsåldershög

Den äldre bronsålderns gravhögar, som är uppbyggda av sand och bevuxna med gräs, är betydligt mer ovanliga än stora gravrösen av sten. Högen Kittakull i Trotteslöv norr om Ljungby var en imponerande grav på ca 23-25 meter i diameter och fyra meter hög, när den delades mitt i tu vid ett vägbygge år 1949.

Under en rund stenpackning, som låg 1,3 meter över den naturliga markytan, upptäcktes bronssvärd. Klingan var svagt elliptisk och greppet dekorerat med en rombisk knopp i änden. Svärdet ses i utställningen.

Bilder från Digitalt Museum av J.E. Anderbjörk.

Kittakull – an unusual Bronze mound

The older Bronze Age burial mounds, which are built of sand and overgrown with grass, are considerably more unusual than large burial mounds of stone. The Kittakull mound in Trotteslöv, north of Ljungby, was an impressive tomb about 23-25 ​​meters in diameter and four meters high, when it was divided straight in the middle during a road construction in 1949.

Under a round stone pack, which was 1.3 meters above the natural ground surface, a bronze sword was discovered. The blade was slightly elliptical and the grip decorated with a rhombic knob at the end. The sword can be seen in the exhibition.

Images from Digitalt Museum by J.E. Anderbjörk.

Klimatkris och odling under järnåldern

För ungefär 2 500 år sedan började klimatet långsamt att förändras i Norden. Det blev kallare och mer nederbörd. Mossmarkerna blev flera och de första granarna började synas i Småland, även om det fortfarande fanns mest lövträd. Trots det kan arkeologerna se att nya åkrar odlades upp under den här tiden. Människorna blev fler och jordbruket blev allt viktigare under äldre järnåldern.

Tusen år senare skedde två stora vulkanutbrott på jordens norra respektive södra halvklot. Partiklar slängdes upp i atmosfären och hindrade solens strålar under lång tid. På kort tid blev klimatet flera grader kallare än idag och många forskare tror att det därför blev missväxt, svält och att mängder av människor dog. Samtidigt drabbades Europa och sannolikt även Norden av pest. Antagligen trodde människorna att jordens undergång var nära.

I alla fall berättas det i den vikingatida folktron om att jordens och gudarnas undergång skulle börja med en stor köld – Fimbulvintern. Kanske var det klimatkrisen som satt sina spår i mytologin?

Climate crisis and cultivation during the Iron Age

About 2,500 years ago, the climate in the Nordic countries slowly began to change. It got colder and there was more rainfall. The marsh lands became more numerous and the first spruces began to appear in Småland, even though there were still mostly deciduous trees. Nevertheless, archaeologists can see that new fields were cultivated during this time. The population increased and agriculture became increasingly important during the older Iron Age.

A thousand years later, two major volcanic eruptions occurred in the northern and southern hemispheres of the earth. Particles were thrown into the atmosphere and blocked the sun’s rays for a long time. In a short time, the climate became several degrees colder than today and many researchers believe that this caused made crops to fail, resulting in people starving and many people dying. At the same time, Europe and probably also the Nordic countries were affected by the plague. People probably thought that the end of the world was near.

In any case, it is said in the Viking age folklore that the end of the earth and the gods would begin with a great cold – the Fimbul winter. Maybe it was the climate crisis that left its mark on mythology?

Kvinnan med ormvråken

Trotteslöv i Berga socken ligger i den västra delen av Kronobergs län. Här rinner ån Lagan och här finns bördiga slättmarker längs med ån. I anslutning till många av dagens byar finns vikingatida gravfält. Gravfälten består nästan uteslutande av högar av olika storlek, det vill säga den gravformen från yngre järnålder som är vanligast i dessa trakter. Många ortnamn har också förhistoriskt ursprung med namnändelser på -löv, -lösa, -stad, -inge eller -by. Dessa är typiska namnändelser, inte minst på bebyggelse som vi räknar med har sitt ursprung åtminstone i yngre järnålder.

Här har ett antal gravar från yngre järnålder undersökts arkeologiskt under årens lopp. Ett par av dessa är särskilt intressanta eftersom de visat sig innehålla ett blandat fyndmaterial både i form av föremål och ben. En av dessa gravar låg intill ån Lagan och hade delvis skadats av erosion. För att rädda den information som fanns kvar i graven gjordes därför en arkeologisk undersökning. Under gravfyllningen av sand visade det sig att det fanns ett lager av sot, kol och brända ben, vilket utgjorde resterna av en kremering.

I mitten av sotlagret fanns ett nära nog helt kärl av keramik fyllt med brända ben. I sotlagret hittades också ett antal glaspärlor, några järnföremål, fragment av brons och ett par dekorerade hårkammar av ben. Några svarta flagor visade sig också vara förkolnade rester av textil, ett oväntat och ovanligt fynd. Bland bitarna av textil kan man se olika vävtekniker och textilen måste komma från olika dräktdetaljer. Troligen består vissa fragment av linnetyg och vissa av ull.

Bland de brända benen återfinns förutom människa flera olika djurarter, såsom häst, katt, hund, gris och fågel. Människan var troligen en kvinna mellan 35 och 50 år gammal. Sannolikt var det en rik och mäktig person i dåtidens samhälle. Efter döden hedrades kvinnan genom att få en gravhög. Till hennes ära offrades också viktiga husdjur från gårdens besättning. Hästen var på den här tiden ett djur som signalerade hög status hos den som ägde den, och ibland tillskrivs hästen närmast religiös betydelse.

De fåglar kvinnan fått med sig i graven var troligen två rovfåglar och en gräsand. Den ena rovfågeln kan sannolikt bestämmas till ormvråk. Troligen har kvinnan i livet ägnat sig åt andjakt med hjälp av ormvråk, något som sedan fick följa med henne i graven. Det finns flera belägg för att rovfåglar begravts tillsammans med människa i gravar från järnåldern, framför allt i Sveriges östliga delar och i Mälardalen. Även i skriftligt material och på runstenar finns beskrivningar av jakt med rovfågel.

Det kvarstår många obesvarade frågor men graven visar ändå upp en historia om kvinnor och makt, om hantverksskicklighet och välstånd.

Källor

Kvinnan med ormvråken av Eva Åhman, en artikel i boken Döden, Ulrika Söderström (red), 2015. Museiarkeologi sydost vid Kalmar länsmuseum.

The woman with the buzzard

Trotteslöv in Berga parish is located in the western part of Kronoberg county. Here the river Lagan flows and here there are fertile plains along the river. Adjacent to many of today’s villages there are Viking-era burial grounds. The burial grounds consist almost exclusively of mounds of various sizes, i.e the grave form from the Late Iron Age that is most common in these areas. Many place names also have prehistoric origins with name endings of -löv, -lösa, -stad, -inge or -by. These are typical name endings, not least on habitations that we expect to have originated at least in the Late Iron Age.

Here, a number of tombs from the Late Iron Age have been archaeologically investigated over the years. A couple of these are particularly interesting since they proved to contain a mixed find in the form of objects and bones. One of these graves was located next to the river Lagan and had been partially damaged by erosion. An archaeological survey was therefore carried out to save the information that remained in the tomb. Beneath the burial filling of sand, there turned out to be a layer of soot, coal and burnt bones, which formed the remains of a cremation.

In the middle of the soot layer there was an almost complete ceramic vessel filled with burnt bones. A number of glass beads, some iron objects, bronze fragments and a couple of decorated bone hair combs were also found in the soot layer. Some black flakes also turned out to be charred remnants of textiles, an unexpected and unusual find. Among the pieces of textile you can see different weaving techniques and the textile must come from different costume details. Some fragments probably consist of linen cloth and some of wool.

In addition to human bones the burnt bones contain several different animal species, such as horse, cat, dog, pig and bird. The man was probably a woman between 35 and 50 years old. It was probably a rich and powerful person in the society of that time. After her death, the woman was honored by receiving a burial mound. In her honor important pets from the farm’s herd were also sacrificed. The horse was at this time an animal that signaled the high status of the owner, and sometimes the horse is attributed almost religious significance. The birds which the woman brought with her in the grave were probably two birds of prey and a mallard. One of the birds of prey can probably be determined as a buzzard.

During her lifetime the woman was probably engaged in duck hunting with the help of buzzards, something that also accompanied her in her grave. There are several pieces of evidence that birds of prey were buried together with humans in tombs from the Iron Age, especially in the eastern parts of Sweden and in the Mälardalen valley. There are also descriptions of hunting with birds of prey in written material and on rune stones. Many unanswered questions remain, but the tomb still shows a history of women and power, of craftsmanship and prosperity.

Labyrinter från förhistorisk eller historisk tid?

En labyrint är en mytomspunnen typ av fornlämning. De är kända från flera förhistoriska och historiska perioder och från olika områden i världen. Namnet kommer från grekiskans ”irrgång” och en labyrint är just är ett rum eller en yta med smala gångar som man kan vandra i.

Det finurliga mönstret är lagt med relativt små, tätt satta stenar som skapar en lång, vindlande gång som slutar i labyrintens mitt. I Sverige finns omkring 300 kända labyrinter och de flesta ligger utmed kusterna, men i Kronobergs län finns bara en. Labyrinten i Vittaryd utanför Ljungby. Den ligger vid utkanten av ett gravfält från yngre järnåldern och endast några hundra meter norr om kyrkan.

Det går inte att säga hur gamla de svenska labyrinterna är eller hur de möjligen användes under förhistorisk tid, men äldre personer har under 1900-talet berättat hur ungdomarna förr gick i labyrinterna, samtidigt som det dansades och lyssnades på folkmusik.

Labyrinths from prehistorical or historical times?

A labyrinth is a mythical type of ancient monument. They are known from several prehistoric and historical periods and from different areas of the world. The name comes from the Greek ”go astray” and that’s just what a labyrinth is; a room or a surface with narrow corridors that you can walk in.

The ingenious pattern is laid with relatively small, densely set stones that create a long, winding passage that ends in the middle of the labyrinth. In Sweden there are about 300 known labyrinths and most are located along the coasts, but in Kronoberg County there is only one. The labyrinth in Vittaryd outside Ljungby. It is located on the edge of a burial ground from the Late Iron Age and only a few hundred meters north of the church.

It is not possible to say how old the Swedish labyrinths are or how they were possibly used in prehistoric times, but during the 20th century older people have described how young people used to walk in the labyrinths, while dancing and listening to folk music.

Människor under istiden

11 000–12 000 år sedan

Pilspetsen från Skateboda, som är det äldsta fornfyndet i Småland, tillverkades av en grupp människor som levde i Europa och delar av Skandinavien för 11 000 – 12 000 år sedan. De jagade vildren, jättehjort, uroxe och älg genom att följa djurens vandringar över tundran, samtidigt som de fiskade och samlade mat från naturen. Förutom mat gav jakten skinn, ben och senor som användes för att tillverka kläder, tältdukar till hyddor och olika redskap. 

Vi får tänka oss grupper om 4-8 personer som följde renarnas vandringar över ett område stort som Skåne, Blekinge, Halland och södra Småland. Kanske fanns det knappt ett hundratal personer i denna region, kanske ännu färre. Man bodde i hyddor och varje boplats och slaktplats användes endast kort tid och lämnade få spår. 

Vill du veta mer?

Sök information om Bromme- och Ahrensburgkultur på Internet eller bibliotek.

People during the Ice Age

11,000–12,000 years ago

The arrowhead from Skateboda, which is the oldest ancient find in Småland, was made by a group of people who lived in Europe and parts of Scandinavia 11,000 – 12,000 years ago. They hunted wild deer, giant deer, aurochs and elk by following the animals’ migrations across the tundra, while fishing and gathering food from nature. In addition to food, the hunt provided skins, bones and tendons that were used to make clothes, tarpaulins for huts and various tools.

We can imagine groups of 4-8 people who followed the reindeer’s migrations over an area as large as Skåne, Blekinge, Halland and southern Småland. Maybe there were just under a hundred people in this region, maybe even fewer. They lived in huts and each settlement and slaughterhouse was used only for a short time and left few traces.

Säljägarnas boplats i sjön Bolmen

5 200–4 300 år sedan

Ända sedan tidigt 1900-tal har boplatsen på Gettersö i sjön Bolmen varit känd för sina många flintor utmed stränderna. Arkeologerna bedömde då att det var människor från den så kallade Gropkeramiska kulturen som hade bebott ön och menade att den hade använts som någon form av handelsstation. 

Trots denna spännande hypotes dröjde det ända till år 2016 innan arkeologer på nytt besökte platsen.  Fynd av flinta, keramik och skörbränd sten visade att hela ön hade använts under mellersta bondestenåldern, men det var inte stenåldersbönder som använt platsen. De senaste årens forskning av gravar på Gotland visar att dessa människor, som arkeologerna kallar gropkeramiker, var jägare som nästan uteslutande åt säl.

Genom att studera flintföremålens utseende och slagteknik samt genom en så kallad slitspårsanalys, kunde arkeologerna se att människorna på Gettersö hade jagat och skrapat skinn på vissa delar av ön och bearbetat trä och torrt skinn på andra platser. Det är verksamheter som visar att man jagat och kanske reparerat kläder och kanoter på ön. Arkeologerna hittade också keramik och bärnsten. Troligen var det flera familjer som gjorde återkommande korta besök på ön. Att de lämnade så mycket flinta kvar, visar att de snabbt kunde resa tillbaka till kusten igen för att skaffa mer.

Det här var en tid då det, precis som nu, förekom våld mellan människor. Hur kan det ha varit för familjerna som kom till Gettersö, som levde så pass annorlunda än bönderna runt omkring?

Eftersom jägarna kom tillbaka gång på gång var det också en plats där människor från två skilda grupper kunde mötas. Kanske förde besökarna från kusten med sig de exklusiva slipade flintyxorna och bärnsten som bönderna behövde, både till vardags och i olika ceremonier eller offer.

Vad besökarna fick i utbyte vet vi inte. Kanske var det viktigt för dem att få jaga älg. Älghorn behövdes till klubbor och andra verktyg som användes när man bearbetade flintan. Kanske var de intresserade av det rika ålfisket vid utloppen från sjön Bolmen där Gettersö ligger? Eller var de intresserade av de alkoholhaltiga drycker som tillverkades av jordbruksprodukter? Möjligheten att utbyta långväga nyheter kan också ha varit en viktig orsak till att grupperna höll sams.

The seal hunters’residence in Lake Bolmen

5,200–4,300 years ago

Ever since the early 20th century, the settlement on Gettersö in Lake Bolmen has been known for its many flints along the shores. The archaeologists then judged that it was people from the so-called Pitted Ware culture who had inhabited the island and believed that it had been used as some form of trading post.

Despite this exciting hypothesis, it took until 2016 before archaeologists visited the site again. Finds of flint, ceramics and fire-cracked stone showed that the entire island had been used during the Middle Peasant Stone Age, but it was not Stone Age peasants who used the site. In recent years research on graves on Gotland shows that these people, whom archaeologists call pit potters, were hunters who ate little else but seal.

By studying the appearance and impact technology of the flint objects and through a so-called wear trace analysis, the archaeologists could see that the people on Gettersö had hunted and scraped skins in certain parts of the island and processed wood and dry skins in other places. These are activities showing that people have hunted and perhaps repaired clothes and canoes on the island. Archaeologists also found pottery and amber. There were probably several families who made repeated short visits to the island. The fact that they left so much flint left shows that they could quickly travel back to the coast again to get more.

This was at a time when, just like now, there was violence between people. What could it have been like for the families who came to Gettersö, who lived so differently from the farmers around them?

As the hunters returned time and time again, it was also a place where people from two different groups could meet. Perhaps the visitors from the coast brought with them the exclusive sharpened flint axes and amber that the farmers needed, both for everyday use and in various ceremonies or sacrifices.

We do not know what the visitors got in return. Maybe it was important for them to be able to hunt moose. Moose horns were needed for clubs and other tools used when processing the flint. Maybe they were interested in the rich eel fishing at the outlets from Lake Bolmen where Gettersö is located? Or were they interested in the alcoholic beverages made from agricultural products? The opportunity to exchange long-distance news may also have been an important reason why the groups got along.

Vad hette människor på vikingatiden?

I dag ligger Alice, Olivia, Lucas och Liam på namntoppen i Sverige men under vikingatiden var det helt andra namn som gällde. Då var Gyrid, Tóla och Disa populära kvinnonamn som man gärna ristade in på runstenar. Namnen på runstenar ger oss en möjlighet att få reda på vad människor hette under slutet av järnåldern och vikingatiden.

Nordiskt runnamnslexikon förtecknar alla egennamn som förekommer i runinskrifter från vikingatiden, både i och utanför Norden. Lexikonet omfattar ca 1 500 namn på personer, över hundra ortnamn och därutöver namn på gestalter från nordisk mytologi och kristendom. Det är Institutet för språk och folkminnen (Uppsala) som tagit fram lexikonet.

Så här ser listan på namn ut från runstenar i den här delen av nuvarande Sverige. På runstenarna i Småland finns inga kvinnonamn, så här har vi istället listat de som finns i Östergötland och på Öland.

Kvinnonamn (runstenar på Öland och i Östergötland)

Asa
Geirvi
Helgun
Härfrid
Härtrud
Siglög
Stena
Tjudred
Torfrida
Torun
Torgun
Värn
Åsa
Åsgärd

Mansnamn (runstenar i Småland)

Bjur
Erinvard/Ärinvard
Fader
Gute
Götrad
Hägge
Klint
Rode
Rosten
Sigvard
Spak
Starkben
Starke
Tegn
Torlov
Tormar
Tryggulf
Verskulv
Vinjut
Väfus
Åstrad

Vad betyder namnen?

Alla namn betyder något. Vad betyder ditt? Gå in på Svenska Akademiens namnlista och se om det finns med? Bara för att det kanske inte finns med där så betyder det bara att de missat det. Allas namn betyder något!

What were the names of people in the Viking Age?

Today, Alice, Olivia, Lucas and Liam are at the top of the list of first names in Sweden, but during the Viking Age, completely different names applied. Back then, Gyrid, Tóla and Disa were popular female names that were often carved on rune stones. The names of runestones give us an opportunity to find out what people were called during the late Iron Age and the Viking Age.

The Nordic Runic Name Dictionary lists all proper names that appear in runic inscriptions from the Viking Age, both in and outside the Nordic countries. The dictionary includes about 1,500 names of people, over a hundred place names and in addition names of figures from Nordic mythology and Christianity. It is the Institute for Language and Folk Memories (Uppsala) that produced the dictionary.

This is what the list of names from rune stones in this part of present-day Sweden looks like. There are no female names on the rune stones in Småland, so here we have instead listed those in Östergötland and on Öland.

Female names (runestones on Öland and in Östergötland)

Asa
Geirvi
Helgun
Härfrid
Härtrud
Siglög
Stena
Tjudred
Torfrida
Torun
Torgun
Värn (Eng. protection)
Åsa
Åsgärd

Male name (rune stones in Småland)

Bjur
Erinvard / Ärinvard
Fader (Eng. father)
Gute
Götrad
Hägge
Klint
Rode
Rosten
Sigvard
Spak
Starkben (Eng. strong legs)
Starke (Eng. Strong)
Tegn
Torlov
Tormar
Tryggulf
Verskulv
Vinjut
Väfus
Åstrad

What do the names mean?

All names mean something. What does yours mean? Go to Svenska Akademiens namnlista  (the Swedish Academy’s name list) and see if it is included? If you cannot find yours by any chance it just means they missed it. Everyone’s name means something!

Vikingatida skattgömmor

Genom vikingarnas resor kom arabiska, tyska och engelska silvermynt till Skandinavien. Pengarna användes inte här, men många av mynten smältes ned och gjordes om till smycken. I Kronobergs län har sex silverskatter hittats. Det var gömmor av värdefulla föremål som grävdes ner i marken. Några av skatterna hämtades aldrig av sin ägare, utan hittades långt senare av bönder som förbryllat såg ner på de glittrande skatterna som de råkat plöja upp i sina åkrar. 

Silverskatten från Torlarp i Berga socken och silverskatten i Kexås i Mistelås socken är några av de finaste skattfynden. Bland föremålen finns arabiska mynt, armringar, silvertenar och ett hängsmycke i form av en torshammare som är en symbol för asaguden Tor.

Ett annat stort vikingatida fynd är det så kallade Furen-fyndet från 1000- eller 1100-talet. När järnmalm togs upp från sjön Furens botten på 1860-talet, hittades ett stort antal silver- och järnföremål.  Bland annat ringspännen, beslag, söljor och rembeslag, sex pincetter, fem stora runda bronsspännen, ett stort antal tennpärlor och flera koppartrådar. Av järn fanns två yxor, en lansspets, delar av ullsaxar, knivar och ca 140 nålar.

Många av föremålen var gjutna, men hade inte putsats efter gjutningen, vilket visar att de var helt oanvända. Kanske var fyndet ett varulager som tappats av en kringresande handelsman? Kanske gick han igenom isen på vintern? Många av föremålen har paralleller till Gotland, så kanske var det en gotländsk handelsman?

Viking Age treasure hides

Through the Vikings’ travels, Arab, German and English silver coins came to Scandinavia. The money was not used here, but many of the coins were melted down and turned into jewelry. In Kronoberg County, six silver treasures have been found. It was hidden objects of value that were buried in the ground. Some of the treasures were never collected by their owner, but were found much later by farmers who puzzledly looked down at the glittering treasures they had happened to come across while plowing in their fields.

The silver treasure from Torlarp in Berga parish and the silver treasure in Kexås in Mistelås parish are some of the finest treasure finds. Among the objects are Arabic coins, bracelets, silver tins and a pendant in the shape of a Thor’s hammer, which is a symbol of the Asa god Thor.

Another large Viking Age find is the so-called Furen find from the 11th or 12th century. When iron ore was taken from the bottom of Lake Furen in the 1860s, a large number of silver and iron objects were found. Among other things, ring buckles, fittings, buckles and strap fittings, six tweezers, five large round bronze buckles, a large number of tin beads and several copper wires. Of iron there were two axes, a lance-tip, parts of wool scissors, knives, and about 140 needles.

Many of the objects were cast, but had not been polished after casting, which shows that they were completely unused. Maybe the find was an inventory lost by a traveling merchant? Maybe he went through the ice in the winter? Many of the objects have parallels to Gotland, so maybe it was a Gotland merchant?

13,000 years ago

At first there was only ice

The latest ice sheet covered northern Europe and Scandinavia for many thousands of years. 13,000 years ago, the climate became warmer and the ice slowly began to melt away. The landscape which surfaced was deserted. Gradually grass, herbs, shrubs and small trees gained a foothold in the soil which had been cooled and weighed down by the ice. In the open, tundra-like landscape grew dwarf birch, sea buckthorn, and mountain anemone, among other things.

Reindeer and other animals followed in the footsteps of the melting ice. They could walk between present-day Denmark and Sweden because the ground had risen when the heavy ice disappeared. The period has been given different names and is called the Paleolithic Period or the Old Stone Age.

The animals were followed by smaller groups of people. They had previously lived in southern Europe and now followed reindeer, giant deer, aurochs and elk on a trek across the tundra. They hunted, fished and collected food from nature. Maybe there were about a hundred people in all of southern Sweden at this time. New research on genetic predisposition has shown that the first people who came here after the ice were probably dark-skinned and had blue eyes.

The hunter gatherer Stone Age

12,000–6,000 years ago

Now the climate slowly became even slightly warmer. Plants and animals such as elk, auroch, vicent, deer and red deer were abundant in the landscape. There were open landscapes between the tall pine forests and gradually there were also bears, wolves, wild boars, and wildcats. The water was clear and nutritious and not at all as brown as today. There were fish, beavers and maybe also marsh turtles. The period is called the Mesolithic, or the hunter gatherer Stone Age.

Despite the good conditions, people did not settle here permanently. They lived mainly along the coasts of southern Sweden, but from time to time a few of them still managed to reach the inland. Maybe it was hunting excursions, curiosity or a longing for adventure that made people visit the area from time to time. Eventually they stayed longer and longer. Their traces could be found in the places where they slept, cooked and prepared their hunting tools. Their settlements are almost always situated close to rivers and lakes. During the latter part of the hunter gatherer Stone Age, the climate was much the same as in today’s southern France. The tall pine forests were replaced by dark, dense deciduous forests with oak, elm, ash and linden.

7,000 years ago, there may have been 2,000 people in Skåne and significantly fewer in Småland. There was certainly some violence, but research suggests that it was still a good life with time for both rest and social activities.

The Neolithic period

6,000 years ago

6,000 years ago the climate had become drier and the winters grew colder. People began to keep livestock and cultivate the land. At the same time, they continued to collect food through hunting, fishing and gathering. They also began to make pottery that was used to cook and to store food in. This period in time is called the Neolithic period or the Peasant Stone Age.

What made people start cultivating and breeding livestock? The latest research shows that the new way of life came with immigrants. Genetic studies suggest that it was people from present-day Turkey who moved through northern Europe and Scandinavia. They came with knowledge and traditions about a different lifestyle. Now people did not move as often but lived longer in one place or within the same area. Smaller houses replaced the huts.

The first agriculture was a burn-beating farm where fire was used to clear glades in the dense forest. Grain was sown in the ashes of the fire. The first varieties grown here were different kinds of wheat and barley. Since the land was not fertilized, new forests had to be burnt after a while, and then the old arable land became good grazing land for the animals. At this time people kept cows, pigs, sheep, and goats.

The Bronze Age

3,800–2,500 years ago

During the Bronze Age, the climate was a few degrees warmer than today. The people and their farms grew in number. Between the farms there was a mosaic-like landscape of small fields, pastures and forests with hazel, birch, alder, oak, elm, and ash. The people had cows, sheep, goats, and pigs as domestic cattle.

Where the settlements were densest, people now began to clear the arable land free of stones by collecting them in small mounds. Today, we call these small mounds clearings, or fossil arable land. They are considered as archaeological remains because they are traces of very old farms. In the ground between the clearing piles, there may also be traces of prehistoric houses and various activities.

The Bronze Age fields were smaller than today, however since new areas were regularly cleared and cultivated the result, over time, was large areas of land, cleared of stones, could be used for cultivation. Most often, different kinds of wheat and barley were grown, but also millet. The land was farmed with a wooden plow, a kind of simple plow which carved furrows in the soil.

The fields moved around and when they recovered instead they served as good pasture for the animals. To clear away the stones was a way to facilitate and improve cultivation, but it was also a way of showing that the land in the area was occupied.

Bronze and hierarchies

To produce bronze, the raw materials copper and tin were needed, which were imported here from various places in Europe. The raw materials for the bronze had been transported a long way and through many hands before it reached the interior of Småland. Some objects were made far away and brought here. It was probably all about an exchange of gifts between significant people in different places. Exchanging gifts was an important way to make long-distance contacts and forge friendships.

During the Bronze Age, society was clearly divided into different social classes. The unusual bronze objects were handled only by certain people or strata of society and the objects were used mainly on solemn and religious occasions. Also those who controlled the metal and mastered the technique of making metal objects probably had a high reputation and power.

Significant families or tribes were in charge of the control of precious metals, but they also controlled cult and human relations. Surely there were people who organized sacrifices, rites of passage around birth and death, and other stages in a person’s life. The person who was connected with the Gods was an important person.

The Iron Age

2500–950 years ago

The knowledge of producing iron originated in today’s Turkey between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago. The knowledge then spread rapidly in the Middle East and Europe. Unlike bronze crafts, the raw materials for iron production were easier to come by. Ore and forests were needed, which were plentiful in large parts of Europe. Iron is easier to forge than bronze, and it provides hard, good tools. The oldest iron objects appear in our area around 500 BC, that is, about 2,500 years ago.

In the oldest iron production, sea and bog ore were used as raw materials. Småland has plenty of these ores and they are constantly being formed. Now people could make everyday objects such as shovels, simple plows, knives, keys and fire steel, as well as various weapons.

About 2,500 years ago, the climate in the Nordic countries slowly began to change. It grew colder with more rainfall. The moss fields became more numerous and the first spruces began to appear in Småland, even though the deciduous trees still dominated.

Nevertheless, archaeologists can see that new fields were cultivated during this time. The number of people increased and agriculture, together with animal husbandry, became increasingly important during the older Iron Age.

During the older Iron Age (500 BC – 400 AD) farms for one to two families formed the settlements. There were no villages, but in some areas, such as around Växjö and Ljungby, the farms could be situated close to each other and perhaps several farms shared pastures among themselves. In other places it was far to the nearest neighbor.

Iron Age farmers and Vikings

1,600 to 950 years ago – The Late Iron Age

In Europe the society changed a lot in the 400s-500s AD, when the Roman Empire had collapsed and new Germanic empires had been formed. In the Nordic countries, settlements began to change and in some densely populated areas several farms moved together into villages. Researchers do not know for sure if it was done by force or out of free will because it was beneficial. Many of the villages still exist today. In more sparsely populated areas, the solitary farms remained for a very long time.

1,200–950 years ago – The Viking Age

The Vikings and the Viking Age are some of the best known aspects of Scandinavia’s early history and something many people associate with looting and long journeys. The word Viking describes a person who ”goes out in Viking”, that is, someone who travels away to engage in trade or looting. After all, during this time the vast majority of people were farmers. There were relatively few people who “went out in Viking”, but still they have strongly influenced how we perceive this period in time, even to this day.

1,000 years ago – Christianity

At the end of the Iron Age, Christianity reached the southern Sweden as one of the criteria for the beginning of the Middle Ages. Christianity was a long process which started even before the first churches were built. Occasional graves, influenced by Christianity, have been found, for example, in burial grounds that are otherwise pagan. Christianity spread with people who had met the new religion in Europe, through slaves and through mission. Many powerful individuals and families also saw the benefits of being part of the Christian Europe. The written language of the Christian Church and its experiences of organizing people and regions would later become important means of power for the dawning monarchy.

What does the word Småland really mean?

Småland is not just any name. It has its origins in several ”small countries” (country=land, in Swedish) that existed already during the Iron Age, when people’s lives were connected with the countryside where they lived. The “small countries” were separated by large forests but were still reachable by riding trails. The “countries” certainly had a lot in common, but there were also things that separated them such as traditions, burial customs, and perhaps dialects.

Most of the settlers were farmers, but the control over one ”country” was in the hands of powerful families with large territories, long-distance contacts and magnificent buildings. Bolmsö island in Lake Bolmen is one example of a center in such a ”country”. On Bolmsö there are several coats of arms and important burial mounds with rich grave goods such as pearls, bronze and gold objects. Another example of a ”country” center is Inglinge burial mound in Ingelstad.

There were still no towns, but through the place names one can still distinguish sites for specific functions such as cult and administration of justice. Today we know the ”small countries” by their names Värend, Finnveden, Njudung, Kinda, Tveta, Vista, Vedbo, Tjust, Sevede, Aspeland, Handbörd, and Möre. During the Middle Ages the “small countries” were lumped together into the province of Småland.

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