Shipwrecks are a key site-type for maritime archaeological research and their investigations have been prominent in the subject’s development over the last sixty years. At one time their value was often squandered, with anything from cursory surveys to total excavations being undertaken for the same reason George Mallory suggested that mountains were climbed: because they were there. Today it is recognised that the remains of wrecked ships, through their distribution in time and space, their variety and their complexity, comprise one of the richest forms of archaeological source material. This volume brings together researchers who explore the ways in which ships can be understood and interpreted as material culture through their wreck sites, focusing on ships as artefacts, as agents, as technology, as society, as ideology and as symbols, as well as on what they carried and the people who sailed on them. Collectively they show that shipwrecks are not just the preserve of nautical specialists but have wider implications for the understanding of human action and past societies.

The editors: Jonathan Adams is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton and the founding Director of Southampton’s Centre for Maritime Archaeology (CMA) and Johan Rönnby, Professor of Archaeology and Director of the Maritime Archaeological Research Institute (MARIS) at Södertörn University. 

We report recent fieldwork on an early-16th-century wreck in the Stockholm archipelago, Sweden. The discovery not only provides new insights into early carvel shipbuilding and its adoption across northern Europe but manifests the changing role of ships and the nature of power and agency in the process of state formation at the dawn of the modern world. (C) 2012 The Authors

In the waters of the Southern Baltic, off the island of Stora Ekön, lies the wreck of a ship lost in 1495 belonging to King John (Hans) of Denmark (1455–1513). This paper draws on the archaeological investigation of the site since 2013 and summarizes previous archaeological and historical research. In its design, construction, and weapons technology the ship is both a rare example of a large carvel-built ‘great ship’ from the final phase of the Middle Ages and, in its role as floating embassy, a manifestation of socio-political processes of change that transitioned medieval Europe to a global, maritime world.

The Viking Age (800–1050 A.D.) is also called the “Silver Age”. Despite the fact that no silver mines were in use in Sweden at that time, most of the landowners for one reason or another had a lot of precious metal stored in their homes.

Alone the Island of Gotland has found over 700 different hoards of which around 400 of these hoards have been excavated over the last 100 years. Archeologists are debating whether all this precious metal had been brought to the island by traders from the east, or if it came from the Viking raids in the west. Besides the coins, thousands of pieces of silver have been recorded.

The intention of this essay is to attempt to clarify if it is possible to find differentiating factors between the hoards and to classify categories of these precious metal deposits. I indeed, such classifications and categorizations are achievable in the research findings in this paper.

The concept of harg - an archeology historical discussion: This study is an attempt to deal with the concept harg known from the historical sources in the north and its use in the field of archeology. Harg has come to be used in connection with cult, religion and to interpret ritual sites within archeology. Still it leaves much unanswered of what it contains or sometimes applies. By focusing on empirical sources from several disciplines such as language and place-name research, history, religion and archeology, which have all contributed in various ways to the discussion of harg. I will try to find out what harg really is, based on the different interpretations regarding harg, and how harg as a concept is used in connection with interpretations of archaeological findings.

Four short sediment cores from the southwestern Baltic Sea were analysed with respect to their content of siliceous microfossils. The aim was to detect and date changes in the composition of the diatom flora and to link these changes to variations in the anthropogenic load of nutrients during the last century. The study shows that the most significant change in the diatom assemblages occurred 130-140 years ago. The change is recorded in the sediments as a shift from periphytic diatom taxa to a predominance of planktonic taxa. This indicates that the photic layer has decreased in depth, probably due to eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, which consequently began to affect the area investigated approximately AD 1850. To support the results of a changing ratio of periphytic to planktonic diatoms, diatom accumulation rates were calculated In general, the diatom accumulation rate data show a decrease in the periphytic accumulation rates and an increase in the planktonic accumulation rates towards the sediment surface. Some indications of a colder climate are recorded in the sediments approximately 230 years ago. These results are in accordance with the record of maximum extent of sea ice in the same area and are suggested to represent a late stage in the ‘Little Ice Age’.

This study aims to investigate and disentangle the impact of land use and climate variability on the Baltic Sea coastal zone from a millennial perspective. To assess the environmental status of the coastal zone we make use of siliceous microfossils (mainly diatoms), stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes, organic carbon accumulation rates, and lithological changes analyzed in a sediment core collected in Gamlebyviken, Swedish east coast, dated to cover the last 3000 years. Changes in land use and vegetation cover are modelled using pollen stratigraphical data to obtain the percentage coverage of coniferous woodland (Pinus and Picea), deciduous woodland, wetland (Cyperaceae), grassland (including Juniperus) and cropland (cereals) while changes in climatic conditions are assessed through well-documented climatic periods that have occurred in the Baltic Sea region. The reconstructed regional vegetation cover shows that already 3000 years ago, humans used the landscape for both animal husbandry (grasslands) and farming (cropland), but the impact on the Baltic coastal waters was minor. The diatom accumulation rates were quite high (similar to 3100-2600 cal yr BP) containing taxa indicative of high nutrient conditions/upwelling, and stable carbon isotopes show that the carbon was produced in the basin but did not result in elevated organic carbon accumulation rates. A gradual change to less marine conditions in Gamlebyviken from about 2500 to 1400 cal yr BP can be attributed to the ongoing land uplift which resulted in a more enclosed embayment with only a narrow inlet area today. The Medieval Climate Anomaly (1000-700 cal yr BP/950-1250 CE) is a time where extensive eutrophication is registered in the open Baltic Sea, but afforestation is recorded between 1000 and 500 cal yr BP and attributed to the expansion of spruce favored by land-use reorganization with a transition from a one-course rotation system to the three-course rotation system fully established in southern Sweden in the 13th century, and only minor environmental change is recorded in the coastal zone. The Little Ice Age is documented in our data between 400 and 250 cal yr BP/1550-1700 CE as a decrease in regional cropland (cereals) cover, possibly indicating years of poor crop harvest, and changes in the Baltic coastal zone are evidenced as low carbon and diatom accumulation rates, increase in benthic diatom taxa (low turbidity), and high abundance in diatom taxa associated with sea ice indicating a cold climate. The most significant changes occurred from about 100 cal yr BP/1850 CE up to present, with a maximum regional cover of grassland and cropland (ca. 35%) at the expense of deciduous woodland, and major changes indicative of a highly eutrophic environment recorded in the coastal zone. Organic carbon accumulation rates peaked in 1968 CE at approximately 134 g C m(2) yr(-1) before subsequently declining to present-day values of 53 g C m(2) yr(-1), mirroring a similar trend observed in diatom accumulation rates. The high organic carbon accumulation rate shows that deep unvegetated accumulation bottoms in the coastal Baltic Sea serve as carbon sinks and are worth exploring for their potential in mitigating climate change. Variation partitioning shows that 26% of the variance in the diatom assemblages is associated with land use changes. The variables grassland, cropland, and stable nitrogen isotopes are accordingly strong predictors of environmental change in the Baltic coastal zone as reflected by the diatom assemblages.

One sediment core from the Jarnavik bay in Blekinge archipelago has been investigated for its content of pollen and diatoms and its chemical properties. Two levels were also dated by radiocarbon. Based on the results the sediment sequence analysed has been divided into three environmental units largely corresponding to the lithology of the sequence. A lowermost unit consisting of weakly varved and homogeneous clay was deposited during the end of the brackish phase of the Yoldia Sea at a moderate water depth. On top of this unit a gyttja-clay unit was deposited. The onset of the deposition of this unit has been dated to c. 11 100 cal. yrs. BP. An increasing organic production and increased terrestrial influence is recorded in the chemical data and a very shallow water depth is indicated in the pollen and diatom flora. These results point to conditions in a bay probably isolated from the Yoldia Sea. A local tentative shore displacement curve have been constructed and it is proposed that this unit represents the low stand at c. -18 m during the Yoldia Sea stage in this part of the Baltic Sea basin. The uppermost unit consists of homogeneous clay with a low content of organic carbon. An increasing water depth is indicated by the composition of both pollen and diatoms. The diatom flora also displays an increase in freshwater species. This environmental change was probably the result of a transgression in the beginning of the Ancylus Lake stage.

The wrecks of two Soviet submarines, the S7 and the SC-305, were discovered by private wreck-searching teams in 1998 and 2007 respectively. For more than half a century the whereabouts of the wrecks had remained a mystery. Drawing from the case of the two sunken Second World War submarines, this paper addresses the archaeological significance of moving-image documentation produced in non-archaeological contexts as a tool for interpreting the sites. What kind of research can archaeologists, denied direct access to a site, conduct through the use of film documentation gathered by nonarchaeologists? Is it possible to use films produced by divers or marine survey teams (non-archaeologists) to interpret underwater sites? Can film be considered an archaeological documentation method, and how can data gathered in this way be handled and interpreted? Moreover, how does the distance created though lack of physical contact with sites and the non-professional gathering of data affect the research and analysis? Our work indicates that using already existing film and photographic material, created for purposes other than archaeological documentation, can be a valuable source material for understanding past events as well as how archaeological sites are experienced today. We found that working with material created by non-archaeologists had limitations, but it also opened up a whole new set of opportunities of viewing and understanding the sites. 

I svenska vatten finns ett stort antal vrak från gångna tiders sjöfart. Många av dem har sjunkit för mindre än 100 år sedan, och räknas därmed inte, enligt nuvarande lagstiftning som fasta fornlämningar. Med utgångspunkt från pågående diskussioner om dessa vraks kulturvärden skriver Mirja Arnshav om sportdykares, antikvariers och andra intressegruppers förhållande till det moderna kulturarvet och deras agerande när det gäller de moderna vraken. I yngre ”Yngre vrak” – samtidarkeologiska perspektiv på ett nytt kulturarv diskuteras värdering och urval, arkeologiska processer samt etablerande av nytt kulturarv. I ljuset av detta belyses också relationen mellan kulturlämningars ålder och samtidens intresse.

Hösten 1942 attackerades och sänktes två sovjetiska ubåtar av finska ubåtar i Ålands hav. Ett drygt halvsekel senare hittades vraken, som visade sig vara de saknade ubåtarna S7 och SC-305.

I Stalins ubåtar visas att arkeologin kan bidra till en djupare förståelse av livet och döden ombord på de bägge ubåtarna. Med utgångspunkt från undervattensfilm diskuteras hur ubåtarna sett ut, hur man rört sig på skrovet och inte minst vad som hände när de gick under. Därutöver diskuteras också möjligheterna att arbeta med film som källmaterial.

Inom svensk arkeologi är det första gången vrak från det nära förflutna studeras i egenskap av fysiska lämningar. Genom att kombinera samtidsarkeologiska och marinarkeologiska perspektiv och tillvägagångssätt visas på nya möjligheter att forska kring yngre vrak.

There is a considerable research gap in both maritime and military history concerning the naval use of bowmen. For over three millennia—spanning from the ancient Egyptians until around the year AD 1600—archery was a key component in maritime combat. This essay highlights the importance, flexibility, and impact of naval archery with special attention given to European waters in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period.

In July 2006 archaeologists from the University of Bristol and Atkins Heritage embarked oil a contemporary archaeology project with a difference. We 'excavated' ail old (1991) Ford Transit van, used by archaeologists and later by works and maintenance teams at the Ironbridge Museum The object: to see what can be learnt from a very particular, common and characteristic type of contemporary place; to establish what archaeologists and archaeology can contribute to understanding the way society, and specifically we as archaeologists, use and inhabit these places; and to challenge and critique archaeologies of the contemporary past. In this report we describe our excavation and situate it within a wider debate about research practice in contemporary archaeology.

The aim of this essay is to assess the concept of Lifecycle analysis (LCA) usually used in environmental impact assessments as a tool to study archaeological remains over time, to test the concept on the 17th warship Vasa and to study the potential of the concept in heritage management. The lifecycle approach, even called biography or life-history in the literature, shows the interaction between the, in this case, the Vasa ship, and the surrounding society prevail over time, acquiring different meanings depending of a multitude of context and stakeholders in different time periods since the conception of the ship to today's ship at a museum. It also shows that Vasa had and have many possible biographies. The concept earlier used on i.e. monuments, is well applicable on ships not visible in the landscape and displays other aspects not visible in a traditional archaeological study. The use of the concept can both enrich the archaeological interpretation, the discipline it self and the heritage management. 

The archaeological research that has previously been conducted regarding Swedish medieval ports is not particularly extensive. Regarding ports in medieval urban environments, Swedish research has been described as barely existent. A possible explanation for this can be that very few archaeological investigations have been carried out in coastal, urban environments. In recent years, increased exploitation pressure in Central Sweden has led to several major urban archaeological investigations in coastal environments. A difficulty for research on port facilitiesis that piers and quay facilities can be difficult to identify in the archaeological material. Another problem with the medieval ports is that they seem to be trapped in a borderland between maritime archaeology and "dry land archaeology". 

Between the years 2010 and 2011 archaeological investigations were carried out within the Åkroken district. The investigations confirmed the location of Nyköpings medieval port. During the investigations in the riverbank, remains from piers and quay structures emerged. Based on this material the present study aims to discuss the medieval harbor. The material from Åkroken in Nyköping will be compared with archaeological material from two other medieval cities, namely Stockholm and Kalmar.

This paper deals with rights of women and their social role during the Viking Age. The method is to compare things and written material.

In the written material, three cases of rape have been identified. How each of these cases where looked upon differs; legally the punishment for rape was exile. Violence against wives implied their right to divorce, whereby they were entitled to take with them a great part of the family´s capital, namely their dowry and morning gift.

A husband and wife did not inherit each other but a widow could inherit from her children if they died without offspring.

Women buried in boat graves indicate that they had a function or were closely involved in the cult. From two graves, the Aska Grave and the Oseberg Grave, the findings can be interpreted as indicating a change in the social behaviour. I propose this was a way of breaking with the past and sabotaging the right to remember earlier cultural habits.

My intention with this paper is to try to understand the meaning of the double sex symbols which can be identified on a number of Neolithic so called battle axes from the region round the lake Mälaren in Sweden. My conclusions are drawn after having studied a number of archaeological thesises. I have realized that the society was egalitarian from what is said about the funeral habits since women and men were buried with the same care. Ceramics from the Skogsmossen site show a very long continuity over 15-20 generations. These facts indicate a peaceful society without traumatic breaks where knowledge would have been lost. The fingerprints produced on the ceramics are those of women, since they do not seem to fit with the hands of men. Women are by this fact persumed to be the producers of ceramics. In early and primitive farming digging sticks were used, often with a weight. My conclusion is that the boat axe can be a magic tool used on the digging sticks. We have to understand the boat axes as spiritual helpers to fruitful and fertile success.

The Late Neolithic period in Sweden is by many archaeologists associated with an increase of aggression in society, hierarchical chiefdoms, and prestige objects. Above all, the flint-dagger is considered not only to be an object of high status, but also an object exclusively used by and buried with males. To add to the discussion the purpose of this essay is to examine the claim of the flint dagger as a male prestige item by analyzing previous literature and research regarding the Late Neolithic flint-dagger using a gender critical perspective. As part of the research 21 flat earth graves with flint-daggers in Skåne has been mapped out to find empirical support to the claim.

Three out of the 21 flat earth graves were found to be osteological examined, two containing males and one containing a female. Not osteological examined, one grave was also found to contain a lone child with a flint-dagger. Even though this is a small sample out of all the flat earth graves that has been excavated in Sweden, this research opens for a wider discussion regarding the origin of the interpretation and its legitimacy. It also contributes to the idea that the flint-dagger could have had multiple areas of use and different symbolic meanings including females and children.

Keywords: Late Neolithic, flint-daggers, flat earth graves, osteology, prestige objects

The intention of this essay is to put the light on and to discuss if there is a connection between a pre-Christian creation mythology and naked rocks on prehistoric sacred places in Scandinavia. Archaeological as well as historical materials are studied. The historical material is mostly from Snorre Sturlasons Asasagan with the explanation of the creation of the world. In this story the world was built from the body of a killed and deposited giant named Ymer. Almost the same myth is told in all Indo-European countries. Asasagsan tells about the Gods and the people in the late iron-age. Sanda in Fresna socken and Helgö in Ekerö socken, both in Uppland and both in activity in late iron-age are used as archaeological example of places where naked rocks are used as some kind of altar for rites.

In 1995 remains of a 13th century shipwreck, “the Kronholmen cog”, was discovered in sandy soil at a golf green on the island of Gotland, Sweden. Prior to backfilling and in situ preservation, four sacrificial wood samples (SWS) of sound pine sapwood were installed for long-term monitoring of wood decaying processes. In year 2020, the site was re-opened to evaluate the protective nature of the site. All SWS and six archaeological samples were taken for a comparative analysis. Observations by light- and scanning electron microscopy showed severe microbial decomposition by fungi and bacteria. Based on occurrence of decay forms in the wood fibres, soft rot (SR) was identified as the main degrader of both SWS and in the first 2 cm of the heavily eroded archaeological material, accompanied by bacteria (type tunnelling bacteria (TB)). Moderate decay by bacteria (type erosion bacteria, EB) in archaeological samples indicated longer period during the last 700 years under waterlogged and anaerobic condition – e.g., protective. Only initial decay of erosion bacteria (EB) was observed in SWS, strongly indicating a non-protective environment during the last 25 years. Severe brown rot decay was established in SWS and archaeological wood located in the front of the wreck where burial conditions were most critical (0.5 m above groundwater level, and 0.4 below soil/air interface). Here, a total of 0.50 cm surface layer of SWS was lost, yielding an initial decay rate of 20% in 25 years. In general, surfaces were heavily attacked especially for archaeological samples, and plant roots penetrated the soft and degraded surface layer. We conclude that the site since backfilling in 1995 has been semi-oxygenated and has promoted more severe fungal decomposition of cultural heritage. Thus, the site is not able to protect and preserve the precious archaeological remains for future generations and actions must be taken. SWS are concluded to be an important technique for long term monitoring of archaeological sites preserved in situ.

What is the subject matter of archaeology today? How is the interplay of past and present reflected in the work of archaeologists? What kinds of stories do archaeologists now tell and which ones are passed over in silence? These questions were in focus in a session held at the 9th Annual Meeting og the European Association of Archaeologists in St. Petersburg. The papers in this volume deal with various subjects, such as the archeological treatment of eastern influences in prehistoric Scandinavia, the influences of nationalism in archeological interpretation, the democratic dimension in managing the cultural heritage, archaeology in popular culture, and existential reflection within the archaeological field.