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 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.

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. 

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.

Why is pollen analysis used?

This thesis has critically reviewed and examined archaeologist’s view and usage of pollen analysis, or palynology. Two research questions have been used and they are both directed towards archaeology reports and wants, together with the purpose, study how archaeologist have been using pollen analysis. In this thesis nine archaeology reports have been studied and analysed, and they have been compared with what archaeology literature have to say about pollen analysists abilities and limitations.

The results presented in this thesis show that archaeologists are aware of how pollen analysis function, as well as the analysis methods abilities and limitations. Exceptions exists, but for the most parts archaeologists use pollen analysis for similar purposes namely, to examine vegetation history or to landscaping prehistoric mapping. In the exceptions, pollen analysis has shown to be a difficult method. But indications occur that pollen analysis, as a study method, can be used in more research questions than only vegetation history and landscape mapping.

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.

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

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.

Denna lärarhandledning har tagits fram som del av forskningsprojektet Kulturmiljörelaterad SFI, ett samarbete mellan Södertörns högskola, Blekinge museum och Stockholms stad.

Handledningen vänder sig till SFI-lärare som vill lägga en del av sin undervisning utomhus i relation till den närliggande kultur- och naturmiljön. Här presenteras exempel på utomhusundervisning som på ett enkelt sätt kombinerar språkinlärning med omvärldskunskaper.

In 2019, the third season of renewed underwater archaeological excavations took place in the bay between CapeSt. Dimitar (Skombolito) and the mouth of Ropotamo River (fig. 1). The work was conducted in two stages (June – early July and September – October) with a total of 49 working days. The study had the following main research goals and objectives:

• To excavate the EBA layer over the entire technologically possible area of T2–T3.
• To make a stratigraphic trench below the EBA layer in order to determine whether there is earlier occupationor other anthropogenic activity at the site.
• To excavate a new area closer to the shore in order to search for the “central part” of the EBA settlement.

The main results of the 2019 season can be summarized as follows:

1. The work in T1 and T2–T3 was completed (fig. 2). The underwater landscape has been restored, with metalframes and trench sacks removed.
2. The exploration of a new trench (T4) began (fig. 3), confirming the general observations from previous seasons of the stratigraphic sequence of Ropotamo site – a port accumulation from the historical periods over settlement remainsfrom the EBA (figs 4–5).
3. The quantity and character of the finds and structures discovered in T4 unambiguously indicate that the EBA settlement center lies towards the shore at the base of the shallow waters to the SW of Scombolito Cape (fig. 6).
4. In T2–T3, the hypothesis for the existence of a Chalcolithic settlement below that of the EBA was rejected.
5. It was found that the EBA settlement (at least in the section T2–T3) was built on land and was only later flooded when sea level rose (fig. 2).
6. The detailed stratigraphic observations demonstrated that at the end of the 4th mill. BC in the area of Ropotamothe sea level was -5.80 m below the modern one.

In 2018 the second season of renewed underwater archaeological research in the bay in front of the mouth of the Ropotamo River was held. Two 5 x 5 m trenches were explored at a depth of 1.2 m, in which materials from the Ottoman period to the Pre-Roman era were found (Fig. 1). The numerous findings from the historic periods are interpreted as accumulation in harbour used intensively in the past. In the western half of the studied area a trench 2.5 m by 8.0 m was made, reaching a depth at the bottom of more than 2.5 m (Fig. 2 – 3). In this trench the remains of the underlying Early Bronze Age (EBA) settlement were studied. Eleven vertically placed wooden posts (Fig. 2.4), handmade ceramics and pieces of burned clay were found. Nine 14C samples were taken from 3 wooden posts that dated the Ropotamo EBA settlement in the transition between the 4th and the 3th mill. BC (3080 – 2970 cal. BC (95.4% probability) or 3070 – 3000 cal. BC (68.2% probability).

Since the year of 1580 until about the year of 1680 Forest Finns have immigrated to a large part of middle Sweden working mainly with burn-beating but also with cattle raising, hunting and fishing. There have been studies made for quite some time about the Forest Finns family names, last names and location names and also about their food culture, craftsmanship and building constructions. Still there hasn´t seen to be any research about how you can use the digitized archives for further research about Forest Finns and this is where I’ve found an interesting research gap to explore further. This essay has been delimited to the areas of Dalby, Norra Ny and Gräsmark based on Carl Axel Gottlund´s notes on the forest Finnish family names that he recorded in the household records in 1821 within the given area. After this study, it has become clear that the vast majority of sites with forest Finnish settlements contain both Finnish family names and Finnish place names. The vast majority of the sites also had croft remains and stone wall cairns. It has also become clear during this study that the remains of farm buildings can be found at several of these sites. Remains of mills have also been found at several sites while only a few of the sites investigated had a sauna or ria. Barns are also less common on the sites, as are carvings and natural formations. To summarise, the house interrogation lists in the church books that Carl Axel Gottlund has recorded can provide information about the Forest Finnish family names the families have had, and which Forest Finnish place names exist in the area. But the information can also be used to calculate how much of the population in these areas had Forest Finnish roots and how they chose to settle in the areas. the traces of the Forest Finns in the material remains or other cultural heritage remains can give us more information about the building skills of the Forest Finns but also more information about their cultural heritage and living conditions.

Since the beginning of the 18ᵗʰ century until the middle of the 19ᵗʰ century the Sami population in Sweden has been forced to move to the northem parts of Sweden because of sockenlappinstitutionen. This regulation was met with anger from the Sami people who lived outside the reindeer husbandry areas in the middle of Sweden because they didn 't see themselves as guest but as natives in their municipality. They would sometimes get a chance to stay in their municipality if they got hired as an "sockenlapp" in their municipality or parish. The aim of this study has been to further conduct research the Sami-people "sockenlapparnas" who have beenoutside the reindeer herding areas. The questions asked in the study in order to answer the aim of this study has been the questions: Is there a spatial relationship between the historical distribution of "sockenlapparna" in the middle Sweden and place names with the word Lapp and what material remains can be connected to place names containing the word Lapp.The areas this study explores are delimited to Ovansjö Parish in Gästrikland, Bollnäs municipality and Ljusdals municipality in Hälsingland.The answer I came up with to the first question after the study was a definite yes, there is a spatial relationship between the historical distribution of "sockenlapparna" in the middle Sweden and places containing the word Lapp. In both Ovansjö, Bollnäs and Ljusdal there are places containing the word Lapp and there are also "Lapps" living in these areas. The answer I came up with to the second question is there are a few remains that recur and the remains that recurred the most during the study are the foundations of charcoal huts, remains of house foundations and also burial sites.

Historical archaeology may be characterized by an intricate relationship between, written sources and material remains. In research focusing on wrecks, this often results in descriptions of the events associated with one particular ship. These are narratives written from a historical horizon, where written sources provide the explanation to material remains. The aim of this paper is to show that a combination of material remains and written sources may be used as a departure point for a discussion on social conditions on board merchant ships in a more general sense.

The case used is the fluit Anna Maria, launched in 1694 and which foundered in Dalarö harbour in 1709. The site is ideal for such a study, as it has been surveyed archaeologically on several occasions since the 1960s at the latest in all of 2010, and partly because historical research into the written accounts have been made. Taken together the material gathered enables a unique opportunity to reconstruct and to study the everyday environment on board a large fluitship.

Early Modern warships are sometimes compared to floating palaces. The sculptural decoration on their transoms, galleries and beakheads follow a carefully thought out symbolic language that aimed to legitimize royal ambitions and claims to power. But merchant ships also carried elegantly carved ornaments and figures. However, the message conveyed by these sculptures was different from that of contemporary warships. Among early modern merchant ships the so-called fluyts hold a prominent position. Originating in the Netherlands, thousands of more or less identical ships were built during the 1600s and ensuing centuries. But despite the large number of ships built, surprisingly little information about their decoration has survived in our time. In recent years, several archaeological investigations of fluyts, have been carried out in the Baltic Sea which has resulted in new knowledge about the ships. It has been found that the decoration of the fluyts, just as on contemporary naval vessels, follow a clear pattern. The ship´s home port was communicated by its city coat of arms. Ships’ names such as the White Swan, The Rose or Crescent as well as familiar characters from the Bible were also represented by sculptures on the ship´s transom. But the sculptures served not only a practical purpose. Like the contemporary warships, they expressed their owners’ ideology and societal ambitions. Fluyts should perhaps not be compared to floating palaces; they are rather a counterpart to the merchants’neck-gabled houses in cities like Amsterdam.In the Swedish context, the vessels appear as a kind of billboard for a Dutch attitude towards trade. This article aims to discuss the message communicated by the fluyts’ exteriors against this fond. How did these ships affect the urban environment in which they were moored?

Svärdet (1663-1676) - a ship built in the Dutch manner. During the first half of the  Seventeenth century the Swedish navy relied on Dutch master shipwrights who built ships in what was dubbed as ‘the Dutch manner’ Det holländska manéret. By the midcentury, the relations between the countries deteriorated to war. In this situation the Swedish Admirality sought for shipbuilding competence in England, which resulted in the introduction of the English manner – Det engelska manéret. In 2011 the remains of the ship Svärdet was discovered outside Öland. The ship was built 1660 to 1663 and sank during a battle in 1676. This paper presents the results from the initial survey of the wreck. Together with written sources and some preserved images of the ship it has been possible to get an impression of what the ship looked like. Focus of the paper is to present Svärdet as an example of one of the last ships built by the Dutch master shipwrights.

During the 16th century the naval ships were developed with increased size and a larger quantity of guns. When the Swedish ship Mars exploded and sank during action in 1564, she was one of the largest ships in the world. In 2011 the wreck was relocated outside the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea. Thanks to the favorable conditions about two thirds of the hull are preserved which includes the stern with the large stern castle. The site thus offers a unique opportunity to study a state of the art warship from this period. The site has been surveyed during three seasons. This paper is based on these initial surveys and aims to present the kind of insights regarding 16th century naval architecture that Mars has revealed so far.

In 2003 a well-preserved shipwreck was found north of Dalarö in the Stockholm archipelago. In 2007 and 2008 the site was surveyed jointly by archaeologists from the Swedish National Maritime Museum, Södertörn University and the University of Southampton. The surface finds were inventoried and drawings produced of the hull structure, which measures 20 m between the posts. This paper presents the results of recording the hull. The original name of the ship, as well as the precise history of its demise, are unknown, but it appears to have been a small man-of-war, built and probably sunk in the late 17th century. It was possibly built in England, or at least in the English fashion of that time.

SUMMARY: The 84-gun ship Riksäpplet was one of the first ships in Sweden built under supervision of the newly recruited English master. In 1676, the ship came adrift, struck a rock and sank. In 2015 a minor field survey of the wreck was undertaken. An inventory of finds recovered from the wreck in various museum collections and in private hands has been compiled and the preserved correspondence from the construction of the ship has been re-examined. This material has provided new insights regarding the peculiarities and special architecture of Riksäpplet.

In the seventeenth- and early eighteenth centuries, fluits were the most common type of merchant ship used in Baltic trade. Originally a Dutch design, the majority of all goods transported between Sweden and the Republic was carried on board such vessels. Far from all voyages reached their destination. Down in the cold brackish water of the Baltic, the preservation conditions are optimal, and several of these unfortunate vessels remain nearly intact today. Although thousands of more or less identical fluits were built, surprisingly little is known about the arrangement of space on board, their sculptural embellishment and other aspects that formed the physical component of everyday life on and alongside these ships. Fluits were a fixture in early modern society, so numerous that they became almost invisible. The study of wrecks thus holds great potential for revealing vital components of early modern life. Inspired by phenomenological approaches in archaeology, this thesis aims to focus on the lived experience of fluits. It sets out to grasp for seemingly mundane everyday activities relating to these ships, from the physical arrangements for eating, sleeping and answering nature’s call, to their rearrangement for naval use, and ends with a consideration of the architectonical contribution of the fluit to the urban landscape.