Fornvännen's web site has become subsumed into the general document repository of the National Heritage Board. I am not happy about this. But still, we can now offer two new issues on-line for free! So much good research here!
Autumn 2012 (no 3):
- Ludvig Papmehl-Dufay on the first farmers of Öland.
- Martin Hansson on a Medieval execution cemetery in Småland.
- Michaela Helmbrecht on a 10th century sword chape depicting Wayland the Smith from Uppåkra in Scania.
- Hanna Källström on the Medieval local cult of Saint Holmger in Uppland.
- Tobias Bondesson & Lennart Bondeson on a Migration Period gold hoard from Zealand.
- Charlotte Fabech et al. on Swedish and Danish metal detector legislation.
- Håkan Svensson on Swedish and Danish metal detector legislation.
- Lars Liedgren & Per Ramqvist on Noel Broadbent's ideas about Iron Age coastal Saami.
- Maria Domeij Lundborg et al. on Carrie Roy's writings about Viking Period gripping-beast decoration.
Christmas 2012 (no 4):
- Anders Högberg et al. on new methods to identify the sources of South Scandinavian flint.
- Peter d'Agnan on Medieval fishing camps and rural harbours on Gotland.
- Sven Kalmring on his huge GIS database of excavations performed at Birka.
- Andreas Toreld on uniquely martial Bronze Age rock art recently found in a single Bohuslän stream valley.
- Olof Sundquist on certain not very well informed recent attempts by archaeologists to identify sejdhjällar, shaman ritual platforms, in the archaeological record.
- Magdalena Forsgren on Leif Karlenby's book about Bronze Age ritual sites in Uppland.
- Robin Gullbrandsson on new finds of wooden church parts in a later stone church in Småland.
Now let's see some questions and comments on this work! I can probably get the authors to chime in here.
- Log in to post comments
Since we have flint all over Scania and I, as an amateur, have wondered about the sources of all this flint Anders Högbergs map of Scandinavian flint resorts have sorted this out.
Thank you Martin I've never heard of sejdhjällar before, reminds me a bit of the Delphic oracle who sat on some kind of tripod when speaking.
Interesting....I suppose someone doing sejd fits into the loose category of shaman. I have been told that sejd (magic) was usually the domain of women but a shaman would have been able to break taboos including gender roles.
(OT) "Pre-Viking Age monuments uncovered in Sweden" http://phys.org/news/2013-10-pre-viking-age-monuments-uncovered-sweden…
(OT) Please never follow this example:
" India digs for treasure on tip from Hindu holy man" http://phys.org/news/2013-10-india-treasure-hindu-holy.html
Technically, if you dig deep enough into the crust you will eventually find some ore deposits...ten miles down or so.
(OT) ...or this example:
"Outrage erupts over buddhist temple fresco restored by Chinese officials with cartoon-like paintings" http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/22/outrage-errupts-over-buddhist-tem…
The swords depicted in Bohuslän seem unusually long for brittle bronze swords. Did the artists typically exaggerate this feature? Did people of the era possibly use maces?
--- --- --- --- --- ---
UK linguist reconstructs sounds of prehistoric language http://phys.org/news/2013-10-uk-linguist-reconstructs-prehistoric-langu…
Swords have previously almost never been seen in the hands of people on rock art panels. Typically they will wave an axe about without hitting anyone and carry their sword in its scabbard.
Re . Liedgren and Ramqvist; it is a pity that we know relatively little about a region (the northern Bothnic sea/Bothnic bay) where three peoples -the saami, the proto-norse and the proto-finns- must have had regular contacts.
To some extent the lack of findings may reflect the low population density -even for the agriculturalists, this was a marginal region.
Below, a story about a rich find from another poorly documented region. "Fabulous figurines reveal secrets of ancient Africa" http://phys.org/news/2013-10-fabulous-figurines-reveal-secrets-ancient…
(OT) A Halloween pop-up selling nightmarish treats. I think some of these were carved off Ctul'Hu http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2013/oct/22/extreme-cak…
My bad. I only skimmed the article, now I understand the significance.