Per H Ramqvist
Phone: Phone: +46 705554378
Address: Per H Ramqvist
Professor emeritus in North European Archaeology
Umeå university
SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Email: per.ramqvist@umu.se
http://www.arkeologiinorr.se/
Address: Per H Ramqvist
Professor emeritus in North European Archaeology
Umeå university
SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Email: per.ramqvist@umu.se
http://www.arkeologiinorr.se/
less
InterestsView All (9)
Uploads
Books by Per H Ramqvist
Burnt clay with lots of different impressions from the Late Roman Iron Age long house in Gene, Själevad parish, Ångermanland was analysed. Conclusions were drawn that the hard burnt clay derived from advanced constructions above the central hearths. In an addendum from 2018 (page i-iv) the author suggests a quite new interpretation on these constructions.
The farm was the northernmost in a community connected to the south in Middle Northland during the Roman Iron Age and Migration Period. It was connected to the central place in Högom in Medelpad, which is clearly evident from the construction of the oldest longhouse. Genegården probably had the task of conducting trade and exchange with groups along the coast to the north and in the nearby inland.
The very well-preserved chambered tomb was a richly outfitted man’s grave with an abundance of weapons, two bridles, a saddle, and a “laid table’’ including inter alia two glass beakers, bronze vessel, pails, four wooden plates, ceramic and wrapped vessels, and a bronze washing bowl with an associated elegant comb. Gold objects in the form of finger rings, pendants, small gold bars and an obole were found on the deceased. Scandinavia’s largest collected number of clasp buttons was found in position on the clothing of the deceased. The excellent state of preservation of the finds, their abundance, their international character and the detailed documentation mean that we are dealing here with a grave which, in an extraordinary fashion, illustrates the role of the regional chieftain or petty king and contacts in Central Norrland during the Migration Period.
One of the house foundations discovered here is almost identical with a contemporary foundationat Gene in Northern Ångermanland. The second house foundation at Högom, on the other hand, is entirely lacking known parallels in Scandinavia, which, at this time, is characterized by the large three-aisled houses. In terms of its construction and content, it may be interpreted as a meeting hall with socio-political significance for quite a large surrounding area.
The analysis of the data includes comparative studies of the most important groups of materialsand detailed reconstructions of series of objects and paraphernalia, which, in many cases,could be developed very much further than for other contemporary data. These comparative studies show that the upper social stratum of the time had considerable political interaction with areas in both East and West Europe as well as with West and East Scandinavia.
Key words: Roman Iron Age, Migration Period, large mounds, petty kingdoms, interregiona lcontacts, chamber grave, weapons, horse trappings, clasp buttons, Salin’s Style I, gold, containers, dress, belt, long-houses, ard marks.
Papers by Per H Ramqvist
Catholic Church made robust attempts to include the areas beside
the Bothnian bay within their central fiscal and clerical
organization. Salmon fishing in the productive river rapids became
major targets for external commercial interests. Written records
inform us about the situation from the perspective of the
exploiters. However, there is a story running in parallel – that of
the local population already occupying the lands and the fishing
grounds. The study aims to analyse the significance of hunting
and fishing to the overall subsistence of coastal communities in
northern Sweden during the period AD 500–1600. The social
context is of particular interest, specifically in relation to the
successive conformation by the local communities to the Swedish
fiscal system. The study draws on archaeological records and on
historical records from the 14th to the 17th century, in addition to
ethnographic accounts for hunting and fishing. We conclude that
the legal cultures embraced by the indigenous population and
that of the Swedish central powers were in essence incompatible.
The acquisition of land and fishing rights was never settled
between two equal parties, but one-sidedly enforced by the party
holding the pen.
saddle and the so-called battle bridle are discussed. The well-preserved artefacts could be analysed in
detail. The battle bridle can be reconstructed in detail since most of the leather straps were preserved.
A reconstruction of the ring saddle is presented. It is also argued that most of the Scandinavian saddle
finds had the same construction. The differences are mainly the curvature of the front saddle bow and
the style in which the mounts were shaped. There is a large gap in knowledge about what the saddles
of high-ranking Roman riders looked like. Since no ring saddles are known among contemporary nomads,
the Scandinavian use of ring saddles could either be a regional invention or more plausibly a
copy of such elements used by the late Roman aristocracy. The saddle could have been transformed
in much the same way as Roman belt mounts were transferred to the Sösdala and Nydam styles and
later Style I.
Crown and the Church to northern Sweden, it was not until the
sixteenth century that the judicial and fiscal powers of the
Swedish Crown were exercised in full. Records show that the
regular fishing in interior lakes formed a prominent enterprise
among coastal farmer communities. This paper examines the
social and economic context of farmers engaged in interior fishing
with respect to the internal organization of village communities,
principles of private and collective ownership, land-use strategies
and inter-community relations. There are no a-priori assumptions
about the coastal population being “Swedish”. Instead of applying
ethnonyms, the terms “farmer” and “coastal” are used throughout
the paper. The main area of investigation includes the coastal area
of northernmost Sweden and the western parts of Finnish Lapland.
The study shows that interior lakes fitted into village resource areas,
long sanctioned by usage, and that usufruct belonged to village
members collectively. A large part of the fishing lakes are situated
in interior Sámi territory. Fishermen were internalizing Sámi place
names, implying close relations between the groups. Archeological
investigations point to subsistence strategies including systemic
interior lake fishing being established before AD 1200. The authors
propose that coastal and interior communities should be perceived
as two economic strategies representing indigenous and pre-colonial
land-use schemes.
Radiocarbon datings show that the farmsteads were used during the 12th–15th centuries. A coin was found, a socalled “klipping”, which can be dated to the early reign
of King Gustav Vasa, 1521–1523. Most of the artefacts found came from refuse
deposits, containing large amounts of burned and unburned bone fragments. Nearly
all of the identified bones (c. 97–98 %) came from . domesticated animals, such as
cattle, sheep and goat. Sources of the few identified bones from wild game included
seal, hare, pike and perch.
Areas covered by house foundations on the two sites varied from c. 20 - 50 m2. All
foundations had cairns in one corner, marking fireplaces. The houses on the foundations
were probably timber-framed, like most houses in the area during historical times.. In
and outside the houses, pieces of bricks and burned clay were found, showing that the
farmers used bricks, at least to some extent in the fireplaces, as early as the 14th century.
stone-settings in Northern Sweden. The author also describes the earliest known graves in the north. The low and discreet Late Mesolithic stone-settings, with red ochre and inhumations, seem to be elements of a northern burial tradition that continued into the Neolithic Period. The latest hitherto known of these descreet stone-settings was excavated west of Umeå in Västerbotten, and was radiocarbon dated to 1750-1520 BC. However, this grave lacked the typical red ochre.
During approximately the same time monumental cairns were erected along the coast
of Norrland. The oldest of these were traditionally believed to have been introduced
during the Early Bronze Age and contain inhumations in long stone cists, which were
replaced by cremations during the Late Bronze Age. However, new radiocarbon dates
from five cremations in cairns and stone-settings strongly challenge that belief, placing all in the Early Bronze Age. The cremations in cairns are not necessarily the oldest monumental stratum. The author suggests that the cairns were linked to the introduction of agricultural activities along the coast during the end of the 3rd Millennium BC.
Many details of the Högom material were described in an extensive publication in 1992, but only preliminary osteological analysis had been completed at that time. The new analyses concern radiocarbon datings and osteological determinations of the bones found in the feasting hall, which provide very different indications of the quantities and distributions of species consumed. Among other things large numbers of pig bones were found in the feasting hall and gable room of the building, indicating that the species was exceptionally important in the feasting cult at the site. The new osteological analysis also showed that burned and unburned parts of horse skulls and teeth bones were present, but only at each side of the high seat at the end of the podium. The building is interpreted as a hall dedicated to the fertility god Frey, and the place-name Högom is thought to have been preceded by something like Fröland.
Although the assemblage at Gaskávrre hitherto has unique features, it fits well with
northern rock art from the Stone Age. Several of the images are found elsewhere in northern Fennoscandia, suggesting that the people who made them were part of a large cultural environment.
This type of hydronym complex, with archaeological nodes at each end, is believed also to be found in other smaller river systems north of Gene. Examples of possible similarities are exemplified by the River Åbyälven with its cremation grave from the Viking Age at Njallejaur near Arvidsjaur and the late Medieval site Lappviken upstream on the River Byskeälven. The smaller forest rivers have not been much discussed in earlier research. They were, however, much less exploited by later agriculture, settlement and water plants compared to the larger mountain rivers. Therefore it may be easier to find the fragile traces of early Scandinavian traders at the mouths of the forest rivers.
in northern Europe has long been debated by researchers
from many disciplines, in particular archaeology and
palaeoecology. Over the past 40 years extensive palynological
data have been collected concerning pre-industrial
land use in northern Fennoscandia. This paper reviews
palynological studies that include records of fossil cereal
pollen from northernmost Sweden, Finland and Norway at
latitudes north of 63_N. The geographical extent of known
early cultivation sites is constantly expanding, with more
than 100 records of cereal pollen pre-dating AD 1700. The
oldest records of scattered cereal pollen derive from Neolithic
times. Periods of continuous cultivation, indicated by
cereal pollen recorded recurrently in the sediment profiles,
derive from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age.
Collectively, the reviewed pollen records indicate that
cereal cultivation was first introduced into areas close to
the coast and later to the interior, and that it may have been
practiced locally long before sedentary settlements based
on intensive cultivation were established during medieval
times. The data do not indicate a latitudinal spread of
cultivation from south to north. However, methodological
problems relating to pollen morphology of cereals, site
characteristics and lack of connections to archaeologically
excavated sites imply that the value of many early cereal
pollen finds remains unclear. To increase our understanding
of the context in which cereal cultivation was introduced
in northernmost Fennoscandia, multidisciplinary
studies integrating palaeoecology, archaeology and history
are needed.
Burnt clay with lots of different impressions from the Late Roman Iron Age long house in Gene, Själevad parish, Ångermanland was analysed. Conclusions were drawn that the hard burnt clay derived from advanced constructions above the central hearths. In an addendum from 2018 (page i-iv) the author suggests a quite new interpretation on these constructions.
The farm was the northernmost in a community connected to the south in Middle Northland during the Roman Iron Age and Migration Period. It was connected to the central place in Högom in Medelpad, which is clearly evident from the construction of the oldest longhouse. Genegården probably had the task of conducting trade and exchange with groups along the coast to the north and in the nearby inland.
The very well-preserved chambered tomb was a richly outfitted man’s grave with an abundance of weapons, two bridles, a saddle, and a “laid table’’ including inter alia two glass beakers, bronze vessel, pails, four wooden plates, ceramic and wrapped vessels, and a bronze washing bowl with an associated elegant comb. Gold objects in the form of finger rings, pendants, small gold bars and an obole were found on the deceased. Scandinavia’s largest collected number of clasp buttons was found in position on the clothing of the deceased. The excellent state of preservation of the finds, their abundance, their international character and the detailed documentation mean that we are dealing here with a grave which, in an extraordinary fashion, illustrates the role of the regional chieftain or petty king and contacts in Central Norrland during the Migration Period.
One of the house foundations discovered here is almost identical with a contemporary foundationat Gene in Northern Ångermanland. The second house foundation at Högom, on the other hand, is entirely lacking known parallels in Scandinavia, which, at this time, is characterized by the large three-aisled houses. In terms of its construction and content, it may be interpreted as a meeting hall with socio-political significance for quite a large surrounding area.
The analysis of the data includes comparative studies of the most important groups of materialsand detailed reconstructions of series of objects and paraphernalia, which, in many cases,could be developed very much further than for other contemporary data. These comparative studies show that the upper social stratum of the time had considerable political interaction with areas in both East and West Europe as well as with West and East Scandinavia.
Key words: Roman Iron Age, Migration Period, large mounds, petty kingdoms, interregiona lcontacts, chamber grave, weapons, horse trappings, clasp buttons, Salin’s Style I, gold, containers, dress, belt, long-houses, ard marks.
Catholic Church made robust attempts to include the areas beside
the Bothnian bay within their central fiscal and clerical
organization. Salmon fishing in the productive river rapids became
major targets for external commercial interests. Written records
inform us about the situation from the perspective of the
exploiters. However, there is a story running in parallel – that of
the local population already occupying the lands and the fishing
grounds. The study aims to analyse the significance of hunting
and fishing to the overall subsistence of coastal communities in
northern Sweden during the period AD 500–1600. The social
context is of particular interest, specifically in relation to the
successive conformation by the local communities to the Swedish
fiscal system. The study draws on archaeological records and on
historical records from the 14th to the 17th century, in addition to
ethnographic accounts for hunting and fishing. We conclude that
the legal cultures embraced by the indigenous population and
that of the Swedish central powers were in essence incompatible.
The acquisition of land and fishing rights was never settled
between two equal parties, but one-sidedly enforced by the party
holding the pen.
saddle and the so-called battle bridle are discussed. The well-preserved artefacts could be analysed in
detail. The battle bridle can be reconstructed in detail since most of the leather straps were preserved.
A reconstruction of the ring saddle is presented. It is also argued that most of the Scandinavian saddle
finds had the same construction. The differences are mainly the curvature of the front saddle bow and
the style in which the mounts were shaped. There is a large gap in knowledge about what the saddles
of high-ranking Roman riders looked like. Since no ring saddles are known among contemporary nomads,
the Scandinavian use of ring saddles could either be a regional invention or more plausibly a
copy of such elements used by the late Roman aristocracy. The saddle could have been transformed
in much the same way as Roman belt mounts were transferred to the Sösdala and Nydam styles and
later Style I.
Crown and the Church to northern Sweden, it was not until the
sixteenth century that the judicial and fiscal powers of the
Swedish Crown were exercised in full. Records show that the
regular fishing in interior lakes formed a prominent enterprise
among coastal farmer communities. This paper examines the
social and economic context of farmers engaged in interior fishing
with respect to the internal organization of village communities,
principles of private and collective ownership, land-use strategies
and inter-community relations. There are no a-priori assumptions
about the coastal population being “Swedish”. Instead of applying
ethnonyms, the terms “farmer” and “coastal” are used throughout
the paper. The main area of investigation includes the coastal area
of northernmost Sweden and the western parts of Finnish Lapland.
The study shows that interior lakes fitted into village resource areas,
long sanctioned by usage, and that usufruct belonged to village
members collectively. A large part of the fishing lakes are situated
in interior Sámi territory. Fishermen were internalizing Sámi place
names, implying close relations between the groups. Archeological
investigations point to subsistence strategies including systemic
interior lake fishing being established before AD 1200. The authors
propose that coastal and interior communities should be perceived
as two economic strategies representing indigenous and pre-colonial
land-use schemes.
Radiocarbon datings show that the farmsteads were used during the 12th–15th centuries. A coin was found, a socalled “klipping”, which can be dated to the early reign
of King Gustav Vasa, 1521–1523. Most of the artefacts found came from refuse
deposits, containing large amounts of burned and unburned bone fragments. Nearly
all of the identified bones (c. 97–98 %) came from . domesticated animals, such as
cattle, sheep and goat. Sources of the few identified bones from wild game included
seal, hare, pike and perch.
Areas covered by house foundations on the two sites varied from c. 20 - 50 m2. All
foundations had cairns in one corner, marking fireplaces. The houses on the foundations
were probably timber-framed, like most houses in the area during historical times.. In
and outside the houses, pieces of bricks and burned clay were found, showing that the
farmers used bricks, at least to some extent in the fireplaces, as early as the 14th century.
stone-settings in Northern Sweden. The author also describes the earliest known graves in the north. The low and discreet Late Mesolithic stone-settings, with red ochre and inhumations, seem to be elements of a northern burial tradition that continued into the Neolithic Period. The latest hitherto known of these descreet stone-settings was excavated west of Umeå in Västerbotten, and was radiocarbon dated to 1750-1520 BC. However, this grave lacked the typical red ochre.
During approximately the same time monumental cairns were erected along the coast
of Norrland. The oldest of these were traditionally believed to have been introduced
during the Early Bronze Age and contain inhumations in long stone cists, which were
replaced by cremations during the Late Bronze Age. However, new radiocarbon dates
from five cremations in cairns and stone-settings strongly challenge that belief, placing all in the Early Bronze Age. The cremations in cairns are not necessarily the oldest monumental stratum. The author suggests that the cairns were linked to the introduction of agricultural activities along the coast during the end of the 3rd Millennium BC.
Many details of the Högom material were described in an extensive publication in 1992, but only preliminary osteological analysis had been completed at that time. The new analyses concern radiocarbon datings and osteological determinations of the bones found in the feasting hall, which provide very different indications of the quantities and distributions of species consumed. Among other things large numbers of pig bones were found in the feasting hall and gable room of the building, indicating that the species was exceptionally important in the feasting cult at the site. The new osteological analysis also showed that burned and unburned parts of horse skulls and teeth bones were present, but only at each side of the high seat at the end of the podium. The building is interpreted as a hall dedicated to the fertility god Frey, and the place-name Högom is thought to have been preceded by something like Fröland.
Although the assemblage at Gaskávrre hitherto has unique features, it fits well with
northern rock art from the Stone Age. Several of the images are found elsewhere in northern Fennoscandia, suggesting that the people who made them were part of a large cultural environment.
This type of hydronym complex, with archaeological nodes at each end, is believed also to be found in other smaller river systems north of Gene. Examples of possible similarities are exemplified by the River Åbyälven with its cremation grave from the Viking Age at Njallejaur near Arvidsjaur and the late Medieval site Lappviken upstream on the River Byskeälven. The smaller forest rivers have not been much discussed in earlier research. They were, however, much less exploited by later agriculture, settlement and water plants compared to the larger mountain rivers. Therefore it may be easier to find the fragile traces of early Scandinavian traders at the mouths of the forest rivers.
in northern Europe has long been debated by researchers
from many disciplines, in particular archaeology and
palaeoecology. Over the past 40 years extensive palynological
data have been collected concerning pre-industrial
land use in northern Fennoscandia. This paper reviews
palynological studies that include records of fossil cereal
pollen from northernmost Sweden, Finland and Norway at
latitudes north of 63_N. The geographical extent of known
early cultivation sites is constantly expanding, with more
than 100 records of cereal pollen pre-dating AD 1700. The
oldest records of scattered cereal pollen derive from Neolithic
times. Periods of continuous cultivation, indicated by
cereal pollen recorded recurrently in the sediment profiles,
derive from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age.
Collectively, the reviewed pollen records indicate that
cereal cultivation was first introduced into areas close to
the coast and later to the interior, and that it may have been
practiced locally long before sedentary settlements based
on intensive cultivation were established during medieval
times. The data do not indicate a latitudinal spread of
cultivation from south to north. However, methodological
problems relating to pollen morphology of cereals, site
characteristics and lack of connections to archaeologically
excavated sites imply that the value of many early cereal
pollen finds remains unclear. To increase our understanding
of the context in which cereal cultivation was introduced
in northernmost Fennoscandia, multidisciplinary
studies integrating palaeoecology, archaeology and history
are needed.
structures and organisation during the Migration Period are reflected by
archaeological remains in part of the county of Medepad, Central Norrland. The
author shows that different parts of the landscape were centres for different
functions within society. In four coastal valleys in close proximity in the northern
part of Medelpad, each valley had its own societal profile. The Tunadal Valley
may have had a judicial-religious orientation, while two of the neighbouring
valleys, Ljusta and Västland, were totally different. The first exhibited a typical
agrarian and the second a very aristocratic milieu. The valley of Västland contains
several large mounds, including the largest in Central Norrland, and several
continental imports including bronce vessels and glass objects. The northernmost
valley, Timrå, had a clear military orientation.
The author also discusses the different ways that the richer grave mounds are
laid out. From the large, kingly mounds of Högom and the few others that have
a diameter greater than 40 m, a wide spectrum of grave types is discussed,
including those of hird-leaders, successful warriors and cult leaders.
The Högom project involves studying Scandinavian chamber graves from the MigrationPeriod with respect to three features: chamber orientation, chamber lay-out and the presence of Oboles. This article reinterprets the famous Norwegian chamber graves in Evebø and Snartemo. The author reinterprets the placement and orientation of the buried man in the Evebø grave. The grave was not professionally excavated, so the artefacts were probably muddled, resulting in an incorrect conclusion about the orientation of the body. The new interpretation is that the body was placed in an E-W direction, with his eyes turned to the east. It is suggested that at Snartemo, the unique, green-coloured bone comb, previously attributed to mound I, originally belonged to mound V. The justification is that the eastern part of the chamber was robbed, and that there were remnants of a supposed bronze plate found there. I suggest that the colouration of the comb was caused by contact with a bronze plate in which it was placed, which in turn was covered with one or more other bronze objects. Today there are several similar records of combs placed inside metal plates being located in the eastern parts of burial chambers. In cases where the plate was made of bronze, the combs have developed a green colour on the side that was in direct contact with the metal. The paper concludes with a discussion of the European background explaining why, from about 450 AD, aristocratic graves in Scandinavia began to be orientated E-W, with the eyes of the dead facing east. The author believes that the reasons are to be found in early Christianity and the close links that existed between aristocracies in the post-Roman, Germanic societies in Europe and Scandinavia. The new interpretations of Evebø and Snartemo mean that the graves fit better with the aristocratic funeral rites that were conducted across Northern Europe at this time.
Northern Ångermanland. The location where the thwart was found was identified
with the assistance of Jakob Eklund. The thwart has been radiocarbon dated to c. 200
BC and has an almost exact parallel in the famous Hjortspring ship from Denmark. As
a result of the excavation of the supposed location of the find, we can conclude that
the character of the soil, the depth of the clay layer and the dating of organic material
there confirm Jakob Eklund's information. Based on the height above the present sea
level and the radiocarbon dating, it can be concluded that when the ship, in which the
thwart had originally been placed, was in use the sea level was c. 22 m higher than it is
now. Since the find was made c. 11 m a.s.l., the thwart must have sunk to the bottom
of the sea, which was 11 m deep at the time. As a result of abnormal sedimentation,
the thwart was covered first with clay and silt and later with sand to a maximum depth
of 2 m; this resulted in its preservation.
The last part of the article discusses how the thwart could be present in this northern
district. Is it an tradition from one of the many ships of the northern hunting groups,
or is it an invention connected the transition to a sedentary South Scandinavian lifestyle
during the Pre-Roman Iron Age? Both options are possible. Until we find good examples
of Neolithic and Bronze Age ships used by the northern hunting and fishing societies
it will be impossible to determine which is correct.
Sweden. This part of Sweden could be divided into five distinct regions (societies) by,
at the latest, the beginning of our calendar. This paper is concerned with these regions,
their internal structure and the interregional and international connections during the
first millennium AD. Monuments discussed include, inter alia, inland graves, hunting
pits, stallo sites, bear graves, Sámi sacrificial sites and sites with Sámi hearths. These
different expressions are all correlated to larger changes in North Europe.
A focus of particular interest is the dating of the hunting pits. For the first time all
available radiocarbon dates (obtained between 1950-1995) of hunting pits in Northern
Sweden are analysed. The results show that the major expansion in the use of hunting
pits took place at the same time that the first sedentary agricultural settlements were
established along the coast of Central Norrland at the beginning of our calendar. The
same pattern is shown by the inland graves. It is also shown that the Sámi transition
from hunting and fishing to domesticated reindeer herding was prompted by interregional
trading during the Late Iron Age. During this intensified trading, changes also
occurred in the Sámi religion, as indicated by the emergence of bear graves and silver
deposits at the sacrificial sites.
Grave 1 contained a fragmented gilded silver finger ring with a striated exterior; fragments of a bone comb; iron and bronze fragments. Some of the bronze fragments probably belonged to a dress-pin.
Grave 2 contained a whole plain silver finger ring, a fragmented silver finger ring with a striated exterior, several fragments of ornamented pottery and bronze fragments.
Both graves can be dated to the Migration Period, probably the 5th century.
Grave 1 contained a fragmented gilded silver finger ring with a striated exterior; fragments of a bone comb; iron and bronze fragments. Some of the bronze fragments probably belonged to a dress-pin.
Grave 2 contained a whole plain silver finger ring, a fragmented silver finger ring with a striated exterior, several fragments of ornamented pottery and bronze fragments.
Both graves can be dated to the Migration Period, probably the 5th century.