Rösen och Ryggskott: En undersökning av rösegravarnas socioekonomiska kontext i Västerbotten
2023 (Swedish)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
The aim of this thesis is to investigate which type of society could supply the resources required to construct the cairn monuments along the coastal regions of Västerbotten during the Bronze Age. The study is centered on a cluster of cairns within the parishes of Bygdeå, Nysätra and Lövånger, situated at elevations between 31-52 meters above today’s sea level. Through analyses and calculations of the cairns themselves and their proximity to stone quarrying materials, the volume of each cairn within the chosen cluster has been used to evaluate how long it took these monument builders to complete the construction of the cairns. The workforce required is shown to heavily depend on the size of the cairn and its location from the stone material. Theoretically some cairns could have been constructed in just a few days, whereas some took significantly more time to construct. The indicated social types capable of providing the necessary resources were found to be avariation of nomadic band and/or semi-sedentary tribal communities composed of extended families. Powerful cheiftains and societies with greater resources weren’t necessarily found to be a requirement. The procurement of food and other resources varied and over time the economic foundations gradually shifted from a mainly hunting and fishing reliance to embracing cultivation and animal husbandry.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2023. , p. 88
Keywords [en]
cairns, monuments, Västerbotten, construction, band, tribal, cultivation
Keywords [sv]
gravröse, rösen, monument, bronsålder, samhällstypologi, odling, arbetskraft
National Category
Archaeology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-215890OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-215890DiVA, id: diva2:1807747
Subject / course
Archaeology
Educational program
Bachelor Programme in Archeology
Supervisors
Examiners
2023-10-272023-10-272023-10-27Bibliographically approved