This paper proceeds from the excavations by Linnaeus University in 2019-2023 of a Migration Period house foundation at Gamla Skogsby, & Ouml;land, SE Sweden, situated in what was originally a large village with one of the largest Migration Period farms recorded on the whole island. The house and the excavation results are presented in brief, and in particular, the find of a raptor claw inside the house is given special attention. The claw is evaluated osteologically, identified as the claw of an eagle and suggested as an indication of prestige related to the local elite at the site. This is followed by an attempt to place the find in a larger context, with an evaluation of the find as a possible indication of falconry at the site in the Migration Period. The role of eagles in falconry is examined and the implications for this in connection with the falconry hypothesis at Gamla Skogsby are discussed. The find and the settlement at which it was made are then analysed in relation to a larger landscape context including important artefact finds, burials, settlements and fortifications, and the possible role of women in relation to falconry is discussed.

This report presents the results of Linnaeus University’s archaeological excavation in September and October 2023 at Gamla Skogsby, central western Öland. The excavation, which is the fifth in a series of investigations at the site, meant the completion of the investigation of House XI, which is thus now fully excavated.

The investigation in 2023 included a trench of approx. 80 m2 in direct connection to the west to the previously investigated area. The goal of covering the western gable of the house within this area was fulfilled, and the westernmost approx. 3 m of the shaft thus included an area outside the gable of the house towards the west. In total, house XI measures 35.4 m from gable wall to gable wall, which makes it a relatively large three-aisled long house still about 20 m shorter than the 55 m long house which is located right next to it to the east. House XI was built during the 5th century and was used into the 6th century. The house burned down, was rebuilt in the same place and burned down again. The age of the 55 m building is still unknown.

The contexts identified and investigated in 2023 include culture layers, stone pavings, postholes, stone walls and other features mostly related to the building and using of house XI, but also related to events older than the house. The finds are strongly dominated by animal bones, but also includes ceramics, iron objects, a fragment from an ancient glass vessel and a small bronze button. The amount of finds is generally modest in comparison to the investigations in 2022. The number of iron objects however was higher, including a depot find recovered in connection with the west wall of the house. Here, three miniature objects in the form of a spearhead, a chisel and a scythe were found in connection with a damaged part of the western gable wall. The find is interpreted as a building sacrifice and adds to the series of sacrificial finds of primarily animal bones but also other things that relate to various phases and events in the construction, use and abandonment of the house.

Apart from the excavation results, the report includes a proper review of available historical maps of the area, as well as a detailed account of the various public-oriented activities that were carried out in connection with the survey in Gamla Skogsby 2023.

When the investigations in Gamla Skogsby began in 2019, the idea was to investigate the small square house of about 10 x 10 m which was assumed to be located right next to the western gable of the 55 m long ”chieftain’s hall”. The purpose was to determine whether it was a house and, if so, to more closely characterize its shape, size and function. Five excavation seasons later, we can now establish that it was indeed a house, although not a small square one but a 35.4 m long three-aisled house from the Migration period with a relatively long period of use and a large find material. The variety of sacrificial finds, in combination with other observations, has led to a reevaluation of the interpretation of the house’s function, from first being perceived as dominated by large-scale cooking to considerations of a hall function where not least the size and layout of the house are important.

Denna rapport presenterar resultaten från Linnéuniversitetets arkeologiska Papmehl-Dufay (red.)undersökningar i Gamla Skogsby på västra Öland, som genomfördes i septemberoch oktober 2022. Deltog gjorde studenter från kurserna Arkeologi III ochAvancerad fältarkeologi samt arkeologen Sandra Lundholm från Kalmar länsmuseum. Ansvarig för undersökningen var universitetslektor Ludvig PapmehlDufay från Linnéuniversitetet. Resultaten ger nya inblickar i platsens forntidahemligheter, både rörande det hus från folkvandringstiden som undersöktssedan 2019 och andra delar av fornlämningsområdet. 

We investigate a 2,000-year genetic transect through Scandinavia spanning the Iron Age to the present, based on 48 new and 249 published ancient genomes and genotypes from 16,638 modern individuals. We find regional variation in the timing and magnitude of gene flow from three sources: the eastern Baltic, the British-Irish Isles, and southern Europe. British-Irish ancestry was widespread in Scandinavia from the Viking period, whereas eastern Baltic ancestry is more localized to Gotland and central Sweden. In some regions, a drop in current levels of external ancestry suggests that ancient immigrants contributed proportionately less to the modern Scandinavian gene pool than indicated by the ancestry of genomes from the Viking and Medieval periods. Finally, we show that a north-south genetic cline that characterizes modern Scandinavians is mainly due to the differential levels of Uralic ancestry and that this cline existed in the Viking Age and possibly earlier.

Forntida vägar, finns de och hur ser de i så fall ut? Med exempel från Kalmarkusten och Öland dyker vi här djupare ner i denna fråga, och finner … gamla vägar. Massor av gamla vägar.

This report presents the results from an archaeological excavation in 2021 of an Iron Age house foundation at Gamla Skogsby, Öland, Sweden. The investigated area is rich in prehistoric remains, not least from the mid-Iron Age and the Migration Period which is the period of concern here (c. AD 400–550). The excavation was a direct continuation of the one conducted in the previous year, and concerns the same trench as that opened in 2020 (Papmehl-Dufay 2021). 

The house investigated is part of a large farm, just next to an exceptionally large building usually regarded as a cheiftains hall. The excavations in 2019 and 2020 resulted in a wealth of finds of animal bones, pottery and other categories, indicating that the house has been used among other things for preparation of large quantities of food associated with feasting. The numerous finds especially during the 2020 excavation were time-consuming to recover, and the 2021 excavation therefore focussed on finishing the investigation of trench opened in the previous year.

The excavation in 2021 thus concerned the lowermost part of the main occupation layer in the building, including a number of large postholes and other features interpreted as parts of the house construction. Furthermore, layers and sunken features were documented that are stratigraphically older than the building, possibly representing earlier phases of settlement at the site. Although severely damaged and difficult to understand with any certainity, the patterns of postholes and stone features underneath the investigates house foundation could represent an earlier building oriented in a slightly different direction. The age of this hypothetic earlier building is difficult to estimate, but based on some of the finds and the suggested presence of a stone wall, the Roman Iron Age is suggested. 

Among the finds from the 2021 excavation, animal bones predominate while the amounts of pottery are modest especially in relation to the situation the year before. Yet another context of seemingly ritual deposits of sheep bone was found, strengthening the image of the house as loaded with ritual significance possibly related to food and meat. Only a few more notable artefacts were recovered, including two amber beads and a bone pin. Furthermore, a large whetstone was recovered as well as several more smaller whetstones, accompanying numerous artefacts of the same category from previous years.

In previous excavations, evidence for fire has been abundantly documented. This was notices also in the 2021 excavation, although it was now clearly demonstrated that this evidence is concentrated to the uppermost part of the stratigraphy. Also, the radiocarbon dates suggest that the house was affected by fire at least twice, the earliest of which most probably occurred in the 5th century and the latter in the early/mid 6th century. These are interesting results, especially in relation to the Gamla Skogsby vs Sandby borg hypothesis, which suggests that the residents at the main farm at Gamla Skogsby could have been involved in some way in the massacre at Sandby borg. 

The excavation team consisted of students from two different courses, as well as teachers and researchers from Linnaeus university and archaeologist from Kalmar County museum and Bohusläns museum. Participant researcher Cornelius Holtorf pursued a specific reflective agenda throughout the fieldwork, termed ”An Archaeology of Growth and Regeneration”, elaborated and discussed in detail in Bilaga 1. 

The excavation at Gamla Skogsby in 2021 was successful in finishing the trench opened in 2020. However, the extent of the house towards the west is still an open question, hopefully this will be answered in the coming campaign at the site in 2022.

This report presents the results from an archaeological excavation in 2020 of an Iron Age house foundation at Gamla Skogsby, Öland, Sweden. The investigated area is rich in prehistoric remains, not least from the mid-Iron Age and the Migration Period which is the period of concern here (c. AD 400–550). The excavation follows that which was initiated at the site in 2019 (Papmehl-Dufay 2020). 

The house investigated is part of a large farm, just next to an exceptionally large building usually regarded as a cheiftains hall. The finds from the excavation are numerous, including a large animal bone assemblage as well as unusually large amounts of household pottery. As was the case during the excavation in 2019, the bulk of the finds are of ”household” character with an emphasis on preparation of food. The results of the osteological analysis reveal an unusually large proportion of pig bones, which was an important source of meat in connection to Iron Age feasting. Several deposits of animal bones were found suggesting elaborate ritual activities at the site, including the offering of several sheep in connection to the building of the house as well as the offering of a horse in connection to its abandonment. The pottery assemblage includes a large number of vessels of which unusually large portions are preserved, allowing for a detailed analysis of vessel shapes in the Migration Period.

The results reinforces the idea of Gamla Skogsby as a major farm in the area in the Migration period, potentially relevant in discussion on the social and cultural context of the Sandby borg massacre that ocurred on eastern  land in the same period.