The Swedish province of Östergötland has long been recognised as one of the 1st millennium's political hot spots. Splendid single finds, though never before surveyed comprehensively, offer a rough idea of where elite settlements might be sought. Not one of the ostentatious manorial buildings where the era's elite lived has, however, been identified in the field. This study aims at beginning to remedy the regional absence of mead-halls, being an investigation of the internal political geography of Östergötland during the period AD 375-1000. The data of this study present a compilation of geographical, temporal, contextual and other information on artefacts and ancient monuments, which have been interpreted as indicators of elite settlements, spanning from the Late Roman Period to the Viking Age. The dataset includes data from previous excavations and surveys, as well as new data collected through excavation and metal detecting during 2003-2008.

Purpose:

These archaeological data were collected in 2003-2009 for the purpose of identifying elite settlements in the Swedish province of Östergötland during the 1st Millennium AD.

The dataset is comprised of a spreadsheet with information on ancient monuments, stray finds, hoards and contextual finds, which indicate the presence of an elite settlement. Data was collected from literature and museums collections, as well as from archaeological field work such as excavation and field surveying. Seventeen sites were surveyed with metal detectors, discriminating against iron. At three of the sites excavation trenches were opened. Features and finds were given coordinates with a hand-held GPS or a total-station. When no more precise information on location has been available, than on which hamlet's land a find has been made, the coordinates of each hamlet's current main house have been used.Uppgifterna innefattar bland annat inventarienummer, geografiskt läge, datering, typ och kontext. The information includes inventory number, geographical position, dating, type, amount and context. The data can be downloaded in XLSX or CSV format. Show less..

Language

English

Method and outcome

Time period(s) investigated

375 – 1000

Data format / data structure

Numeric

Text

Data collection

Data collection 1

Mode of collection: Content coding
Time period(s) for data collection: 2003 – 2009
Instrument: (Structured questionnaire)

Data collection 2

Mode of collection: Compilation/Synthesis
Time period(s) for data collection: 2003 – 2009
Instrument: (Structured questionnaire)

Data collection 3

Mode of collection: Field observation
Time period(s) for data collection: 2005-07-05 – 2005-08-19
Data collector: Östergötland County Museum, Archaeology department
Instrument: (Structured questionnaire)

Data collection 1

Mode of collection: Content coding
Time period(s) for data collection: 2003 – 2009
Instrument: (Structured questionnaire)

Data collection 2

Mode of collection: Compilation/Synthesis
Time period(s) for data collection: 2003 – 2009
Instrument: (Structured questionnaire)

Data collection 3

Mode of collection: Field observation
Time period(s) for data collection: 2005-07-05 – 2005-08-19
Data collector: Östergötland County Museum, Archaeology department
Instrument: (Structured questionnaire)

Data collection 4

Mode of collection: Physical measurements and tests
Time period(s) for data collection: 2005-07-05 – 2005-08-19
Data collector: Östergötland County Museum, Archaeology department
Instrument: (Structured questionnaire)

Data collection 5

Mode of collection: Field observation
Time period(s) for data collection: 2006-09-11 – 2006-09-13
Instrument: (Structured questionnaire)

Data collection 6

Mode of collection: Physical measurements and tests
Time period(s) for data collection: 2006-09-11 – 2006-09-13
Instrument: (Structured questionnaire)

Data collection 7

Mode of collection: Physical measurements and tests
Time period(s) for data collection: 2008-09-15 – 2008-09-24
Instrument: (Structured questionnaire)

Data collection 8

Mode of collection: Field observation
Time period(s) for data collection: 2008-09-15 – 2008-09-24
Data collector: Östergötland Museum
Instrument: (Structured questionnaire)

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Geographic coverage

Geographic spread

Geographic location: Gärdserum Parish, Allhelgona Parish, Askeby Parish, Björkeberg Parish, Borg Parish, Drothem Parish, Ekeby Parish, Ekebyborna Parish, Fivelstad Parish, Flistad Parish, Fornåsa Parish, Grebo Parish, Hagebyhöga Parish, Heda Parish, Herrberga Parish, Horn Parish, Hycklinge Parish, Hällestad Parish, Häradshammar Parish, Högby Parish, Kaga Parish, Kimstad Parish, Klockrike Parish, Konungsund Parish, Krokek Parish, Kuddby Parish, Kullerstad Parish, Kvarsebo Parish, Kvillinge Parish, Kärna Parish, Landeryd Parish, Ledberg Parish, Ljung Parish, Mjölby Parish, Mogata Parish, Motala Parish, Nässja Parish, Oppeby Parish, Orlunda Parish, Regna Parish, Ringarum Parish, Rinna Parish, Rogslösa Parish, Rök Parish, Sankt Per Parish, Sjögestad Parish, Skedevi Parish, Skärkind Parish, Slaka Parish, Strå Parish, Styrstad Parish, Svanshals Parish, Sya Parish, Tingstad Parish, Tjärstad Parish, Tåby Parish, Törnevalla Parish, Vallerstad Parish, Varv Parish, Veta Parish, Viby Parish, Vikingstad Parish, Vist Parish, Vreta kloster Parish, Vånga Parish, Vårdnäs Parish, Vårdsberg Parish, Väderstad Parish, Västerlösa Parish, Västra Eneby Parish, Västra Harg Parish, Västra Stenby Parish, Västra Tollstad Parish, Åsbo Parish, Ödeshög Parish, Östra Husby Parish, Östra Ny Parish, Östra Eneby Parish, Sankt Lars Parish

Geographic description: Province of Östergötland

Lowest geographic unit

Parish

Highest geographic unit

Province

Administrative information

Topic and keywords

Research area

History (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Archaeology (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)

Keywords

Archaeology, Iron age, Roman iron age, Late iron age, Migration period, Vendel era, Viking age, Political geography

Publications

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Rundkvist, Martin (2011). Mead-halls of the Eastern Geats: elite settlements and political geography AD 375-1000 in Östergötland, Sweden. Stockholm: Kungl. Vitterhets historie och antikvitets akademien.
Libris | DiVA
ISBN: 978-91-7402-405-0

Rundkvist, M. (2007). Provundersökning av storhögen Raä 16 vid Stora Tollstad i Sjögestad. 11-13 september 2006. Ög, Sjögestad sn, Tollstad 11:1, Raä 16. Provundersökning. Länsstyrelsens ärendenummer 431-4978-06. Rapport, 25 januari 2007. Unpublished archival report.
Archive.org

Rundkvist, M. & Williams, H. (2007). Report on the Excavation of a Viking Period Boat Imhumationand a Pre-Roman Iron Age Settlement with Bronze Casting Debris. Skamby in Kuddby Parish (Raä 158), Östergötland, Sweden, 2005. Final version 30 November 2006. Unpublished archival report.
Archive.org

Rundkvist, M. (2007). Sättuna in Kaga Parish, Östergötland, Sweden. Excavations in September 2008 at Raä Kaga 50. Report by Martin Rundqvist, 28 April 2009. With an osteological analysis by Petter Nyberg, lithics classification by Fredrik Molin, wood anatomy by Ulf Strucke and radiocaron by Göran Possnert & Maud Söderman. Unbpublished archival report.
Archive.org

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Published: 2014-11-18

Last updated: 2017-01-31