This thesis explores the process of Christianisation in Viking and Medieval Scandinavia through t... more This thesis explores the process of Christianisation in Viking and Medieval Scandinavia through the social constructions of infancy and the beginnings of human life, as expressed in the ideals and practices seen in written and archaeological evidence. ‘Childhood’ is regarded as a social construction defined by, and therefore also reflecting, contemporary society. Christianisation is seen as a process, heterogeneous in time, space and manifestations. A point of departure has been to approach each piece of evidence as a closed phenomenon comparable only to itself. This approach has been particularly relevant when examining syncretic burial customs. The emerging Christian institutions provided alternatives to the pre-Christian perceptions of birth control and initiating passage rites, most strikingly expressed in the criminalising of infanticide and the introduction of infant baptism. In this thesis, the strategies, processes and ideological foundations behind these changes are investi...
In this paper a complex grave context in Vendel, a place in northern Uppland known for its remark... more In this paper a complex grave context in Vendel, a place in northern Uppland known for its remarkable boat graves dating from late Iron Age, is considered. The grave mound contained four individual grave contexts, each constructed for two children, equipped in the same manor as the individuals buried in the boats. Childs graves are sparsely represented in Late Iron Age Scandinavia. In this case study, therefore, the pairs of children are regarded as actors and carriers of a specific history in the burial contexts, connected to the social elite in northern Uppland – the land and period of the great boat burials.
Vetenskapsradion, SR P1.091029.
När förvandlas ett foster till ett barn? Frågan orsakar debatt än... more Vetenskapsradion, SR P1.091029. När förvandlas ett foster till ett barn? Frågan orsakar debatt än idag, men redan för 1000 år sedan var frågan brännhet i det svenska samhället. - Synen på när ett foster blev ett barn förändrades i grunden när Sverige förvandlades från ett hedniskt samhälle till ett kristet, berättar arkeologen Lotta Mejsholm som i sin forskning fördjupat sig i frågan om barnets människovärdighet. I det vikingatida samhället ansågs det vara okej att sätta ut nyfödda barn i skogen, om de inte redan ammats. Fram till den punkt då de fördes till bröstet ansågs de fortfarande vara ett foster, utan samma rättigheter som en människa, berättar Lotta Mejsholm. Kyrkan hade en helt annan syn på detta, och menade tvärtemot att det var en större synd att dräpa ett nyfött och odöpt barn än ett döpt. Vetenskapsradion Historia berättar de ljusskygga barnutsättningarnas historia och spårar dagens syn på aborter till den tid då Sverige blev kristet.
In this presentation held at Stockholms Länsmuseum in 2013, the topic of childrens graves in viki... more In this presentation held at Stockholms Länsmuseum in 2013, the topic of childrens graves in vikings age and early Christian Scandinavia is adressed, as well as childhood ritual and the thoroughgoing ideological change in burial practice attributed to the process of conversion. The lecture is held in swedish.
This thesis explores the process of Christianisation in Viking and Medieval Scandinavia through t... more This thesis explores the process of Christianisation in Viking and Medieval Scandinavia through the social constructions of infancy and the beginnings of human life, as expressed in the ideals and practices seen in written and archaeological evidence. ‘Childhood’ is regarded as a social construction defined by, and therefore also reflecting, contemporary society. Christianisation is seen as a process, heterogeneous in time, space and manifestations. A point of departure has been to approach each piece of evidence as a closed phenomenon comparable only to itself. This approach has been particularly relevant when examining syncretic burial customs. The emerging Christian institutions provided alternatives to the pre-Christian perceptions of birth control and initiating passage rites, most strikingly expressed in the criminalising of infanticide and the introduction of infant baptism. In this thesis, the strategies, processes and ideological foundations behind these changes are investigated and understood in terms of agency, ideal and practice. The results demonstrate that the process of social change brought by Christianisation was expressed in conservative, innovative as well as conciliatory fashions. It is argued that initiation rituals as well as regulations on child abandonment and burial practices were strategic tools used to modify the central aspects of the Viking-Age perception of infancy. Traces of conflict or conciliation are primarily found in issues relating to children as agents of the family and inheritance lines, which suggest that the ongoing establishment of the Church in some respects challenged the traditional autonomy of the households.
This thesis explores the process of Christianisation in Viking and Medieval Scandinavia through t... more This thesis explores the process of Christianisation in Viking and Medieval Scandinavia through the social constructions of infancy and the beginnings of human life, as expressed in the ideals and practices seen in written and archaeological evidence. ‘Childhood’ is regarded as a social construction defined by, and therefore also reflecting, contemporary society. Christianisation is seen as a process, heterogeneous in time, space and manifestations. A point of departure has been to approach each piece of evidence as a closed phenomenon comparable only to itself. This approach has been particularly relevant when examining syncretic burial customs. The emerging Christian institutions provided alternatives to the pre-Christian perceptions of birth control and initiating passage rites, most strikingly expressed in the criminalising of infanticide and the introduction of infant baptism. In this thesis, the strategies, processes and ideological foundations behind these changes are investi...
In this paper a complex grave context in Vendel, a place in northern Uppland known for its remark... more In this paper a complex grave context in Vendel, a place in northern Uppland known for its remarkable boat graves dating from late Iron Age, is considered. The grave mound contained four individual grave contexts, each constructed for two children, equipped in the same manor as the individuals buried in the boats. Childs graves are sparsely represented in Late Iron Age Scandinavia. In this case study, therefore, the pairs of children are regarded as actors and carriers of a specific history in the burial contexts, connected to the social elite in northern Uppland – the land and period of the great boat burials.
Vetenskapsradion, SR P1.091029.
När förvandlas ett foster till ett barn? Frågan orsakar debatt än... more Vetenskapsradion, SR P1.091029. När förvandlas ett foster till ett barn? Frågan orsakar debatt än idag, men redan för 1000 år sedan var frågan brännhet i det svenska samhället. - Synen på när ett foster blev ett barn förändrades i grunden när Sverige förvandlades från ett hedniskt samhälle till ett kristet, berättar arkeologen Lotta Mejsholm som i sin forskning fördjupat sig i frågan om barnets människovärdighet. I det vikingatida samhället ansågs det vara okej att sätta ut nyfödda barn i skogen, om de inte redan ammats. Fram till den punkt då de fördes till bröstet ansågs de fortfarande vara ett foster, utan samma rättigheter som en människa, berättar Lotta Mejsholm. Kyrkan hade en helt annan syn på detta, och menade tvärtemot att det var en större synd att dräpa ett nyfött och odöpt barn än ett döpt. Vetenskapsradion Historia berättar de ljusskygga barnutsättningarnas historia och spårar dagens syn på aborter till den tid då Sverige blev kristet.
In this presentation held at Stockholms Länsmuseum in 2013, the topic of childrens graves in viki... more In this presentation held at Stockholms Länsmuseum in 2013, the topic of childrens graves in vikings age and early Christian Scandinavia is adressed, as well as childhood ritual and the thoroughgoing ideological change in burial practice attributed to the process of conversion. The lecture is held in swedish.
This thesis explores the process of Christianisation in Viking and Medieval Scandinavia through t... more This thesis explores the process of Christianisation in Viking and Medieval Scandinavia through the social constructions of infancy and the beginnings of human life, as expressed in the ideals and practices seen in written and archaeological evidence. ‘Childhood’ is regarded as a social construction defined by, and therefore also reflecting, contemporary society. Christianisation is seen as a process, heterogeneous in time, space and manifestations. A point of departure has been to approach each piece of evidence as a closed phenomenon comparable only to itself. This approach has been particularly relevant when examining syncretic burial customs. The emerging Christian institutions provided alternatives to the pre-Christian perceptions of birth control and initiating passage rites, most strikingly expressed in the criminalising of infanticide and the introduction of infant baptism. In this thesis, the strategies, processes and ideological foundations behind these changes are investigated and understood in terms of agency, ideal and practice. The results demonstrate that the process of social change brought by Christianisation was expressed in conservative, innovative as well as conciliatory fashions. It is argued that initiation rituals as well as regulations on child abandonment and burial practices were strategic tools used to modify the central aspects of the Viking-Age perception of infancy. Traces of conflict or conciliation are primarily found in issues relating to children as agents of the family and inheritance lines, which suggest that the ongoing establishment of the Church in some respects challenged the traditional autonomy of the households.
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När förvandlas ett foster till ett barn? Frågan orsakar debatt än idag, men redan för 1000 år sedan var frågan brännhet i det svenska samhället. - Synen på när ett foster blev ett barn förändrades i grunden när Sverige förvandlades från ett hedniskt samhälle till ett kristet, berättar arkeologen Lotta Mejsholm som i sin forskning fördjupat sig i frågan om barnets människovärdighet. I det vikingatida samhället ansågs det vara okej att sätta ut nyfödda barn i skogen, om de inte redan ammats. Fram till den punkt då de fördes till bröstet ansågs de fortfarande vara ett foster, utan samma rättigheter som en människa, berättar Lotta Mejsholm. Kyrkan hade en helt annan syn på detta, och menade tvärtemot att det var en större synd att dräpa ett nyfött och odöpt barn än ett döpt. Vetenskapsradion Historia berättar de ljusskygga barnutsättningarnas historia och spårar dagens syn på aborter till den tid då Sverige blev kristet.
‘Childhood’ is regarded as a social construction defined by, and therefore also reflecting, contemporary society. Christianisation is seen as a process, heterogeneous in time, space and manifestations. A point of departure has been to approach each piece of evidence as a closed phenomenon comparable only to itself. This approach has been particularly relevant when examining syncretic burial customs.
The emerging Christian institutions provided alternatives to the pre-Christian perceptions of birth control and initiating passage rites, most strikingly expressed in the criminalising of infanticide and the introduction of infant baptism. In this thesis, the strategies, processes and ideological foundations behind these changes are investigated and understood in terms of agency, ideal and practice. The results demonstrate that the process of social change brought by Christianisation was expressed in conservative, innovative as well as conciliatory fashions.
It is argued that initiation rituals as well as regulations on child abandonment and burial practices were strategic tools used to modify the central aspects of the Viking-Age perception of infancy. Traces of conflict or conciliation are primarily found in issues relating to children as agents of the family and inheritance lines, which suggest that the ongoing establishment of the Church in some respects challenged the traditional autonomy of the households.
När förvandlas ett foster till ett barn? Frågan orsakar debatt än idag, men redan för 1000 år sedan var frågan brännhet i det svenska samhället. - Synen på när ett foster blev ett barn förändrades i grunden när Sverige förvandlades från ett hedniskt samhälle till ett kristet, berättar arkeologen Lotta Mejsholm som i sin forskning fördjupat sig i frågan om barnets människovärdighet. I det vikingatida samhället ansågs det vara okej att sätta ut nyfödda barn i skogen, om de inte redan ammats. Fram till den punkt då de fördes till bröstet ansågs de fortfarande vara ett foster, utan samma rättigheter som en människa, berättar Lotta Mejsholm. Kyrkan hade en helt annan syn på detta, och menade tvärtemot att det var en större synd att dräpa ett nyfött och odöpt barn än ett döpt. Vetenskapsradion Historia berättar de ljusskygga barnutsättningarnas historia och spårar dagens syn på aborter till den tid då Sverige blev kristet.
‘Childhood’ is regarded as a social construction defined by, and therefore also reflecting, contemporary society. Christianisation is seen as a process, heterogeneous in time, space and manifestations. A point of departure has been to approach each piece of evidence as a closed phenomenon comparable only to itself. This approach has been particularly relevant when examining syncretic burial customs.
The emerging Christian institutions provided alternatives to the pre-Christian perceptions of birth control and initiating passage rites, most strikingly expressed in the criminalising of infanticide and the introduction of infant baptism. In this thesis, the strategies, processes and ideological foundations behind these changes are investigated and understood in terms of agency, ideal and practice. The results demonstrate that the process of social change brought by Christianisation was expressed in conservative, innovative as well as conciliatory fashions.
It is argued that initiation rituals as well as regulations on child abandonment and burial practices were strategic tools used to modify the central aspects of the Viking-Age perception of infancy. Traces of conflict or conciliation are primarily found in issues relating to children as agents of the family and inheritance lines, which suggest that the ongoing establishment of the Church in some respects challenged the traditional autonomy of the households.