Papers by christian mühlenbock
Fornvännen Vol. 118, nr 3, s. 151-169, 2023
En romansk tegelkyrka i norra Dalsland. (The pilgrim church in Edsleskog: a Romanesque brick chur... more En romansk tegelkyrka i norra Dalsland. (The pilgrim church in Edsleskog: a Romanesque brick church in northern Dalsland) Fornvännen 118. Stockholm. Archaeological excavations conducted in 2019-2021 have revealed the remains of one of the largest Romanesque churches in the diocese of Skara. According to a papal letter from Pope Honorius III, the church was erected to commemorate the martyrdom of a local priest, Nils, or Nicolaus, who was eventually elevated to the status of a local saint. The location of the church, in the province of Dalsland, a wooded, sparsely populated, and remote area of southwestern Sweden, is an unlikely spot for such a grand building. It was constructed as a large basilica made of brick. Coin finds and radiocarbon dates indicate that the church was probably built sometime in the period 1196-1208. The northern section of the church, including a small chapel or sacristy and the northern transept, was added around 1220.
Scandinavian Sicilian Archaeological Project Reports 2002-2003, 2004
Scandinavian Sicilian Archaeological Project Reports 2002-2003
The Scandinavian Sicilian Archaeological Project Archaeological excavations at Monte Polizzo Sicily Reports 1998-2001, 2004
Historical framework behind the SSAP project including field reports 1998-2001
Myntkontakt, 2024
Artikeln är en översikt över de många myntfynd som har hittats vid utgrävningarna av den medeltid... more Artikeln är en översikt över de många myntfynd som har hittats vid utgrävningarna av den medeltida kyrkoruinen i Edsleskog, Dalsland. Totalt presenteras 278 mynt med en datering från sent 1100-tal till 1563. Myntfynden från Edsleskog är unika i den bemärkelsen att de inkluderar en relativt stor mängd mynt från första halvan av 1200-talet.
Preliminary report after the first years excavation.
Revue archéologique, 2015
Thanks to a private donation, the Medelhavsmuseet of Stockholm displays several artefacts dedica... more Thanks to a private donation, the Medelhavsmuseet of Stockholm displays several artefacts dedicated
to Zeus Alsenos, a very popular Phrygian divinity during
the 2nd and 3th cent. ad, especially in the neighbourhood of
the marble quarries of Dokimeion. These items are essentially votive stelai, but a rare marble votive object with a
Greek dedication to the local divinity seems to represent a
pick such as was used by the quarrymen.
META, 2023
The Great Church of Edsleskog. Between 2019 and 2021 an archaeological research project was condu... more The Great Church of Edsleskog. Between 2019 and 2021 an archaeological research project was conducted with the aim to study the early medieval brick church of Edsleskog. The results showed that it was constructed as a Romanesque cruciform church, dating at least to the beginning of the 13th century. In this article the focus is the architectural design and history of the building. By comparative examples and historical documentation, it was possible to get a better understanding of how the church was designed. A few changes were made to the church through different building phases. The northern semitransept and a sacristy or chapel on the northern side of the choir were added later to the building, during the first half of the 13th century. A tower or a ridge turret were likely built during the late Middle Ages. Its position or type of construction has not been possible to determine. In 1568 the church burned down and was only rebuilt in reduced size.
In 2015 the Medelhavsmuseet in Stockholm organised the international
conference Ancient Cyprus To... more In 2015 the Medelhavsmuseet in Stockholm organised the international
conference Ancient Cyprus Today: Museum Collections and New Research Approaches to the Archaeology of Cyprus. Scholars from Europe, Americaand Australia took the opportunity to engage with many currentmethodological and substantive issues. This volume contains 31 papers,all extensively revised for publicaton. They cover a wide range of topics, including the study and display of museum collections, site management, archival documentation and digitisation, new fieldwork and methods of scientific analysis, and many aspects of material culture. The result is an up-to-date overview of archaeological research and heritage management in Cyprus.
The Mediterranean, Central Europe, and Scandanavia Compared, 2010
Scandinavian archaeological practice - in theory. Proceedings from the 6th Nordic TAG, Oslo 2001. Jostein Bergstol (ed.), 2003
The present study starts with an analysis of the ruin of “House 1” within the Archaic Period sett... more The present study starts with an analysis of the ruin of “House 1” within the Archaic Period settlement (c. 625–550 BC) of Monte Polizzo (MP) in Salemi, Western Sicily (Fig. 12.1). The settlement is associated with a people known from historical sources (Thucydides 6.2.1–5) as “Elymian”, and is situated north of the westernmost Greek colony Selinus, east of the Phoenician city of Motya, south-east of Elyminan Eryx and south-south-west of the Doric-Elymian city of Segesta. The concepts of material culture in combination with the historical setting creates a valid platform for regarding the Monte Polizzo site, and especially the House 1 household(s), as an arena for the integration and negotiation of cultural streams (as the term is developed in Barth 1983) from the wider Mediterranean – especially from the east – and the impact of these streams on social practice.
The present article presents some background information, and outlines relevant features of the MP settlement. It then describes the House 1 site and proposes an internal chronology based on architectural and constructional evidence. More than a ton of ceramics were collected from House 1, i.e. vessels with various functions (storage, tableware and cooking) as well as of various origins (local, regional, Corinthian, Etruscan, and Punic) (cf. Mühlenbock and Prescott 2004). Other finds include bone and metal tools, jewellery and weapons
Counterpoint: Essays in Archaeology and Heritage Studies in Honour of Professor Kristian Kristiansen, Jul 2013
Abstract: The present article investigates the meaning of tradition at Monte Polizzo, an Iron Age... more Abstract: The present article investigates the meaning of tradition at Monte Polizzo, an Iron Age community. The local societies in
western Sicily have generally, as an antithesis to the contemporary Greek communities, been characterized as ‘traditional’. The basis
for the epithet ‘traditional’ is seldom clear. In this text it is argued that it can be instructive to examine features, objects and practices
which can be positively identified as ‘traditional’ in their proper contexts. Traditional objects were integrated into the political, social
and environmental realties of sixth-century Sicily. Hence, tradition was not necessarily a passive state of being. Rather, through numerous
examples this article shows that traditions, like most forms of human social practice, were manipulated and adapted in accordance
with the needs of the present.
Arkeologen, Nov 2008
This PhD thesis aims at investigating identity and interaction at the settlement of Monte Polizzo... more This PhD thesis aims at investigating identity and interaction at the settlement of Monte Polizzo, Western Sicily during the Archaic Age. The study is based on archaeological material from the Scandinavian excavations at Monte Polizzo. It is one of the most fundamental, in-depth investigations of an indigenous sixth-century society. Previous research has mostly explored various avenues in order to define indigenous societies. Most historians and archaeologists have favoured interpretation grounded in the first historical document about the indigenous groups in the area. The document was written by the Greek historian Thucydides, 2400 years ago. The indigenous settlements in Western Sicily have accordingly been attributed to the Elymians. This dissertation aims at a more nuanced picture. The results from the Scandinavian excavations have been interpreted in relation to place rather than to static notions of culture. The archaic society at Monte Polizzo was a product of the dynamics between tradition, innovation and interaction. Inhabitants at the settlement exploited local, as well as foreign elements in order to create strong material expressions. This is evident in the ceramic tradition, in the architecture, as well as in the use of space. Materialities were fundamental in defining identities. Theoretical models from anthropological-, historical- and sociological research have been used to highlight the relationship between material expressions and human action. The imported artefacts at the settlement show that the society at Monte Polizzo was part of Mediterranean trading networks. It is particularly evident in a desire for wine drinking equipments. The wine drinking feast was particularly important as an arena for interaction between groups inside as well as outside the settlement of Monte Polizzo. Other features and objects at the site were clearly related to a sort of referencing back in time. This shows that many inhabitants at Monte Polizzo shared a historical consciousness. The society was deeply routed in time and space. This thesis demonstrates that a multi-dimensional investigation of object, social practice and interaction is desired in order to understand how the particular and the shared aspects of life interact in shaping identities.
Research Projects by christian mühlenbock
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Papers by christian mühlenbock
to Zeus Alsenos, a very popular Phrygian divinity during
the 2nd and 3th cent. ad, especially in the neighbourhood of
the marble quarries of Dokimeion. These items are essentially votive stelai, but a rare marble votive object with a
Greek dedication to the local divinity seems to represent a
pick such as was used by the quarrymen.
conference Ancient Cyprus Today: Museum Collections and New Research Approaches to the Archaeology of Cyprus. Scholars from Europe, Americaand Australia took the opportunity to engage with many currentmethodological and substantive issues. This volume contains 31 papers,all extensively revised for publicaton. They cover a wide range of topics, including the study and display of museum collections, site management, archival documentation and digitisation, new fieldwork and methods of scientific analysis, and many aspects of material culture. The result is an up-to-date overview of archaeological research and heritage management in Cyprus.
The present article presents some background information, and outlines relevant features of the MP settlement. It then describes the House 1 site and proposes an internal chronology based on architectural and constructional evidence. More than a ton of ceramics were collected from House 1, i.e. vessels with various functions (storage, tableware and cooking) as well as of various origins (local, regional, Corinthian, Etruscan, and Punic) (cf. Mühlenbock and Prescott 2004). Other finds include bone and metal tools, jewellery and weapons
western Sicily have generally, as an antithesis to the contemporary Greek communities, been characterized as ‘traditional’. The basis
for the epithet ‘traditional’ is seldom clear. In this text it is argued that it can be instructive to examine features, objects and practices
which can be positively identified as ‘traditional’ in their proper contexts. Traditional objects were integrated into the political, social
and environmental realties of sixth-century Sicily. Hence, tradition was not necessarily a passive state of being. Rather, through numerous
examples this article shows that traditions, like most forms of human social practice, were manipulated and adapted in accordance
with the needs of the present.
Research Projects by christian mühlenbock
to Zeus Alsenos, a very popular Phrygian divinity during
the 2nd and 3th cent. ad, especially in the neighbourhood of
the marble quarries of Dokimeion. These items are essentially votive stelai, but a rare marble votive object with a
Greek dedication to the local divinity seems to represent a
pick such as was used by the quarrymen.
conference Ancient Cyprus Today: Museum Collections and New Research Approaches to the Archaeology of Cyprus. Scholars from Europe, Americaand Australia took the opportunity to engage with many currentmethodological and substantive issues. This volume contains 31 papers,all extensively revised for publicaton. They cover a wide range of topics, including the study and display of museum collections, site management, archival documentation and digitisation, new fieldwork and methods of scientific analysis, and many aspects of material culture. The result is an up-to-date overview of archaeological research and heritage management in Cyprus.
The present article presents some background information, and outlines relevant features of the MP settlement. It then describes the House 1 site and proposes an internal chronology based on architectural and constructional evidence. More than a ton of ceramics were collected from House 1, i.e. vessels with various functions (storage, tableware and cooking) as well as of various origins (local, regional, Corinthian, Etruscan, and Punic) (cf. Mühlenbock and Prescott 2004). Other finds include bone and metal tools, jewellery and weapons
western Sicily have generally, as an antithesis to the contemporary Greek communities, been characterized as ‘traditional’. The basis
for the epithet ‘traditional’ is seldom clear. In this text it is argued that it can be instructive to examine features, objects and practices
which can be positively identified as ‘traditional’ in their proper contexts. Traditional objects were integrated into the political, social
and environmental realties of sixth-century Sicily. Hence, tradition was not necessarily a passive state of being. Rather, through numerous
examples this article shows that traditions, like most forms of human social practice, were manipulated and adapted in accordance
with the needs of the present.