Scandinavian Pre roman Iron age

During repeated archaeological investigations of the Krogsgård area near the city Esbjerg in the period
2002-2010 a farm complex, consisting of at least three simultaneous farm units from the Roman Iron Age
and a cemetery from the same time were excavated. During the investigations we used a rare opportunity
to uncover a larger area than usual, which in turn gave us the settlement, the cemetery and the “empty”
spots in-between, thus giving us an example on how the people in the early Iron Age used the landscape.

The paper deals with the basis of the Pre-Roman Iron Age chronology in Southern Scandinavia. It was established during the 1950'es as a typologically based three-period system with an almost findless middle period. While from the 1950'es and onwards new two-period systems have been established in most neighbouring regions only minor ajustments have been made to the Danish chronology system. This paper argues that a typologically based three-period system may obscure the real development and that the lack of finds in the middle period is in fact a product of this. Therefore,  it is argued that the very material originally forwarded by C. J. Becker as arguments for the tripartite system can be used as arguments for a bipartite chronology system. In this way many of the "problems" of connecting Early with Late Pre-Roman Iron Age disappears while at the same time the period gains a dynamic appearance with fundamental chances in the transition from early to late, bringing it in concordance with what we see in other parts of Northern and Northern Central Europe

The paper aims at demonstrating a southeast European origin of the Gundestrup cauldron and at giving its origin and way to Denmark a context. It is argued that the cauldron was brought to its final resting place along routes that have long traditions - ie. the route that connected the Baltic with the Black Sea.

The Early/Late Pre-Roman Period transition was a time of a profound
cultural change in the Odra and Vistula drainages, on the north-eastern
periphery of the Celtic world. Its result was the decline of the “post-
Hallstatt” Pomeranian-Cloche Grave Culture previously spread across
much of Poland, now replaced by two formations deeply influenced by
the La Tène Culture – the Przeworsk and the Oksywie cultures. The view dominant in the literature is that these two are a direct continuation of the “post-Hallstatt” cultures. According to currently accepted views the main cause of this major cultural transformation was impact from the La Tène Culture which triggered significant changes in the spiritual and the material culture, and in the economic systems of the “Pomeranian-Cloche Grave” communities. Only recently the role of the Jastorf Culture in this process has come to be recognized as vital. The number of Jastorf sites recorded across the Polish Lowland, far east of the lands on the lower and the middle Odra settled by the communities of the peripheral Gubin Group and the Oder Group of the Jastorf Culture. A special contribution to the recognition of Jastorf Culture materials and charting the current line of research on the archaeological situation at the onset of the Late Pre-Roman Period in Poland was made by the research of T. Dąbrowska and Z. Woźniak.
Relics of Jastorf settlement are scattered mostly in areas of Wielkopolska, Kujawy, western Mazowsze and the Lublin region. Some rare finds have been recorded in Lower Silesia outside the range of the
Gubin Group of Jastorf Culture. Others are known from the northern
reaches of the Lowland, the cradle of the Oksywie Culture, and from the West Balt Barrow Culture (Fig. 1, 2). Jastorf settlement does not form any more obvious concentrations, this may partly reflect the status of research, i.a., the general failure to identify settlements of this culture. This is because in many cases we have to rely only on the sparse and poorly diagnostic surface finds.
Jastorf Culture materials recorded in the Lowland, is mostly pottery,
dated by analogy to other zones of Jastorf Culture settlement (Fig. 3).
Pottery assemblages of this culture from the Lowland (Fig. 4–10) are
obviously in correspondence with materials recorded in Denmark –
in Jutland and Funen, dated mostly to between phase Ib and IIIa acc.
to C.-J. Becker, and to phases I and II acc. to E. Albrectsen, which
corresponds to phases IB and IIA in the modified division of J. Martens.
They are similar to some extant also to finds originating from the parent territory of the Jastorf Culture in the middle and the lower Elbe drainage linked with the Ripdorf phase acc. to G. Schwantes, or phases Id and IIa acc. to H. Hingst. On the other hand, there are no recognizable connections of this pottery with the wares of the Gubin Group and the Oder Group.
Jastorf Culture pottery connects also with forms which are present
in the earliest pottery assemblages of the Przeworsk and the Poieneşti-
Lukaševka cultures, dating to phases A1–A2 of the Late Pre-Roman
Period.
Some of the objects recovered in the Lowland in settlements and
in burials with Jastorf pottery can be dated with some precision. They
are e.g., northern Jastorf pins from the Early/Late Pre-Roman Period
transition and Celtic imports, mostly brooches characteristic for
phase LTC1 (Fig. 12). The latter are noted in assemblages with pottery
resembling the younger Danish materials from Becker phase IIIa, or
Martens phase IIA (Fig. 13). The presence of this pottery has been confirmed also in Celtic settlements in Upper Silesia occupied during the
Middle La Tène, mostly during its earlier segment, i.e., LTC1 (Fig. 11).
A small group of metal objects of northern Jastorf origin recovered
as stray finds or excavated from Jastorf sites in the Lowland has been
dated to the close of the Early and the onset of the Late Pre-Roman Period. They include: winged pins of the Danish type, typologically
late Holstein pins of Skovby/Bjerndrup type, early and later forms of
crown neck-rings (Kronenhalsring) and cast bronze brooches characteristic for the Danish-northern German region (Fig. 14).
It follows from the above remarks that the dating of Jastorf finds
recorded in the Lowland is based largely on the analysis of the pottery,
the most plentiful here, which is compared against the materials
from Jutland, and in part, also from the northern Elbe region. Primarily
on this evidence, but making use also of the chronologically diagnostic
forms recorded in association with this pottery – the rare objects
of a Celtic provenance and some of the Jastorf ornaments – we
can attempt to separate the older and the younger materials. The older
forms, datable to the close of the Early Pre-Roman Period, would include
two- and tripartite vases, wide-mouthed mugs and cups which
have correspondence with forms known from Jutland, assigned to
Becker phases Ib and II. Their characteristic feature is a thickened
and strongly folded out rim. Sometimes there may be a strap handle
and a zone of an archaic, finely engraved geometric decoration. These
forms are resembled also by large bowls with a wide, strongly folded
out, nearly vertical rim, storage vessels with several lugs, or with
a cordon set in the upper portion of the body, and jars which have
a tall neck separated from the broad lower body by a distinct set off,
decorated with deeply engraved designs, like in the “post-Hallstatt”
inventories (Fig. 4:1.3.5, 5:7, 7:5, 10:4). So far no early Jastorf materials
have been recorded in sites found in the eastern part of the Lowland.
A much larger group, noted also in the region to the east of the
Vistula, are pottery finds recognized as having a chronologically later
position, dated to the onset of the Later Pre-Roman Period. These
vessels have internally facetted rims and handles constricted in their
middle section. This younger pottery includes “tableware” – neckless
vases, mugs and large bowls with a folded out rim, but also, slender
basin-like forms with a well defined neck reminiscent of the inversely
pyriform vessels. On some of these wares, mostly vases, there
is a zone of a finely engraved geometric decoration, sometimes filled
with a pricked decoration, a feature which is encountered also on the
younger pottery from Jutland. The much smaller group of “kitchenware”
includes jars with a facetted rim and two constricted handles,
and jar-like storage vessels with finger-impressed cordon near the rim
(Fig. 5:6.8, 7:1, 11:6, 13:2.4.7.8).
The legitimacy of the division of the Jastorf pottery from the Lowland
into older and younger forms based on analogies from the northern
Jastorf zone would be validated by metal finds found in the same
context which are dated according to the system of chronological divisions developed for the La Tène Culture. The association of younger
Jastorf Culture vessels with brooches corresponding to Celtic brooches
from phase LTC1 should be stressed in this context. Of high importance
is also presence of similar pottery in Celtic settlements in Upper
Silesia, occupied mainly during LTC. The younger Jastorf pottery has
parallels in materials of the Przeworsk and the Poieneşti-Lukaševka
cultures. However, any dating made on this basis is imprecise because
it covers a period which corresponds to phases A1 and A2.
The absolute chronology of the Jastorf materials from the Lowland
can be determined only through synchronization with the current
system of dating the La Tène Culture. It has been concluded on
this basis that the older Jastorf finds from the close of the Early Pre-
Roman Period, ie, approximately from phase LTB2, may date to the late 4th century or the first half of the 3rd century BC. The much more
abundant younger materials, dated to the onset of the Late Pre-Roman
Period – phase A1, and presumably present also in phase A2, are likely to belong mostly in phase LTC1, i.e., the first half of the 3rd century
and the first decades of the 2nd century BC. The latest possible dating for Jastorf finds come from around half of the 1st century BC.
During the Pre-Roman Period there is a development in the Polish
Lowland of four large culture units – the “post-Hallstatt” Pomeranian-
Cloche Grave Culture, the even more archaic West Balt Barrow Culture,
the Latenized Przeworsk Culture, and the Oksywie Culture related to it. There is no evidence for any connection between the Pomeranian-
Cloche Grave and the Jastorf cultures. On the other hand, there is an evident similarity of the pottery, built structures and features of the burial rite shared by the Jastorf and the early Przeworsk cultures. More than once, the materials of these two units have surfaced in the same settlement and grave context. On the evidence of more precisely dated grave assemblages from phase A1, which corresponds to phase LTC2, the emergence of the Przeworsk Culture belongs in a period which followed the decline of the Jastorf settlement. Nevertheless, the latter unit did have some influence on the formation of the Przeworsk Culture.
The presence of Jastorf communities in the Lowland used to be
linked with the migration of the Germanic Bastarnae, who supposedly
moved through the Odra and the Vistula drainages in the 3rd century
making for the south-eastern regions. The result of this migration to
the present-day Romanian-Moldovan border would be the emergence
of the Poieneşti-Lukaševka Culture. It does not appear likely, despite
the similarity of the Jastorf and Poieneşti-Lukaševka inventories, that
the Jastorf communities of from the Polish Lowland played a part in
the emergence of the latter culture. It is more likely that the makers
of the Poieneşti-Lukaševka came from the parent territory of the Jastorf
Culture, this is suggested by the presence of many “Elbian” elements in the material culture.

An investigation into the nature and workings of the household in one part of northern Europe (in Western Denmark), focusing on the Early Iron Age (c 500 BC-AD 200), considering the household unit and its internal social relations. It includes an introduction to the geographical and archaeological context and the dataset, chapters on the nature of the household group and its relationship to the wider community, analysis of the structure and use of space within the Early Iron Age farmstead, the architecture of the longhouse, and the domestic space outside the house and depositional practices.

Review of settlements and settlement archaeology in Scandinavia with special focus on the Pre-Roman Iron Age. Settlement archaeology has taken different paths at
varying paces in different regions of southern Scandinavia.
Until recently houses of the Pre-Roman Iron Age
were only known in a few regions, but during the latter
two decades this picture has changed radically. The
emerging picture is that of diversity, although some trails
and tendencies are seen everywhere. First of all, the period
appears to be one of settlement expansion. Furthermore,
social inequality seems to be expressed through architecture
already from the start of the period, although it becomes more accentuated towards the end of it. The regionality
in house architecture and structure of the settlements
at large is another important facet of the material culture,
which may prove to be important when interpreting
the meaning of cultural contacts and social organization
of the Pre-Roman Iron Age.

The chronology and distribution of the lentil shaped shield buckle is discussed as well as the chronology and origin of the weaponry from the Hjortspring weapon deposit. Basing on recent finds from Scandinavia it is sugested that at least a part of the Hjortspring army could have come from the Scandinavian peninsula.

The paper revises the chronology of the weapon burials in Scandinavia in the light of the new Pre-Roman Iron Age chronology of Jutland suggested by the author in 1995 (see Praehistorische Zeitschrift vol. 71.2, 1996, pp. 217-243). This enables the author to split up the material into three chronological "waves" with different diagnostic types spreading from different centres. The meaning of the weapon burial rite is discussed and it is demonstrated that there is no direct link between weapons and other wealth indicating goods in the graves, neither between the equipment and the possible role the person played in actual warfare. The choice of equipment in the grave is a strictly ideological expression.

Paper presented at the Przeworsk conference september 21st-23th 1992 in Lublin. Since the discovery of the Kraghede site the Late Pre-Roman Iron Age of North Jutland has been assumed to have a special relationship with the Przeworsk culture of Central Poland. In this paper the local background is discussed and it is demonstratede that very little if any, even in the pottery style testifies a przeworsk influence in North Jutland. On the other hand it is pointed out that the pottery style of a site like Brzesc Kujawski in Central Poland could be interpreted as a result of influence from Jutland. Further the chronology of the Pre-Roman Iron Age in Jutland is discussed and it is suggested that the tree-phased Becker system should be replaced with a two-phased system dividing the period into an early and a late stage following the example of the modern chronology systems of North Germany.

The transition from the Early to the Late Pre-Roman Iron Age in Northern and Northern Central Europe is analyzed from the view point of the North Jutland cultural group. The archaeological record of the Late Pre-Roman Iron Age is compaired with the one from the preceeding period and the changes are being source critically analyzed. The phenomenon of the so-called latenization is described and discussed.

The here presented PhD project explores the phenomenon of cereal cultivation during the Iron Age (c. 500 BC – AD 1100) in southern Scandinavia. The main body of the thesis consists of four articles. These were written with the aim to identify chronological, geographical, theoretical and methodological gaps in current research, to develop, apply and evaluate approaches to how new knowledge on Iron Age cereal cultivation can be attained, and to assess the interaction between archaeobotany and other specialisms currently used in settlement archaeology. The introduction section of the thesis also contains a historical overview of archaeobotanical research on cereal cultivation in southern Scandinavia.

The first article is a compilation and summary of all available previously performed  archaeobotanical investigations in southern Sweden. This data is compared and discussed in relation to similar publications in Denmark and smaller scale compilations previously published in Sweden. The main result of the study is an updated and enhanced understanding of the main developments in the investigation area and a deepened knowledge of local development chronologies and trajectories in different parts of southern Sweden.

The second article is a methodological presentation of a multiproxy analysis combining plant macrofossil analysis, phosphate analysis, magnetic susceptibility analysis and measurement of soil organic matter by loss on ignition. The applicability of the method for identification and delineation of space functions on southern Scandinavian Iron Age sites is discussed and illustrated by two case studies from the Danish site of Gedved Vest. Particular focus is placed on exploration of the use of the functional analysis for assessment of taphonomic and operational contexts of carbonised plant macrofossil assemblages.

The third article aims at presenting an Iron Age cereal cultivation history for east-central Jutland, an area identified at the outset of the project as under-represented in archaeobotanical studies. The article combines data from depth analyses of material from the sites of Gedved Vest and Kristinebjerg Øst (analysed with the methods and theory presented in the second article) with a compilation of previously performed archaeobotanical analyses from east-central Jutland. The main results of the study are that developments in the study area appear to follow a chronology similar to that previously observed on Funen rather than the rest of the peninsula. Rye cultivation is furthermore discussed as more dynamic and flexible than previously presented in Scandinavian archaeobotanical literature.

The fourth and final article leaves archaeobotany as the main topic. It focuses instead on evaluating, theorising and expanding the multiproxy method presented in the second article by a thorough comparison of the botanical, geochemical and geophysical methods to other techniques of functional analysis currently used in archaeology. These techniques include studies of artefact distributions, assessments of spatial relations between settlement features, and studies of the structural details of dwellings and other constructions. The main result is that there is a correspondence between the functional indications provided by botanical, geochemical and geophysical methods and techniques used in mainstream archaeology. The comparison furthermore shows that a combination of the two data sets allows for more highly resolved functional interpretations than if they are used separately.

The main conclusion of the PhD thesis, based on the discussions in all four articles, is that archaeobotanical questions commonly necessitate the assessment of non-botanical archaeological material. The comparison of archaeobotanical data to other segments of the archaeological record does, however, enable the use of the former as an archaeological resource for addressing non-botanical questions. The increased understanding of (mainly settlement) site dynamics resulting from this integration of methods allows archaeobotanists to address increasingly complex botanical questions. Increased and more structured integration between archaeobotany and other specialisms operating within the framework of settlement archaeology is therefore argued to be the preferred approach to performing both high quality archaeobotany and settlement archaeology.

Taking the outset in two finds of bone points in Norway, the distribution and use of the artefact type is discussed. Points of bone and antler are frequent¬ly found at settlements and in wetlands in Northern Europe. However, the exact distribution of the artefact type is hard to determine because its modest design makes it easy to overlook. This is also the reason why it is usually looked upon as a sign of poverty and as second rate. It seems the artefact type had more than one area of use; as a tool, as an implement for fishing and hunting, and as a combat weapon. Concerning the latter, it is argued that the points of bone and antler were valued and efficient weapons that more likely served as spears rather than javelins. This is confirmed by ancient written sources.

In recent years there has been an increased focus on climatic event in archaeology, some using dramatic and extreme events as and explanation for major cultural changes. In this study a recent high-resolution climatic study is compared to the cultural development in North and Northern Central Europe, and it is concluded that the relation between climatic fluctuations and social stability is much more complex than just a simple cause-effect relation. In fact the major take out from the study is that the prehistoric societies in the studied region demonstrated a high level of resilience.

During the Late Bronze Age and Early Pre-Roman Iron Age the landscape of Northwestern Europe underwent great changes. The landscape was opened up and to a large extent parceled into extensive systems of fields, the hitherto scattered settlements were nucleated into village-like structures, and large linear structures that cut through the landscape appear to mark borders between territories. This process is particularly visible in Jutland, but does it apply to the rest of Denmark and Scandinavia? And if not, what are the reasons for these apparent differences?

In the autumn of 2015 an archaeological excavation was carried out at Gravråksmoen in connection with the re-regulation of the old Hofstad military facility in Melhus municipality, Sør-Trøndelag. During the excavation, an area covering 9787 m2 was investigated. 2193 structures were recorded, in which 913 were investigated. The excavation resulted in the identification of 8 prehistoric buildings, 2 phases of cultivation layers, 4 furnace structures as well as several fireplaces and cooking pits. 65 charcoal samples and 8 macrofossil samples were dated and the dates fell mainly within the Pre-Roman Iron Age. Activity in the Late Neolitihic was also observed.

The paper discusses the organization of the "barbaric" societies of Northern Europe, before the Roman attempt to conquer the area between the Rhine and the Elbe. The aim is to give an understable back ground for the Battle in the Teutoburger Forest AD 9.

The paper which goes back to a guest lecture at University of Warsaw in 1988, March 22nd, presents the eponym site of the so-called Kraghede-Culture or -Group. The locus classicus has never been published in extenso and this is the first time an attempt has been made to present the full contents of the individual graves. A brief history of research is scetched out as well as a discussion of the importance of the find and its cultural position, especially its assumed relation with the Przeworsk culture of Central Poland. Especially important is the discussion of grave A-1 which is usually perceived as a wagon-grave. It is demonstratede that this particular complex must be understood as a grave and a (sacrificial) pit from two different archaeological phases. Later works on the same subjects are Martens 1994: On the so-called Kraghede Group; Martens 1997: The Pre-Roman Iron Age in North Jutland; Martens 1998: Local Development or Foreign Influence; Martens 2000: Kraghede; Martens 2014: Jastorf and Jutland; Martens in print; The settlement pottery of the Kraghede Group

A presentation of the results of the reinvestigation of the prehistoric fortifications at Borremose, Jutland. The site is reinterpreted as a fortified village which most probably functioned as a central place for a larger region. A number of anomalies compared to "ordinary" contemporary settlements are discussed.

Under hösten 2018 genomfördes en 14C-analys av ben från fem av gravarna från gravfältet Västra Porten-Smällen, raä 22 i Ytterby socken, Bohuslän. Benen kom från Georg Sarauws arkeologiska undersökning av gravfältet år 1919. Utifrån gravmaterialet har gravarna tidigare daterats till övergången mellan brons- och järnålder, folkvandringstid samt vikingatid. 14C-analysen kunde visa att de två förstnämnda dateringarna stämde, men att den tredje graven istället härrörde från sen vendeltid. Ytterligare två gravar kunde dateras till denna period. Undersökningen har visat att gravfältet troligen expanderade under 600-talet e. Kr. då den intilliggande boplatsen övergavs.

While the development from the Late Bronze Age to the Late Pre-Roman Iron Age is generally undestood as unbroken and continuous in North Western Central Europe this is not the case in Northeastern Central Europe. The aim of this paper is to explore why the period is conceived so differently in the two adjacent areas.

On the re-introduction of weapon-furnished graves in Norway during the Pre-Roman Iron Age. The very slender material found so far is revised, and it is concluded that the weapon grave rite was even introduced in Norway during the Late Pre-Roman Iron Age. At the same time it is argued that weapon furnished graves were not the only kind of graves with signs of superior power at the time.

Phosphate mapping is a controversial issue within modern archaeology. The method is costly because a meaningful
result is depending on a large number of samples. Furthermore, the interpretation is strongly dependant on an "intelligible" relation between the phosphate pattern and the observed archaeological structures on the mapped site. It is therefore a risk that the interpreter may fall victim to circular argumentation. If a result is only accepted when it is confirming already known or expected patterns, then indeed the scientific value of the method may be questioned. To avoid making it trivial, it is important to present and discuss even the results of mappings that appear to be "failures". In the present paper some unexpected results from excavations in Denmark and Scania are presented. These examples serve as a basis for a critical discussion of the potential and limitations of the method of phosphate mapping, and some strategies to avoid circular argumentation arc pointed out.

The furnishing of a cremation burial from Råde, Østfold, Eastern Norway is revisited and reinterpreted. In spite of many previous publications it has escaped notice that the find includes fragments of a bronze neck ring with terminals shaped as antistetic birds. The grave dates from the Late Pre-Roman Iron Age and the paper goes on to examine the use of zoomorphic ornaments in this period demonstrating that it apparently is connected with a chronologically narrow horizon approximately contemporary with LaTene D1 (in local terms the transition from phase IIA to phase IIB) and the re-appearance of well furnished graves. The paper finishes with an attempt to interpret the use/meaning of the zoomorphic objects.

The Brændgaards Hede settlement site was discovered in 2008. The site was previously known from Gudmund Hatt's registrations of ancient field systems. The new investigations have unveiled an ealry Pre-Roman settlement contemporary to the field system. It is quite extraordinary in Danish archaeological context, since all evidence points towards that the Brændgaards Hede settlement was fortified by means of a system of small open pits. In the last decade this kind of fortification has been found in increasing numbers. In most cases they are found with no connection to settlement whatsoever. The exact function of these so-called "hulbælter" or pit zone systems is still debated. The Brændgaards Hede excavation offers new perspectives to this discussion.

This paper sets out to address some of the organizing principles behind the Pre-Roman Iron Age settlement at Hofstad in Melhus, Trøndelag, as reflected in house layout and function. Of particular interest is the observed variations in house size and layout which are considered in terms of both economic and social factors. Among the eight houses, special attention is paid to house II, built in order to facilitate two households. A central feature of the house was the large byre with stall partitions, placed at the centre of the house, with the two dwelling sections located at each end. The authors argue in favour of at least two co-existing settlement units of equal status in the area. Most likely, these separate units also co-operated in carrying out various tasks. The centrally placed byre in house II would have restricted the expansion of these two households, thus maintaing the economic balance between the households at the site. The need for such regulation suggests a growing social competition in the area. It is suggested that these changes should be seen against the backdrop of an increase in both agricultural production and settlement stability c. 200 BC.

The settlement pottery of the Early part of the Late Pre-Roman Iron Age (phase IIA) in Northern Jutland is described and depicted in detail (27 plates) and it is compared to the pottery found in comtemporary graves, as well as to the pottery of the Przeworsk culture.

The history of research of the Kraghede group and its alleged special cultural position is briefly sketched out as well as the extent and dating of the cultural group. The chronological development of the Pre-Roman Iron Age pottery is lined out and the major types of settlement pottery from the period are presented. Finally the pottery from the two burnt down houses at locus classicus are presented before a comparison is made between the type-sequence of pottery from settlements and graves

Taking the outset in two finds of bone points in Norway, the distribution and use of the artefact type is discussed. Points of bone and antler are frequently found at settlements and in wetlands in Northern Europe. However, the exact distribution of the artefact type is hard to determine because its modest design makes it easy to overlook. This is also the reason why it is usually looked upon as a sign of poverty and as second rate. It seems the artefact type had more than one area of use; as a tool, as an implement for fishing and hunting, and as a combat weapon. Concerning the latter, it is argued that the points of bone and antler were valued and efficient weapons that more likely served as spears rather than javelins. This is confirmed by ancient written sources.

The famous fortified site in Borremose, North Jutland was excavated by Johannes Brøndsted and Peter V. Glob from 1929 to 1945 and in addition an extensive programme of geobotanical investigations were carried out in the surrounding fen. The vast material and documentation has been reexamined and it is demonstrated that the site has to be reinterpreted. While the excavators originally saw it as a refuge later followed by a village without defences it can now be demonstrated that the two elements were contemporary. We may therefoe speak of a fortified settlement - the first of its kind to be recongnized in Danish prehistory. The site was in use from Early Period II to late Period IIIa according to C. J. Beckers chronology. This paper was written before and as a prelude to the reinvestigations at locus classicus. These investigations lead to important changes in the interpretation of the site. See Martens 1991, 1994, 2003, 2006, 2010.

In spite of a long tradition for interdisciplinary cooperation Scanian archaeology has not really come to grips with the agricultural system of the Early Iron Age. Although a fossile Iron Age field system was discovered as early as in 1936 this has not lead to further discoveries. This paper presents the first systematic study of vertical photographies of the area, and it points at several possible, but worn down systems along the Scanian West Coast. Further more an attempt is made at linking the sites with known Late Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements and an estimate is made of how large an area that was under cultivation at one time.

Periodical presenting studies based on MA-thesis' from the Institute of Prehistoric archaeology at University of Aarhus. With contributions from Torben B. Ballin, Kirsten Prangsgaard, Claus Kjeld Jensen, Ken Ravn Hedegaard, and Mads Ravn. Subjects ranging from flint refitting and mesolithic pottery to Pre-Roman Iron Age Chronology, Viking Age bronze casting, ethnographic theory in archaeology, and book reviews.

Poster presented at the 11th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection, 15-18 September 2015, Warsaw

How can topsoil magnetic susceptibility and fluxgate gradiometer surveys be used to locate, delimit and characterize iron production sites?

While Celtic fields are well known from Denmark this is not the case on mainland Sweden. In an attempt to test whether the absense is reflecting a real historic situation or simply a lack of research three potential scanian sites are investigated.

The paper deals with the history of research of prehistoric settlements and houses in Scania. The two current attempts at establishing an independant Scanian chronology based on house-typology is critically reviewed and it is argued that its a priori assumption becomes its conclusion without being put to a test. The material does not support a unilinear development of house types but rather support the idea of several lines of development. The issue of 14C-dating houses is being critically discussed. Further more the settlement organization of Southeastern Scandinavia is discussed and it is demonstrated that "villages" or nucleated settlements existed even in Scania as early as during the Early Iron Age.

In the 1950´s an investigation was made of the grave Skebbas rör and another, smaller adjacent cairn in Lörby skog, Lister in western Blekinge, Sweden. Through a new review several previously not reported observations were made. The grave had an inner construction of a spiral row of stones, and the buried individual lived during the Pre-roman Iron Age and had damage to the skull that may have been the cause of death. The article was published in Ale, a journal for the history of the provinces of Skåne, Halland and Blekinge. Language swedish. Ale 2021 nr 1.