Casting Identities in Central Seclusion Aspects of non-ferrous metalworking and society on Gotland in the Early Medieval Period Ny Björn Gustafsson Doctoral Thesis in Archaeological Science 2013 Stockholm University Abstract Gustafsson, N. B. 2013. Casting Identities in Central Seclusion. Aspects of Non-ferrous Metalworking on Gotland in the Early Medieval Period. Theses and Papers in Scientific Archaeology 15. The aim of this thesis has been to investigate and interpret late Iron Age and Early Medieval traces of non-ferrous metalworking on the island Gotland, Sweden. Gotland was not, based on the archaeological record, an integrated part of the common Scandinavian culture. Instead a local, endemic cultural expression had developed; a seclusion which lasted for centuries despite the islands central position in the Baltic Sea. In the past, key elements for the understanding of local settlement- and burial practices as well as the local material culture were mainly recovered and reported by local farmers. A specific category of such finds – so- called ‘bronze slag’ is discussed and partly reinterpreted in the first study of this thesis. Two further studies treat different aspects of metalworking and metalworkers – one discusses common archaeological notions of Scandinavian workshops, production sites and metalworkers from a critical perspective while the other mainly focuses on the Gotlandic finds from metal-detector surveys carried out over the last 35 years. Based on where and to which extent, both from a quantitative and a qualitative point of view, these finds occur a hierarchical classification into four sub groups is presented – ordinary farm sites with traces of non-ferrous metalworking, workshop sites, potential workshop sites and last, extrovert harbour settlements. A fourth study presents an attempt to evaluate the usefulness of magnetometry in delimiting extant traces of high-temperature crafts, such as metalworking. The last study of the thesis presents an attempt to use trace elements analysis of skeletal lead in human bone to identify potential non-ferrous metalworkers. As the wearing of endemic Gotlandic jewellery appears to have been central in the manifestation of the local identity it is argued that the metalworking artisans played a crucial role in defining how this identity was signalled and displayed via the jewellery and dress- related metal objects. It is further suggested that these artisans might have played an important role in upholding the local economy before the advent of local minting. Keywords: Archaeometallurgy, Non-ferrous, Archaeological prospection, Metal detection, Geophysical survey, Sweden, Magnetometry, Gotland, Iron Age, Viking Period, Silver economy, Identity. © Ny Björn Gustafsson, Stockholm 2013 ISSN 1400-7835 ISBN 978-91-7447-804-4 Printed in Sweden by Universitetsservice US-AB, Stockholm 2013 Distributor: Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University Cover image: Experimental casting in Lejre, Denmark 2006. Photo: Erika Åberg. To Valdar, Helmi and Erika Acknowledgements In the autumn of 1997 I was fresh back in Sweden and stood by a crossroad in life. Up until then I had tried my luck in a broad range of careers. I had been a desperately ill-suited petty officer and an almost as meritless farm hand and I had worked as a keeper in various zoological gardens. This had been supplemented by halfhearted studies in marine biology on a basic level. All this was nice, but not spot-on. Then my mother told me about a course in archaeology and heritage management at Biskops- Arnö folk college west of Stockholm. I went ahead and spent a semester there, a decision I have never regretted. A dynamic troika consisting of Anders Carlsson, Niklas Stenbäck and Martina Franke taught us about past eras in a manner which was personal, professional and refreshingly subjective. I had by then been partaking in various Medieval and Viking Period re-enactments and living history events for almost a decade, but it was my time at Biskops-Arnö that got me irreversibly hooked on archaeology, or rather opened up my eyes to the fact that archaeology can include so much. I had found a discipline in which all aspects of life could be reflected upon and considered. Some might see me as a possessed workaholic, but I don’t mind in particular. From my horizon most things can simply be dealt with archaeologically! This thesis comprices seven years of thoughts and observations; it focuses on Gotland and I have tried to include as many aspects as possible. This is hard, not to say impossible to do on one’s own, and for the last five years I have been blessed with the opportunity to study and work at one of the finest interdisciplinary archaeological research facilities in Scandinavia, the Archaeological Research Laboratory, which is also the base for a number brilliant researchers like my supervisor Lena Holmquist as well as Sven Isaksson, Gunilla Eriksson, Anders Götherström, Birgit Arrhenius and the head of Department, Kerstin Lidén. Further, my fellow PhD-students of past and present – Hans Ahlgren, Christos Economou, Rachel Howcraft, Joakim Schultzén and my desk-neighbour for four years Elin Fornander as well as the non-magnetic Andreas Viberg, to mention just a few. The Lab would most certainly grind to a halt if it was not for the technical staff: Mikael Lundin and Malgorzata Wojnar-Johansson, the nave around which the Lab revolves. And last, but not least the formidable Margaretha Klockhoff, metal conservator Emerita Absoluta – a true finds enthusiast! As the Lab is a division of the Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies I also would like to direct a wave of gratitude towards the staffs and students at the sections of Archaeology, Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, the Osteoarchaeological Research Laboratory and the Stockholm Numismatic Institute; you are all crucial parts in what makes Archaeology at Stockholm University interesting and dynamic, year after year. Special and heartfelt thanks is directed at Kenneth Jonsson of the Numismatic Institute (for providing an endless supply of reports and thoughts on the relation between ancient Gotlanders and their silver) and towards Jan Storå and Anna Kjellström of the Osteoarchaeological lab (for many good discussions on bones and their original owners). Gotlandic finds are mainly kept at the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm and Gotland County Museum in Visby. I have had the opportunity to work for them both over the years, but besides that I have also been granted more or less unlimited access to the finds of my choice. I would thus like to express my gratitude towards the staffs of both museums. In Stockholm, Eva Vedin and Jessica Hedenskog have been ever-patient despite my often quite unspecific desire to trace obscure finds and Charlotte Hedenstierna Jonson has been my enthusiastic companion for many planned and unplanned sessions in the finds storages as well as contributing many wisdoms on The Art of Writing a Doctoral Thesis. In Visby, Jenny Örjestad has been a rock-solid support and an infallible provider of accommodation in Visby. The latter also applies for Laila Kitzler-Åfeldt who, besides that, has been a true resource in my attempts to harness the wonders of 3-D scanning. Another person of great importance is Anders Söderberg, probably the most knowledgeable traditional caster in Sweden and a true expert on technical ceramics. Sven Kalmring and Antje Wendt have never failed to offer good and vital points on most things Viking. Further, Gustaf Trotzig has been a perennial support over the years, as has my excellent technical supervisor Justine Bayley. Additionally, working with finds from Gotlandic sites would have been impossible without the aid and knowledge of Majvor Östergren, Dan Carlsson and Lena Thunmark-Nylén, who have all generously shared observations and experiences from deacades of Gotlandic archaeology. Another importat part of the Gotlandic heritage management, but of more recent years is Jonas Paulsson, wizard of metal-detecting and an ever resourceful force of nature on tiled ground. As an archaeologist it is also crucial to be granted access to sites for surveys and excavation and for this I direct a special thought to the landowners and locals I have had the pleasure to interact with over the years. The same goes for those, like Tove Swenson, who have actively aided me in these ramblings through the Gotlandic underbrush. Even though this thesis is mainly about finds and contexts it would have been very thin if it had not been for the Antiquarian Topographical Archives in Stockholm and its exelent staff, notably Catrin Rigefalk, Ylva Larsson and Karin Larsson who have quite literally provided me with tonnes of archival material on Gotlandic heritage management. Alas, it is an indisputable fact that a human life is short. Hence some of the people who actively inspired me over the years are no longer with us – Inger and Sven Österholm, Tomas Johansson, to mention three. Without you my life would most probably have taken a different and less interesting course. This also applies to Torgny O. Andersson, a man I only met on a couple of occasions but whose legacy as a surveyor of over-ploughed heritage sites is most probably unrivalled in Sweden. Over the years I have been lucky to received financial support from a number of trusts and research foundations, a fact for which I am truly grateful – these are the Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation, the Berit Wallenberg Foundation, the Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, Jernkontoret, the Längmanska Culture Foundation, the Greta Arwidsson Foundation and the Swedish Antiquarian Society. Means for printing this thesis was provided by Wilhelmina von Hallwyl’s Foundation for Gotlandic research and the DBW Foundation. Regardless of all this, nothing would have happened without the patience and support of my family – thank you endlessly! List of papers I. Gustafsson, N.