AmS-Varia 60 Arkeologisk museum, Universitetet i Stavanger Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger Constructing identities Structure and practice in the Early Bronze Age – Southwest Norway Knut Ivar Austvoll Stavanger 2019 AmS-Varia 60 Arkeologisk museum, Universitetet i Stavanger Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger Redaksjon/Editorial office: Arkeologisk museum, Universitetet i Stavanger Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger Redaktør av serien/Editor of the series: Kristin Armstrong Oma Redaktør av dette volumet/Editors of this volume: Kristin Armstrong Oma og/and Lisbeth Prøsch-Danielsen Formgiving/Layout: Ingund Svendsen Redaksjonsutvalg/Editorial board: Kristin Armstrong Oma (leder/chief editor) Wenche Brun Lisbeth Prøsch-Danielsen Ingund Svendsen Linn Lillian Eikje Ramberg Utgiver/Publisher: Arkeologisk museum, Universitetet i Stavanger Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger N-4036 Stavanger, Norway Tel.: (+47) 51 83 26 00 E-mail: [email protected] arkeologisk.museum.no ISSN 0332-6306 ISBN 978-82-7760-184-7 Opplag/Printed editions: 200 Stavanger 2019 © Arkeologisk museum, Universitetet i Stavanger. Alt innhold er opphavsrettslig beskyttet. Gjengivelse eller formidling av hele eller deler av denne boken, elektronisk, mekanisk eller annen metode kjent eller senere utviklet, er ikke tillatt uten skriftlig tillatelse fra forlaget. Dette inkluderer fotokopi, opptak, lydopptak, eller i lagrings- og gjenfinningssystemer. © Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Forsidefoto/Front cover photo: Terje Tveit. Regehaugen in Sola. Baksidefoto/Back cover photo: Terje Tveit. Lønshaug in Randaberg. Omslagsdesign/Cover design: Ingund Svendsen Abstract Austvoll, K. I. 2019. Constructing identities. Structure and practice in the Early Bronze Age – Southwest Norway. AmS-Varia 60, 80 pp. Stavanger. ISSN 0332-6306, ISBN 978-82-7760-184-7. This book explores the construction of regional identities in the Early Bronze Age through the temporal variation in burial practice in Southwest Norway. Earthen barrows from the regions Etne, Karmøy, Jæren, and Lista are used as the archaeological source for this study. How historically constituted structures together with external practice form part of an open-ended process of identity construction is investigated. Previous research has often used a set, rigid definition of identity, and earthen barrows along the coast of Southwest Norway have therefore frequently been portrayed as part of a southern Scandinavian culture. These perceptions are not necessarily wrong, but neglect the complicated processes that give rise to groups. In this study it is argued that patterns found in the material remains, both unintentional and intentional, express regional variation. Through a quantitative methodology based on a selection of focus points and spatial analysis in ArcGIS the multifaceted process behind identity construction is showcased. As a result, the southwest coast of Norway during the Early Bronze Age can be seen as a more complex and dynamic region. Although many similarities between regions are shared, they are also clearly divided and competitive. Knut Ivar Austvoll, Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo, Blindernveien 11, 0315 OSLO, NORWAY E-mail: [email protected] Keywords: Early Bronze Age, group organisation, boundary maintenance, identity construction, burial mounds, sociopolitical organisation, Southwest Norway. Content Preface ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 7 2. Burial mounds and ‘identity’ in a research historical narrative ............................................... 9 2.1 The establishment of a Bronze Age in Southwest Norway .......................................... 9 2.2 Burial mounds, identity and Norwegian Bronze Age research .................................... 10 2.3 Conceptualizing the burial mound ..................................................................................... 11 2.4 The mound in a maritime perspective ............................................................................ 12 2.5 The Southwest Norwegian Bronze Age in a wider context ........................................ 13 2.6 Summary and preliminary outlook .................................................................................. 14 3. ‘Identity’ as a theoretical and methodological framework ........................................................ 15 3.1 Defining identity .................................................................................................................... 15 3.2. Towards a theory of practice ............................................................................................. 16 3.3 Applying a theory of practice .............................................................................................. 18 3.3.1 The data ...................................................................................................................... 18 3.3.2 Structure of analysis ................................................................................................. 19 4. A brief regional overview of Southwest Norway ............................................................................. 21 4.1 The burial mound – a short presentation ....................................................................... 21 4.2 Etne .......................................................................................................................................... 21 4.3 Karmøy .................................................................................................................................... 21 4.4 Jæren ......................................................................................................................................... 22 4.5 Lista .......................................................................................................................................... 22 5. The archaeological data – the burial mounds ................................................................................ 23 5.1 Etne .......................................................................................................................................... 23 5.2 Karmøy .................................................................................................................................... 24 5.3 Jæren ......................................................................................................................................... 29 5.4 Lista in Farsund ..................................................................................................................... 35 6. Structuring the archaeological data ................................................................................................... 39 6.1 Landscape ............................................................................................................................... 39 6.2 Burial construction ................................................................................................................ 43 6.3 Cairns ...................................................................................................................................... 44 6.4 Treatment of the deceased ................................................................................................. 46 6.5 Gender categorisation .......................................................................................................... 47 6.6 Artefacts .................................................................................................................................. 48 6.7 Summary and preliminary results ...................................................................................... 48 7. Constructing identities .......................................................................................................................... 51 7.1 Theoretical ideas on social identificationn........................................................................ 52 7.2 A practical outline on social identification ...................................................................... 54 7.2.1 The female traveller – Period II .............................................................................. 54 7.2.2 The male traveller – Period III ............................................................................... 55 7.2.3 The multispatial cairn ................................................................................................ 57 7.3 Re-considering social structures in the Early Bronze Age ........................................... 58 7.4 Concluding remarks .............................................................................................................. 59 References ....................................................................................................................................................... 60 Endnotes