The Stone Cist Phenomenon A study of stone cists on the island of Gotland and their role in the late Neolithic - early Bronze Age society University of Gotland 2011 / 2012 Masters essay Author : Alexander Sjöstrand School of Culture, Energy and Enviroment Department of Archaeology and Osteology Supervisors: Paul Wallin Sabine Sten 1 Abstract Hällkistfenomenet Magisteruppsats av Alexander Sjöstrand. Högskolan på Gotland. Institutionen för kultur, energi och miljö. Avdelningen för arkeologi och osteologi. Denna magisteruppsats behandlar hällkistor under senneolitikum och äldre bronsålder på Gotland. Frågeställningar kring hällkistans betydelse i samhället under denna tid diskuteras, samt om det är möjligt att producera en kategorisering av hällkistor. Hällkistan har varit en viktig del i det senneolitiska - äldre bronsålders samhället, utifrån dessa går det identifiera ett agrikulturellt starkt hierarkiskt samhälle med indikationer på ett maktcenter i väst nordvästra kustregionen av ön. Kategorisering av hällkistor har visat olika särdrag hos hällkistor, vilka involverar individantal, lokalisering samt ytterligare anläggningar anslutna till hällkistan. En osteologisk analys har även utförts på skelettmaterialet hällkistan, Alskog 48:1 med frågor kring individantal, kön och ålderfördelning. Samt frågor kring datering på hällkistan och dess konstruktion. Benmaterialet presenterade 26 individer, i motsats till de 15 individer som initialt antagits funnits, av dessa fanns individer i alla åldrar. Både män och kvinnor identifierades, med en liten majoritet av män. Hällkistan i fråga som är en naturlig taklös grotta, naturlig kista, enligt de kriterier som använts kan denna konstruktion anses vara en hällkista och ingen annan typ av konstruktion. Nyckelord: Gotland, hällkistor, senneolitikum, äldre bronsålder. The Stone Cist Phenomenon Masters essay by Alexander Sjöstrand. Gotland University. Institution for Culture, Energy and Environment. Department for archaeology and osteology. This masters essay studies the stone cist phenomenon during the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age on the island of Gotland. The aim of the study is to understand the importance of the stone cist in society during this period, as well as attempting to categorize the stone cists located on the island. It can be argued that society during this period was a agricultural, highly hierarchical society with indications of a power center at the west northwestern parts of the island. Stone cists can be seen having different contexts involving number of individuals, location and features connected to the cist. An osteological study has also been performed on the skeletal material from the stone cist Alskog 48:1, with the aim of getting further knowledge regarding number of individuals and the age and sex distribution of those individuals. As well as questions regarding the stone cist construction and dating. The bone material presented 26 individuals, contrary to the 15 individuals which was initially identified during the excavation. These 26 individuals were of all ages, both male and female, with a slight majority of males. The stone cist which is a natural roofless cave, a natural cist, can according to the criteria defining a stone cist, be regarded as a stone cist and not another construction. Keywords. Gotland, stone cist, late Neolithic, early Bronze Age. Cover Photo: Stone cist at Kräklingbo (Photo P. Wallin). 2 Contents Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Aim and purpose ................................................................................................................................... 7 Methods .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Demarcation .......................................................................................................................................... 8 Evaluation of the sources .................................................................................................................... 8 Material ................................................................................................................................................... 9 Archaeological material ................................................................................................................... 9 Osteological material ........................................................................................................................ 9 Earlier research ................................................................................................................................... 10 Alskog 48:1 ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Alskog 192:1 .................................................................................................................................... 12 Bunge 70:1 ...................................................................................................................................... 12 Burs 9:1 ............................................................................................................................................ 12 Vallstena 73:1 .................................................................................................................................. 13 Lärbro 172:1 .................................................................................................................................... 13 Rone 288:1 ...................................................................................................................................... 13 Kräklingbo 12:1 ............................................................................................................................... 14 Väskinde 129:1 ............................................................................................................................... 14 Inventory of additional stone cists ................................................................................................ 14 A case study: Alskog 48:1. Stone cist and collective burial...? .................................................... 18 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 18 Material ............................................................................................................................................. 19 Background ...................................................................................................................................... 19 Mentions of the burial ..................................................................................................................... 19 Criticism of the sources ................................................................................................................. 20 Demarcation .................................................................................................................................... 20 Methods ............................................................................................................................................ 20 Results .................................................................................................................................................. 22 Osteological results, Alskog 48:1 ................................................................................................. 22 MNI .................................................................................................................................................... 23 Age .................................................................................................................................................... 23 Sex .................................................................................................................................................... 23 3 Pathologies ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Animals ............................................................................................................................................. 24 Artifacts ............................................................................................................................................ 24 Archaeological results ........................................................................................................................ 25 Stone cist size ................................................................................................................................. 28 Feature size ..................................................................................................................................... 31 Stone cist orientation ...................................................................................................................... 31 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................ 32 Alskog 48:1 .....................................................................................................................................