Author: Alison Klevnäs

Vendel: new paper on the disturbance of the famous boat-grave cemetery in central Sweden

Alison Klevnäs

Klevnäs, A. 2015. Abandon Ship! Digging out the Dead from the Vendel Boat-Graves. Norwegian Archaeological Review, 48(1), 1-20.

Abstract:

The boat-grave cemetery at Vendel, Uppland, is one of the iconic sites of first-millennium Sweden. The high-status grave-goods and weaponry have been widely displayed and studied since their discovery over 130 years ago. Yet it is rarely mentioned that the burial ground had been almost completely ransacked long before archaeologists stepped in. The celebrated finds are only a fraction of the wealth that was originally buried at the site.

This is the first evaluation of the evidence of disturbance from Vendel since the excavations in the late 19th century. The ancient re-opening of the graves is reconstructed through the letters and diaries of the excavator, Hjalmar Stolpe, as well as the various preliminary and final reports. Evidence is presented that the main parts of the burials, notably the human bones, were systematically dug out of nearly every grave and removed from the site. The reopening probably took place during the Christianization period, before or during the construction of the nearby church in the 13th century. This is an example of the widespread reworking of monuments at this time, specifically highlighting the significance accorded to buried human remains.

Welcome to the Grave Reopening Research (GRR) website

Alison Klevnäs

GRR is a network of archaeologists who investigate grave disturbance. Current members are Edeltraud Aspöck, Alison Klevnäs, Martine van Haperen, Astrid Noterman, and Stephanie Zintl. We share an interest in grave disturbance in the provinces of early medieval Europe, but also work on grave robbery, reopening, and related practices in other periods and places. GRR is a platform for joint publications, projects, and events. We use this website to highlight our upcoming presentations and publications.

Please contact us if you have a question about archaeological reopening. We’re particularly keen to hear about new excavations of early medieval robbed burials – please do get in touch if you find evidence that looks like ancient reopening.

See below for our latest news.

EAA 2014

Alison Klevnäs

Dr Alison Klevnäs is co-organizing a session at the 20th Annual Meeting of European Association of Archaeologists in Istanbul in September 2014, with Dr Isabelle Vella Gregory and Dr Sheila Kohring from the University of Cambridge.

Session T03S017: The material agent in technological processes

‘The embeddedness of technology in society is, by now, well established. However, what of materials themselves? Traditionally, materials were considered the defining features of technologies and even of human epochs. Yet paradoxically, they were seen only as passively manipulated within the technological process, with the ‘product’ or ‘artefact’ as the conceptualized outcome. Recent cross-disciplinary approaches renewing our interest in technologies have demonstrated its inextricable social role and it is time to take a closer look at the ways in which materials themselves facilitate and shape technological practices, processes, and social relations. This session explores the social relations of technologies by forefronting materials as active agents in shaping the objects, ideas, and organizing principles of the communities which use them. Questions of procurement, materializing practices, re-use, contact, creativity, and social boundaries are all areas to be explored. We welcome papers on a broad range of materials and periods.’

We’re looking forward to hearing lots of great papers from a wide variety of periods and places!

Alison’s paper develops of some of the ideas which came out of her research into early medieval grave disturbance: ‘Inalienable materials and ephemeral forms in early medieval craft production‘.