Abstract
The graves in the interior of central Norrland in northern Sweden exhibit a wide range of forms throughout the Iron Age. Burial mounds and stonesettings of various forms also occur in different environmental contexts. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the spatial and cultural significance of the Iron Age graves in the provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen. The point at issue is what the distribution of so-called lake graves and burial mounds represent with respect to the general discussion of archaeological regions and cultural traditions. It is here suggested that the concept of region, when it is applied to material culture, represents one of the many aspects of cultural configurations, but as we are dealing here with a longterm perspective the cultural world is continuously in motion, which makes regional boundaries hard to grasp.
Highlights
Archaeological regions have long been central to the discussion of how we interpret the spatial distribution of the archaeological material, but what is a region and what is characteristic of its existence? The regional concept has during the 20'" century become the very essence of geographical philosophy, but it is important to note that the concept has been approached differently from time to time and that there are various kinds of regions to take into account (Helmfrid 1969)
With reference to the Roman author Procopius, Ramqvist argues that "the number of areas archaeologically corresponds exactly with what Procopius tells us about Thule, namely that this part of the ancient world was inhabited by thirteen more densely populated tribes, each led by a king" (Ramqvist 1991:306).Åke Hyenstrand has outlined a similar hypothesis, namely that archaeological regions correspond very well with the distribution of the Iron Age
It has often been suggested that the tradition ofbuilding lake graves and burial mounds in the western part of Jämtland/Härjedalen can be considered as the result of colonisation by traders, possibly from Svealand in central Sweden, from Trendelag, or from the Norrlandic coast (e.g., Arne 1926; Hallström 1945; Liedgren 1987; Serning 1962, 1966)
Summary
The graves in the interior of central Norrland in northern Sweden exhibit a wide range of forms throughout the Iron Age. Burial mounds and stonesettings of various forms occur in different environmental contexts. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the spatial and cultural significance of the Iron Age graves in the provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen. The point at issue is what the distribution of so-called lake graves and burial mounds represent with respect to the general discussion of archaeological regions and cultural traditions. It is here suggested that the concept of region, when it is applied to material culture, represents one of the many aspects of cultural configurations, but as we are dealing here with a longterm perspective the cultural world is continuously in motion, which makes regional boundaries hard to grasp.
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