Repeating boundaries – repertoires of landscape regulations in southern Scandinavia in the Late Bronze Age and Pre-Roman Iron Age

Abstract

Towards the end of the Late Bronze Age, linear boundaries such as enclosed farmsteads, field divisions, and pit zone alignments emerged and gradually permeated the landscapes of southern Scandinavia on multiple scales. This article suggests the concept of a ‘repertoire’ as a way of approaching this phenomenon. The repertoire consisted of different topological operations (e.g. plot definition, demarcation, and enclosure), constructed by different materials (e.g. fences, pit zones, and earthen banks) on different scales (e.g. farmstead, settlement, and landscape). Such linear boundaries were applied as technological solutions to the new social and economic problems that occurred at this time in prehistory. A number of chronological and regional preferences can be demonstrated within this repertoire, and during the Late Bronze Age and Pre-Roman Iron Age, a range of new applications and combinations were developed in a creative exploration of the repertoire of linear boundaries.