Fornborgen som boplats : det deponerade materialet berättar

Sammanfattning

The Ölandic ringforts are a mystery that is yet to be understood. The goal of this thesis has therefore been to get a better understanding of these buildings and to test the hypothesis that depositions can help to understand to what extent ringforts can be interpreted as settlements. Through a comparative literature study, research of depositions in Eketorps ringfort, Ismantorps ringfort, Sandby borgs ringfort, and Bo and Gamla Skogsby on Öland has been made. The material distribution of the finds has shown to be complex, but a difference can be seen in connection to the abandonment of the buildings and that placements have been made in the centre of the ringforts. The ringforts have therefore been interpreted as public places of residence in different degrees with buildings that symbolises the local community, whereas the settlement only represents a person or a family. The study has also shown the importance of studying buildings in their entirety, a variety of problems with depositions and that more research is needed to further expand our knowledge in this subject.