På fast grund: Om det äldsta stenkyrkobyggandet i Sigtuna

On solid foundation About the building of stone churches in the 12th century Sigtuna By Sten Tesch This study deals with the least known and discussed part of the church – the foundation wall. The discussion is about how to use the construction of the foundation wall as a means to separate the absolutely oldest romanesque churches from the others. In Sigtuna at least six stone churches were built in a very short period beginning around AD 1100. These are some of the oldest stone churches in Sweden. Small research excavations in connection with two of the churches have revealed that the upper parts of the foundation walls were partly walled with mortar. The evidence from the ruin church of S. Olof has been especially rewarding. Walls from a possible church or a part of a church older than the visible ruin was found inside. Both buildings had partly solid foundation walls. This method is in Scandinavia supposed to have been used only when the earliest stone churches were built. The use of solid foundation walls was soon abandoned in favour of foundations built up without mortar. This study also describes the development from Christian graveyards (sv. gravgårdar) to Romanesque churches in a sacred townscape. Almost from the beginning Sigtuna stands out as an out-and-out Christian place, where the elite could demonstrate a Christian identity. An almost continuous chain of graveyards, where people are buried according to Christian ritual, surrounds the settlement area. So far there are no traces of wooden churches, only secondary indications. A diocese, the first in the region, was established in Sigtuna c.1060 by the archbishop of Hamburg- Bremen. A cathedral was built in the middle of the town. All other churches were built along a new street, parallell and North to the main street Stora Gatan, and in the same area as the graveyards. The church topography reflects an intention to create a sacred townscape for ecclesiastical processions. It also reflects the idea of the holy and heavenly city. The last time a Sigtuna bishop is mentioned is in 1134. The Sigtuna bishopric must have ceased before 1164, when the bishopric in Old Uppsala became the archbishopric of Sweden. But Sigtuna remained an important ecclesiastical centre. In c.1215 the Pope gave the Church permission to move the archbishopric from Old Uppsala to Sigtuna, but the transfer was for unknown reasons never made. Two or three of the romanesque churches were demolished already in the the late 13th century due to the organisation of parishes in the Lake Mälaren region. The others were abandoned after the Reformation in the first half of the 16th century. Three of the churches now stand as ruins, the other three are only preserved as foundation walls below ground

Sigtuna ca. 980-1200 - det maktpolitiska och sakrala stadsrummet

publishedVersio

Ystad 1

The aim of the project: This report on the situation of urban archaeology in Ystad is written as part of the project The Medieval Town: Implications of Early Urbanization for Modem Planning, under the auspices of Riksantikvarieämbetet and Statens historiska museer. The aim of the project is to make a detailed survey and documentation of the situation of urban archaeology and its implications for physical planning and make a scholarly evaluation of the uncovered material. The project deals mainly with those places which obtained sense during the Middle Ages. The arrangement of the report: Chapters 1 and 2 give an account of a number of data which in various ways are important for the early development of the town. The information is collected from available literature (mainly as regards documentary material) as well as from primary material in the archives (archaeological data, records from borings). In the firstmentioned case no attempt has been made to correct possible faults through independent research. As regards the archaeological material, the aim has been to include all archaeological observations, even if for different reasons this has not always been possible. One important aim during work on the report has been to appraise and evaluate the archaeological material and to what extent it throws light on essential problems concerning urban history. The basic idea is that archaeological material can provide information about chronology, function, social structure and economic bases. The material has been arranged on the assumption that the form of settlement which took place and is reflected in the archaeological material is the result of a functional adaption to certain decisive prerequisites such as topography, communications, and economical-geographical conditions. The data have been chosen and structured on this basis. The selection gives both a general view of the available material concerning the development of the medieval town and a basis for further work on this material. This in turn will provide a foundation for the antiquarian evaluation in relation to future work. The English summary gives a broad outline of the contents, mainly based on the maps of the report. [...]I källan: Ystad I</p

Ystad 1

The aim of the project: This report on the situation of urban archaeology in Ystad is written as part of the project The Medieval Town: Implications of Early Urbanization for Modem Planning, under the auspices of Riksantikvarieämbetet and Statens historiska museer. The aim of the project is to make a detailed survey and documentation of the situation of urban archaeology and its implications for physical planning and make a scholarly evaluation of the uncovered material. The project deals mainly with those places which obtained sense during the Middle Ages. The arrangement of the report: Chapters 1 and 2 give an account of a number of data which in various ways are important for the early development of the town. The information is collected from available literature (mainly as regards documentary material) as well as from primary material in the archives (archaeological data, records from borings). In the firstmentioned case no attempt has been made to correct possible faults through independent research. As regards the archaeological material, the aim has been to include all archaeological observations, even if for different reasons this has not always been possible. One important aim during work on the report has been to appraise and evaluate the archaeological material and to what extent it throws light on essential problems concerning urban history. The basic idea is that archaeological material can provide information about chronology, function, social structure and economic bases. The material has been arranged on the assumption that the form of settlement which took place and is reflected in the archaeological material is the result of a functional adaption to certain decisive prerequisites such as topography, communications, and economical-geographical conditions. The data have been chosen and structured on this basis. The selection gives both a general view of the available material concerning the development of the medieval town and a basis for further work on this material. This in turn will provide a foundation for the antiquarian evaluation in relation to future work. The English summary gives a broad outline of the contents, mainly based on the maps of the report. [...]I källan: Ystad I</p

Ystad 2 : en omlandsstudie

Introduction: The town of Ystad has been dealt with previously in a report published by the project The Medieval Town. The report included a survey of the archaeological situation within the boundaries of the medieval town and an analysis of the topography, the street system and the development of the built-up area. It contained no detailed analysis of the factors behind the rise of the town. The intention was to save this part for an extended study of the hinterland. Most of the Scanian towns which developed along the coast in the 13th century appear to have shared similar geographical and economical conditions and the existence of a borough in the surrounding countryside. It is possible that a study of the hinterland of one such town and the adjoining countryside can elucidate at least some general trends in the growth of several of these towns. With regard to Scanian conditions generally, the Ystad region is comparatively well suited for a study of the hinterland as it comprises: 1. a geographically well delimited countryside (a central territory) within the larger region of south-Scania. 2. by Scanian standards a comparatively large number of recorded prehistoric monuments, including runic stones, which also indicate a delimited countryside in prehistoric times. 3. a rich material from archaeological excavations. 4. research in progress and a recently started (July 1st, 1982) interdepartemental research project at Lund University: "The Ystad Project - changes in the South Swedish cultural landscape during 6000 years". The fact that the Ystad project will deal with the same geographical region as the present study of the hinterland, makes this a convenient opportunity to summarize the information which has been collected previously, on the one hand through the excavations carried out by the regional branch (UV-Syd) of the Central Board of National Antiquities (Riksantikvarieämbetet) and on the other through the surveys made in connection with the project The Medieval Town. The aim of the present study of the hinterland is: a) to present a detailed analysis of the factors behind the development of the town of Ystad. b) to establish a base for the Ystad project and use this to present certain problems for continued research in the region. The study of the hinterland is to a certain extent presented in a way which is similar to that of the reports on the towns, containing an introductory presentation of the background and a concluding analysis. The part inbetween, concerned with the collection of data, is left out here but several sources of information are presented in the analytical part, including a series of maps showing the known prehistoric remains from different periods (figs 21, 23, 24, 31, 35, 46). As in the case of the town reports the presentation is concluded by giving a perspective on future research as well as other kinds of archaeological and historical activity in the Ystad region. [...]I källan: Ystad II</p

Ystad 2 : en omlandsstudie

Introduction: The town of Ystad has been dealt with previously in a report published by the project The Medieval Town. The report included a survey of the archaeological situation within the boundaries of the medieval town and an analysis of the topography, the street system and the development of the built-up area. It contained no detailed analysis of the factors behind the rise of the town. The intention was to save this part for an extended study of the hinterland. Most of the Scanian towns which developed along the coast in the 13th century appear to have shared similar geographical and economical conditions and the existence of a borough in the surrounding countryside. It is possible that a study of the hinterland of one such town and the adjoining countryside can elucidate at least some general trends in the growth of several of these towns. With regard to Scanian conditions generally, the Ystad region is comparatively well suited for a study of the hinterland as it comprises: 1. a geographically well delimited countryside (a central territory) within the larger region of south-Scania. 2. by Scanian standards a comparatively large number of recorded prehistoric monuments, including runic stones, which also indicate a delimited countryside in prehistoric times. 3. a rich material from archaeological excavations. 4. research in progress and a recently started (July 1st, 1982) interdepartemental research project at Lund University: "The Ystad Project - changes in the South Swedish cultural landscape during 6000 years". The fact that the Ystad project will deal with the same geographical region as the present study of the hinterland, makes this a convenient opportunity to summarize the information which has been collected previously, on the one hand through the excavations carried out by the regional branch (UV-Syd) of the Central Board of National Antiquities (Riksantikvarieämbetet) and on the other through the surveys made in connection with the project The Medieval Town. The aim of the present study of the hinterland is: a) to present a detailed analysis of the factors behind the development of the town of Ystad. b) to establish a base for the Ystad project and use this to present certain problems for continued research in the region. The study of the hinterland is to a certain extent presented in a way which is similar to that of the reports on the towns, containing an introductory presentation of the background and a concluding analysis. The part inbetween, concerned with the collection of data, is left out here but several sources of information are presented in the analytical part, including a series of maps showing the known prehistoric remains from different periods (figs 21, 23, 24, 31, 35, 46). As in the case of the town reports the presentation is concluded by giving a perspective on future research as well as other kinds of archaeological and historical activity in the Ystad region. [...]I källan: Ystad II</p