Från skärva till kärl : ett bidrag till vardagslivets historia i Uppsala.

Abstract

Abstract From Sherd to Pot. A Contribution to the History of Everyday Life in Uppsala tackles the question: how is the culturally created reality produced, fixed, and changed, and how can this be related to the social structure as a whole? The hypothesis is that changes in society result in new cultural patterns which can be read in objects. The work consists of three main parts, an extensive summary in English, an appendix with archaeological data from the Studentholmen, Atle, Sandbacken and Bryggaren blocks in Uppsala and a catalogue with drawings of c. 850 different vessels. The object of study is Uppsala, an urban setting of significance for many people in Central Sweden in historical times. This study aims to produce new knowledge to explain changes in the households of Uppsala in the period 1160—1702. The study proceeds from the hypothesis that changes in society are also reflected in the vessels used in the households. To clarify the discussion of changes through time, potsherds are regarded here as a form of archaeological source material which, in certain general conditions, can increase our knowledge of the way people think and behave. Potsherds are viewed as fragments of a larger historical stage on which roles were played by the people and the objects with which they surrounded themselves. The processing of the material involved ordering the occurrence of different characteristics and distinctive elements in the sherds. The account show the span in wares and shapes in order to answer the question: what do the vessels look like? The processing of the material distinguish chronological variations, a time scale, which answers the question: when did particular vessels first come into use in Uppsala? To understand whether the changes are the result of changes in the mentality of the people who used the vessels or are a consequence of competition between different types of material used for making vessels, I confront the archaeological sources with sources describing the development of some functionally equivalent vessels of alternative material. The third, concluding part is an attempt to summarize and present an overall view of the chronology and forces behind cultural change in Uppsala. The vessels are used as a source for cultural history. The empirical findings from the second part of the study are put in a broader societal context. Information about changes in vessels, the care and consumption of food and drink, the educational level in society, and other changes in Uppsala can be summed up in a model with six phases, showing the approximate dates of changes and some of the underlying motive forces