Modern geometric techniques offer significant potential to uncover the worlds in which weapons were created, worlds shaped by specific environmental conditions and knowledge systems transmitted through established networks. We analysed the morphology of Mesolithic harpoon points from Eastern Middle Sweden to explore developments in craft and hunting techniques across the circum-Baltic Sea area, and to investigate if specific morphological traits are linked to regional environmental and faunal changes. We identified and separately analysed structural elements of the harpoon points, barbs, proximal and distal parts, and full-body silhouettes using geometric morphometrics and direct radiocarbon dating. Our results show that barb and proximal part shapes changed during the transition from the Early to the Middle Mesolithic in Eastern Middle Sweden which fits into broader superregional trends in craft and hunting techniques. In contrast, the width of the proximal part remained relatively stable throughout the Mesolithic, indicating continuity in regional crafting traditions and specific environmental conditions. The shapes of distal parts and full-body silhouettes correlate with the regional availability of large terrestrial prey. This study highlights the potential of geometric morphometric analysis to study morphological changes in harpoon points and to shed light on the multiple influences that shaped Mesolithic hunting weapons.

Poisoned weapons are a hallmark of advanced hunter-gatherer technology. Through targeted microchemical and biomolecular analyses, we identified traces of toxic plant alkaloids on backed microliths from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, excavated from a level dated to 60,000 years ago. The alkaloids buphandrine and epibuphanisine only originate from Amaryllidaceae indigenous to southern Africa. The most likely source is Boophone disticha (L.f.) Herb. bulb exudate, also associated with historically documented arrow poisons. To our knowledge, we present the first direct evidence for the application of this plant-based poison on the tips of Pleistocene hunting weapons. The discovery highlights the complexity of subsistence strategies and cognition in southern Africa since the mid-Pleistocene.

Biomolecular archaeology has significantly advanced our understanding of ancient foodways. However, the inevitable methodological biases of those novel methods might give deviating, even contradictory results. This paper highlights the major challenges of, but also potential solutions for, combining and comparing multiproxy dietary data. A rich dataset covering human skeletal remains, pottery, and zooarchaeological records from habitation and burial contexts from the Late Iron Age (650–1300 CE, LIA) Pada archaeological complex, NE Estonia, was subject to stable isotope, organic residue, and microfossil analysis, further complemented by local zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical records. All those dietary records were combined and compared through statistical modelling approaches to (a) exemplify the limitations and biases of different analytical approaches and (b) build a more cohesive and nuanced understanding of local foodways and their social variations. Our results show that LIA Eastern Baltic communities relied heavily on terrestrial, particularly plant based C3 diets with relatively low proportions of animal-based foods, although animal products were preferred in burial ritual context. Interestingly, no dietary variations were detected across different age and sex categories, proving equal access to main food sources for all community members in Pada. The latter contradicts with previously reported datasets from the same region and emphasises the utmost importance of multilevel dietary analysis not only in terms of dietary proxies, but also for different consumption contexts.

Archaeological Prospection of Iron Age Migration Period ringforts in Sweden, GPR and LiDAR detect structures inside the ringforts, Elemental analysis of soil samples indicate activity areas

We present the organic residue analysis of sherds of 50 cooking vessels from the 16th-century town of Nya Lödöse, Sweden. We confirm previous analyses showing that lipids are absorbed by glazed ceramic. By analyses of biomarkers and compound-specific stable carbon isotope analyses of fatty acids, we show that pipkins and pans were used for cooking ruminant carcass products, dairy, and plant foods. The dominance of ruminant fat and dairy reflects the importance of oxen and butter in the local food culture. The vessels included in the present study show some degree of specialized function. Pipkins had more traces of ruminant carcass fats compared to pans. Medium and large-sized pipkins contained a combination of animal fats and plant traces, possibly representing the preparation of stews. In contrast, the smallest pipkins showed no traces of plant foods and might have been used to melt animal fat. Pans had more traces of butter and had been exposed to higher temperatures, indicating frying. Flat pans were, to a higher degree, used for the frying of fish than the deep ones, but fish seem nonetheless to be underrepresented in the lipid residue data. According to zooarchaeological and historical data, fish, pork, and poultry were important parts of the diet, but as traces of these foodstuffs are scarce in the organic residue analysis, it may be inferred that they were prepared differently—boiled in metal cauldrons, roasted on metal spits over the open fire, or consumed in their dried, salted, or smoked state without further preparation.

The Christianization of Sweden (8th–11th centuries) was a period of political, social, and religious change, and it implies a period of movement and mobility. Recent excavations at the Varnhem estate church grounds (Kata Gård), originally built around CE 1000 in Västergötland, Sweden, have yielded information about this period. This study uses strontium isotope analysis to investigate the lives of these early Christians buried at Kata Gård and identify the non-locals. Our results indicate that a large part of the adult population was non-local and had spent their childhoods in other geological areas, whereas the children had mostly local strontium isotope signatures.

This report presents the results of archaeological investigations at Treby Borg (L1956:3284, RAÄ Segerstad 22:1, Mörbylånga, Kalmar County), conducted in May 2024 by Stockholm University and in September–October by Linnaeus University, as part of the research programme Crisis, Conflict & Climate – Scandinavia 300–700 CE. The study examines the chronology, construction sequence, and use of the site through stratigraphic, typological, radiocarbon, and geochemical analyses. Findings indicate that the main period of activity occurred during the Migration Period (c. 375–550 CE), supported by radiocarbon dating and artefact typology. Earlier finds, including a brooch and glass ring from the Pre-Roman Iron Age, likely reflect activity predating the construction of the fort. Treby Borg is architecturally unique, comprising three interconnected ringfort segments. Stratigraphic evidence suggests the central segment was built first, though the relative chronology of the eastern and western segments remains uncertain. Data from the central fort segment show a low density of artefacts, few hearths, and a notable lack of household ceramics, e.g. in contrast to a contemporary large farm site like Gamla Skogsby. This suggests non-domestic use and a possible deliberate abandonment. Geochemical analysis shows higher levels of phosphorus, potassium, manganese, copper, and zinc in the eastern segment, indicating more intensive human activity such as food processing and metalworking. The central area shows higher iron concentrations, possibly linked to ironworking. These patterns point to spatially differentiated activity and enhance our understanding of ringfort function during the Migration Period.

Denna rapport behandlar den arkeologiska undersökningen av Lenstad fornborg (L1956:5511, Torslunda RAÄ 9:1) som genomfördes i maj 2023 av Arkeologiska forskningslaboratoriet, Institutionen för arkeologi och antikens kultur vid Stockholms universitet. Undersökningen ingår i forskningsprogrammet "Kris, konflikt och klimat – samhällsförändring i Skandinavien år 300–700", ett samarbete mellan Arkeologiska forskningslaboratoriet (AFL), Stockholms universitet, Linnéuniversitetet och Kalmar Länsmuseum. Resultaten baseras på arkeologiska utgrävningar, geokemisk kartering, arkeobotanisk analys, ¹⁴C-datering samt en specialinriktad drönarflygning med laserscanner. Resultaten visar att aktiviteterna vid Lenstad borg är relativt tidiga då de dateras till tidig romersk järnålder samtidigt som de flesta andra av Ölands ringborgar dateras till folkvandringstid. Dateringen är baserad på en ¹⁴C-datering av ett förkolnat sädeskorn från en grophärd inuti borgen till 79-235 cal CE (2s). Det saknas starka spår av intensivt boende och hantverk i Lenstad borg men här finns lämningar efter viss brandaktivitet, odling och insamling av växter, samt eventuellt textilhantverk. Vi har inte hittat några hus längs insidan av muren, vilket förekommer i flera andra borgar, men möjliga strukturer finns i den centrala till södra delen av borgplanen. Själva ringborgens murkonstruktion är fortfarande oidentifierad, och vi ifrågasätter om den yttre "muren" i norr och väster faktiskt hör till denna anläggning.

This report deals with the archaeological investigation of Lenstad borg (L1956:5511, Torslunda RAÄ 9:1) carried out in May 2023 by the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Stockholm University. The survey is part of the research programme "Crisis, conflict and climate - societal change in Scandinavia 300-700", a collaboration between the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University, the Linnaeus University and Kalmar County Museum. The results are based on archaeological excavations, geochemical mapping, archaeobotanical analysis, radiocarbon dating and a detailed topographic laser scanner drone investigation. The results show that the activities at Lenstad borg are relatively early as they are dated to the Early Roman Iron Age, while most other ringforts on Öland are dated to the Migration Period. The date is based on a radiocarbon analysis of a charred grain from a pit-hearth inside the fort to 79-235 cal CE (2s). There are no strong evidence for intensive dwelling acitivities in Lenstad borg, but there are remains of some fire activity, cultivation and collection of plants, and possibly textile crafts. We have not found any houses along the inside of the wall, which has been observed in several other ringforts, but possible structures do exist in the central to southern part of the yard. The wall construction of the ringfort itself is still unidentified, and we question whether the outer 'wall' to the north and west actually belongs to this fort.

The Maderö wreck was discovered in the 1960s in the Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden. An archaeological investigation undertaken in 2022 included the inspection and documentation of visible ship parts, sampling for dendrochronological analysis and sampling for ICP analysis from the brick cargo. The results show that the wood originates from the Baltic Sea area and was felled after 1467, while the clay for the brick originates from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern area. The ship's technical analysis shows that it is a large clinker-built merchant ship. Traces of iron on a recovered stone shot indicate that the ship was armed when it sank.

Why was pottery adopted by Late Mesolithic societies in the northwestern parts of Eurasia? This paper investigates new insights and results from recent studies in Finland. In this region, pottery was initially adopted by hunter-gatherer-fisher communities ca. 5300–5100 BCE, which in local terminology marks the beginning of the Neolithic era, even though other aspects of the Neolithic (e.g., agriculture, animal husbandry) were not yet adopted. Though the introduction of pottery in a non-agricultural sphere has recently been the subject of intense discussion, the motives behind mobile hunter-gatherer-fisher communities adopting pottery remain unsubstantiated. The earliest pottery has commonly been thought to have had a highly specialized function, in particular in the processing of aquatic food resources. To test whether the function of the earliest pottery in Finland was linked to subsistence, or diversified beyond economic necessities, we compared the results of pottery lipid analyses with animal osteological records across inland and coastal sites in the Late Mesolithic (ca. 6200–5300 BCE) and Early Neolithic (ca. 5300–3900 BCE). The zooarchaeological evidence, which remained consistent throughout the period studied, shows a versatile use of animal resources. It did not, however, converge with the inferred pottery function. Organic residues analyzed from ceramic cooking ware point to a non-specialized use of pottery that does not track the overall diet or subsistence among Finnish Stone Age cultures. We hence argue that the uptake of pottery in Finland was not a result of change in economies, but that pottery—a new and useful cooking and storage utensil at the time—was taken into household use in various environments and subsistence strategies. The reason why pottery was not in use in some areas and periods of time may thus be sought elsewhere, e.g., among communities with distinct sociocultural and even ethnic backgrounds.