Martin Hansson | Lund University (original) (raw)
Papers by Martin Hansson
Delivering the Deep: Maritime Archaeology for the 21st Century: Selected Papers From IKUWA 7, 2024
The royal Danish-Norwegian flagship Gribshunden, launched in 1485, was among the earliest norther... more The royal Danish-Norwegian flagship Gribshunden, launched in 1485, was among the earliest northern European warships purpose-built to carry artillery. However, King Hans employed his vessel as far more than a weapons platform. The ship was his ‘floating castle’, fulfilling all the various purposes of a land redoubt. At its loss in 1495 enroute to a political
summit in Kalmar, where Hans expected to be crowned king of Sweden, it was his mobile seat of government, an instrument combining hard and soft power functions. Recent excavations of Gribshunden reveal its martial aspects: artillery, small arms (including several crossbows and hand guns) and personal armour. Soft power is reflected more subtly in other artefacts: silver coins; secular artwork depicting flowers, animals and mythical beasts; and prestige provisions, including copious amounts of exotic imported spices and a large sturgeon. Continuing excavations of the wreck are revealing the structure of the ship itself, while providing insights into the social division of space aboard this royal castle at sea. Combined with archival documents, analyses of all these artefacts deliver deep insight into the people aboard the ship and the late Mediaeval period through which they travelled.
European Journal of Archaeology, 2010
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the connection between castles, commerce and urbanity i... more The purpose of this paper is to highlight the connection between castles, commerce and urbanity in Scandinavia. This is made by comparing three Swedish royal castles. The castle in Stockholm has its roots in the twelfth or thirteenth century and was founded in connection with the contemporary town. Here are indications that the merchants in an early phase lived in the bailey of the castle. The castle at Borgholm on Oland probably has its root in the twelfth century. Here recent archaeological excavations have shown traces of a semi-urban settlement just outside the castle walls, which however never developed into a proper town. The last example, Piksborg lay in the inland of south Sweden and was destroyed in a revolt in 1434. Here the archaeological material show clear traces of how the castle seem to have fulfilled the commercial needs in the region, which completely lacked urban towns. The three examples are used in order to analyse and highlight different aspects of the connection between castle and commerce in Scandinavia. (Less)
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the find of a Byzantine solidus in Guleboda, Almeboda par... more The purpose of this paper is to discuss the find of a Byzantine solidus in Guleboda, Almeboda parish, southern Smaland. This coin was found in an area that has never been central in any respect, and where at first sight there hardly seems to have been any Iron Age settlement at all. The purpose of the article is to try to contextualize the find. Other finds from the same site are discussed as well as contemporary gold objects in the region. It is argued that the fact that the coin has been worn as a pendant could imply that it was used as an insignia, perhaps as a token for the wearer’s participation in military raids on the Continent.
Post-Medieval Archaeology, 2020
A collection of 38 articles on Archaeology, Historical Arcaheology, Historical Osteology, History... more A collection of 38 articles on Archaeology, Historical Arcaheology, Historical Osteology, History and Art History by authors in Sweden, Denmark and Germany, an introduction and also a bibliography as a tribute to retired reader Anders Odman at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss decorated stone tablets with coats of arms and memorial t... more The purpose of this paper is to discuss decorated stone tablets with coats of arms and memorial texts found on castle walls. The example considered here is Glimmingehus in Scania, in southern Sweden, erected in the late 15th century. Tablets with texts, coat of arms and ornaments are to be found both outside and inside the castle. The messages on the tablets can be said to promote a world of an elite male by emphasizing his personal network and lineage.
This analysis comprises part of a larger project on the placement of rune-stones in the local are... more This analysis comprises part of a larger project on the placement of rune-stones in the local area of Tioharad. It considers two rune-stones, Sm 36 and Sm 37, in Bolmaryd. The older stone, Sm 36, i ...
Late medieval towns have often been neglected within the urban archaeological paradigm. This arti... more Late medieval towns have often been neglected within the urban archaeological paradigm. This article tries to discuss the medieval urbanization from the perspective of small late medieval towns in relation to other types of central places by using a regional perspective. The towns of Vimmerby and Eksjo, and the central places of Varnamo and Vetlanda in Smaland are used as examples. In this region, the functional similarities between places that became formal towns, and places that never got formal town privileges, are very evident. Markets, judicial and religious functions were present regardless of whether the place was a formal town or not. It is also evident that formal towns lacked the expected presence of densely built up areas.
De forhallandevis sentida sparen efter de obesuttna – som torpare, backstugusittare, hantverkare ... more De forhallandevis sentida sparen efter de obesuttna – som torpare, backstugusittare, hantverkare och arbetare – finns overallt i jordbrukets, skogens och stadernas landskap, men har sallan uppmarks ...
Reflections: 50 Years of Medieval Archaeology, 1957–2007, 2018
General rights Unless other specific re-use rights are stated the following general rights apply:... more General rights Unless other specific re-use rights are stated the following general rights apply: Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2021
This paper examines how agents inscribed their persona in buildings during the Renaissance in Sca... more This paper examines how agents inscribed their persona in buildings during the Renaissance in Scania in present-day Sweden. Through an analysis of stone tablets and timber beams with inscriptions, images, and dates, questions of identity and individuality are highlighted. The objects were often placed above doors in noble country residences or in buildings belonging to the urban elite. The paper discusses who was able to see and understand the messages communicated by the buildings, and when, how, and why the tradition of putting up this type of object on buildings emerged in a Scandinavian context.
This dissertation focuses on the medieval nobility and its manors in the inland of Smaland. The p... more This dissertation focuses on the medieval nobility and its manors in the inland of Smaland. The problems tackled in the dissertation may be divided into two major complexes. One concerns the emergence and growth of the Smaland nobility in a long-term perspective, the second concerns the spatial conditions in which the nobles established their manors in the landscape. An important question concerns the castle-building activities of the nobility and the fortification of their manors. The actual object of the study is the noblemen’s manors, which may be regarded as a social centre in the landscape from where local lordship was exercised. There seem to have been at least 250 manors in the area. The majority of them appear to have existed for a relatively short time. Alongside these short-lived manors there were others that seem to have existed as local centres of power throughout the Middle Ages. By studying the distribution of different elements in the medieval churches in the area, su...
Medieval Archaeology
THIS PAPER EXPLORES how noblemen expressed themselves in late-medieval Scandinavian castles, in t... more THIS PAPER EXPLORES how noblemen expressed themselves in late-medieval Scandinavian castles, in the buildings and in the landscape. The focus is on decorated stone tablets with coats of arms and memorial texts found on the castle walls, but the landscape setting of the castles is also discussed. The examples considered here are Glimmingehus in Scania, in present-day southern Sweden, and Olofsborg in eastern Finland — both erected in the late 15th century. The locations of stone tablets in the castles are investigated, as well as who was able to see them and share their messages. It is argued that while the coats of arms and memorial texts were situated to convey ideas to an aristocracy, the landscape context of the castle mediated messages of social status to a wider public.
Lund Studies in Medieval Archaeology 25, 2001
Delivering the Deep: Maritime Archaeology for the 21st Century: Selected Papers From IKUWA 7, 2024
The royal Danish-Norwegian flagship Gribshunden, launched in 1485, was among the earliest norther... more The royal Danish-Norwegian flagship Gribshunden, launched in 1485, was among the earliest northern European warships purpose-built to carry artillery. However, King Hans employed his vessel as far more than a weapons platform. The ship was his ‘floating castle’, fulfilling all the various purposes of a land redoubt. At its loss in 1495 enroute to a political
summit in Kalmar, where Hans expected to be crowned king of Sweden, it was his mobile seat of government, an instrument combining hard and soft power functions. Recent excavations of Gribshunden reveal its martial aspects: artillery, small arms (including several crossbows and hand guns) and personal armour. Soft power is reflected more subtly in other artefacts: silver coins; secular artwork depicting flowers, animals and mythical beasts; and prestige provisions, including copious amounts of exotic imported spices and a large sturgeon. Continuing excavations of the wreck are revealing the structure of the ship itself, while providing insights into the social division of space aboard this royal castle at sea. Combined with archival documents, analyses of all these artefacts deliver deep insight into the people aboard the ship and the late Mediaeval period through which they travelled.
European Journal of Archaeology, 2010
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the connection between castles, commerce and urbanity i... more The purpose of this paper is to highlight the connection between castles, commerce and urbanity in Scandinavia. This is made by comparing three Swedish royal castles. The castle in Stockholm has its roots in the twelfth or thirteenth century and was founded in connection with the contemporary town. Here are indications that the merchants in an early phase lived in the bailey of the castle. The castle at Borgholm on Oland probably has its root in the twelfth century. Here recent archaeological excavations have shown traces of a semi-urban settlement just outside the castle walls, which however never developed into a proper town. The last example, Piksborg lay in the inland of south Sweden and was destroyed in a revolt in 1434. Here the archaeological material show clear traces of how the castle seem to have fulfilled the commercial needs in the region, which completely lacked urban towns. The three examples are used in order to analyse and highlight different aspects of the connection between castle and commerce in Scandinavia. (Less)
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the find of a Byzantine solidus in Guleboda, Almeboda par... more The purpose of this paper is to discuss the find of a Byzantine solidus in Guleboda, Almeboda parish, southern Smaland. This coin was found in an area that has never been central in any respect, and where at first sight there hardly seems to have been any Iron Age settlement at all. The purpose of the article is to try to contextualize the find. Other finds from the same site are discussed as well as contemporary gold objects in the region. It is argued that the fact that the coin has been worn as a pendant could imply that it was used as an insignia, perhaps as a token for the wearer’s participation in military raids on the Continent.
Post-Medieval Archaeology, 2020
A collection of 38 articles on Archaeology, Historical Arcaheology, Historical Osteology, History... more A collection of 38 articles on Archaeology, Historical Arcaheology, Historical Osteology, History and Art History by authors in Sweden, Denmark and Germany, an introduction and also a bibliography as a tribute to retired reader Anders Odman at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss decorated stone tablets with coats of arms and memorial t... more The purpose of this paper is to discuss decorated stone tablets with coats of arms and memorial texts found on castle walls. The example considered here is Glimmingehus in Scania, in southern Sweden, erected in the late 15th century. Tablets with texts, coat of arms and ornaments are to be found both outside and inside the castle. The messages on the tablets can be said to promote a world of an elite male by emphasizing his personal network and lineage.
This analysis comprises part of a larger project on the placement of rune-stones in the local are... more This analysis comprises part of a larger project on the placement of rune-stones in the local area of Tioharad. It considers two rune-stones, Sm 36 and Sm 37, in Bolmaryd. The older stone, Sm 36, i ...
Late medieval towns have often been neglected within the urban archaeological paradigm. This arti... more Late medieval towns have often been neglected within the urban archaeological paradigm. This article tries to discuss the medieval urbanization from the perspective of small late medieval towns in relation to other types of central places by using a regional perspective. The towns of Vimmerby and Eksjo, and the central places of Varnamo and Vetlanda in Smaland are used as examples. In this region, the functional similarities between places that became formal towns, and places that never got formal town privileges, are very evident. Markets, judicial and religious functions were present regardless of whether the place was a formal town or not. It is also evident that formal towns lacked the expected presence of densely built up areas.
De forhallandevis sentida sparen efter de obesuttna – som torpare, backstugusittare, hantverkare ... more De forhallandevis sentida sparen efter de obesuttna – som torpare, backstugusittare, hantverkare och arbetare – finns overallt i jordbrukets, skogens och stadernas landskap, men har sallan uppmarks ...
Reflections: 50 Years of Medieval Archaeology, 1957–2007, 2018
General rights Unless other specific re-use rights are stated the following general rights apply:... more General rights Unless other specific re-use rights are stated the following general rights apply: Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2021
This paper examines how agents inscribed their persona in buildings during the Renaissance in Sca... more This paper examines how agents inscribed their persona in buildings during the Renaissance in Scania in present-day Sweden. Through an analysis of stone tablets and timber beams with inscriptions, images, and dates, questions of identity and individuality are highlighted. The objects were often placed above doors in noble country residences or in buildings belonging to the urban elite. The paper discusses who was able to see and understand the messages communicated by the buildings, and when, how, and why the tradition of putting up this type of object on buildings emerged in a Scandinavian context.
This dissertation focuses on the medieval nobility and its manors in the inland of Smaland. The p... more This dissertation focuses on the medieval nobility and its manors in the inland of Smaland. The problems tackled in the dissertation may be divided into two major complexes. One concerns the emergence and growth of the Smaland nobility in a long-term perspective, the second concerns the spatial conditions in which the nobles established their manors in the landscape. An important question concerns the castle-building activities of the nobility and the fortification of their manors. The actual object of the study is the noblemen’s manors, which may be regarded as a social centre in the landscape from where local lordship was exercised. There seem to have been at least 250 manors in the area. The majority of them appear to have existed for a relatively short time. Alongside these short-lived manors there were others that seem to have existed as local centres of power throughout the Middle Ages. By studying the distribution of different elements in the medieval churches in the area, su...
Medieval Archaeology
THIS PAPER EXPLORES how noblemen expressed themselves in late-medieval Scandinavian castles, in t... more THIS PAPER EXPLORES how noblemen expressed themselves in late-medieval Scandinavian castles, in the buildings and in the landscape. The focus is on decorated stone tablets with coats of arms and memorial texts found on the castle walls, but the landscape setting of the castles is also discussed. The examples considered here are Glimmingehus in Scania, in present-day southern Sweden, and Olofsborg in eastern Finland — both erected in the late 15th century. The locations of stone tablets in the castles are investigated, as well as who was able to see them and share their messages. It is argued that while the coats of arms and memorial texts were situated to convey ideas to an aristocracy, the landscape context of the castle mediated messages of social status to a wider public.
Lund Studies in Medieval Archaeology 25, 2001
This paper will present a new research project on subaltern lifescapes, and a case study to illum... more This paper will present a new research project on subaltern lifescapes, and a case study to illuminate the project. In the project living conditions, economies, strategies, lifestyles and material cultures of subalterns and non-proprietors in different socio-environmental contexts in Sweden are studied from an Environmental Justice-perspective. Environmental Justice is addressing how social stratification, (lack of) access to power, environmental degradation and risk exposure are intersecting, thus enforcing the unjust living conditions of the subalterns, and the importance of empowerment strategies for reversing the situation. The chronological focus is c. 1700-1900, a period that included large scale structural changes such as modernization, urbanization, industrialization and environmental degradation. The project will use different source materials; historical archaeological material, written documents, historical maps, ethnographic documentations, biological heritage, standing buildings both for triangulation and comparison. The method of combining different source materials opens for new possibilities to studying the daily life of otherwise hidden groups of people, such as subaltern categories. The project will also contribute to development of skills and methods in heritage management in relation to historical archaeology. In the case study we will meet a small crofting community, Pinoberget, where crofters created a diversity of lifescapes in between rural and industrial economies and authorities in the 19 th century. The crofters were dependent on a variety of different incomes, including jobs provided by an iron works and a farming community nearby. However, some of the crofters at Pinoberget found different strategies relying on the resources in their landscape and their social connections to challenge authorities and create more dignified lifescapes, whereas others lived under more severe conditions.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2020
This paper aims to discuss subalterns in different social environments in Sweden. The potential o... more This paper aims to discuss subalterns in different social environments in Sweden. The potential of archaeological studies of landless subalterns in rural and urban areas are shown though a number of case studies. It is argued that archaeology can show the multivocality of the lives of the subalterns, in the same way as it shows how the subalterns organized their daily life. This is done through the use of the concepts of matterscape, powerscape, and mindscape. The subalterns used the physical landscape (matterscape) according to prevailing norms and power structures (powerscape), thus creating a perceptive understanding of their daily landscape (mindscape).
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2021
This paper examines how agents inscribed their persona in buildings during the Renaissance in Sca... more This paper examines how agents inscribed their persona in buildings during the Renaissance in Scania in present-day Sweden. Through an analysis of stone tablets and timber beams with inscriptions, images, and dates, questions of identity and individuality are highlighted. The objects were often placed above doors in noble country residences or in buildings belonging to the urban elite. The paper discusses who was able to see and understand the messages communicated by the buildings, and when, how, and why the tradition of putting up this type of object on buildings emerged in a Scandinavian context.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2019
This paper aims to discuss subalterns in different social environments in Sweden. The potential o... more This paper aims to discuss subalterns in different social environments in Sweden. The
potential of archaeological studies of landless subalterns in rural and urban areas are
shown though a number of case studies. It is argued that archaeology can show the
multivocality of the lives of the subalterns, in the same way as it shows how the
subalterns organized their daily life. This is done through the use of the concepts of
matterscape, powerscape, and mindscape. The subalterns used the physical landscape
(matterscape) according to prevailing norms and power structures (powerscape), thus
creating a perceptive understanding of their daily landscape (mindscape).
by Wojtek Jezierski, Kim Esmark, Hans Jacob Orning, Lars Kjær, Martin Hansson, Carl Phelpstead, Bjørn Bandlien, Simon Lebouteiller, Iben Fonnesberg-Schmidt, Roland Scheel, and Torfi Tulinius
This book explores the practical and symbolic resources of legitimacy which the elites of medieva... more This book explores the practical and symbolic resources of legitimacy which the elites of medieval Scandinavia employed to establish, justify, and reproduce their social and political standing between the end of the Viking Age and the rise of kingdoms in the thirteenth century. Geographically the chapters cover the Scandinavian realms and Free State Iceland. Thematically the authors cover a wide palette of cultural practices and historical sources: hagiography, historiography, spaces and palaces, literature, and international connections, which rulers, magnates, or ecclesiastics used to compete for status and to reserve haloing glory for themselves. The volume is divided in three sections. The first looks at the sacral, legal, and acclamatory means through which privilege was conferred onto kings and ruling families. Section II explores the spaces such as aristocratic halls, palaces, churches in which the social elevation of elites took place. Section III explores the traditional and novel means of domestic distinction and international cultural capital which different orders of elites-knights, powerful clerics, ruling families, etc.-wrought to assure their dominance and set themselves apart vis-à-vis their peers and subjects. A concluding chapter discusses how the use of symbolic capital in the North compared to wider European contexts.