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Papers by Karin Ojala

Research paper thumbnail of Fusing fragments

Routledge eBooks, Oct 3, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Import eller hemmagjort? Metallografiska analyser av bronsplattor med järnbeslag från Hassledepån

Research paper thumbnail of Östliga kontakter i Mälarområdet under bronsåldern? Ett forskningshistoriskt perspektiv

Research paper thumbnail of Iron in the Nordic Bronze Age and Early Pre-Roman Iron Age – Visibility, Colour Contrasts and Celestial Associations

Norwegian Archaeological Review, 2022

This paper explores the use of iron in the Late Bronze Age and the earliest Iron Age (c. 1100–300... more This paper explores the use of iron in the Late Bronze Age and the earliest Iron Age (c. 1100–300 BC) in south-eastern Sweden, with a focus on the final Bronze Age and Pre-Roman Iron Age I. The aim is to study how early iron was used, valued and perceived, particularly in relation to pre-existing bronze and gold. Choosing iron for certain object types, such as dress attributes and arm rings, and in key symbols, notably the spiral, suggests an appreciation for its metallic shine and colour in contrast to bronze. This silvery lustre was in some cases exploited intentionally, and may sometimes have been associated with the moon in a celestial mythology. The lunar connection might have been accentuated by the origin of iron from bodies of water, which were surrounded by strong beliefs and were often the focus of sacrificial depositions in this period. The qualities sought after in iron during the Bronze Age–Iron Age transition were in some ways different from those appreciated later in Iron Age and historical times. It is necessary to further consider early iron in its contemporary setting without comparison to the ‘successful’ adaptation in the late Pre-Roman Iron Age onwards.

Research paper thumbnail of Northern Connections: Interregional Contacts in Bronze Age Northern and Middle Sweden

Open Archaeology

This article examines northern connections in the Nordic Bronze Age, focusing on interregional co... more This article examines northern connections in the Nordic Bronze Age, focusing on interregional contacts in middle and northern Sweden. In the article, we argue that it is important to incorporate a northern perspective in the discussions about the Scandinavian Bronze Age and its networks. We focus on the Mälaren Valley region, especially the province of Uppland, and the northern parts of Sweden, in particular the coastal areas of northern Sweden. We discuss some aspects of the archaeological material, which have been used in earlier discussions of interregional contacts in middle and northern Sweden during the Bronze Age, such as the Håga mound outside of Uppsala, and burial cairns and bronze artefacts in northern Sweden. Furthermore, we discuss eastern contacts with areas in present-day Finland and Russia, and how these have been interpreted in middle and northern Sweden. In our view, there is a need to critically examine interregional contacts and the construction of regional enti...

Research paper thumbnail of Inhumationsgravar under yngre bronsålder och äldsta järnålder i Uppland

This article focuses on the inhumation graves from the Late Bronze Age and the earliest part of t... more This article focuses on the inhumation graves from the Late Bronze Age and the earliest part of the Iron Age that have been excavated in Uppland. The aim is to discuss the inhumation burial practice during the Late Bronze Age in this part of the Mälaren valley. It has been known for a long time that there was wide variety in the construction of graves and/or bone deposits from the Late Bronze Age in Uppland. Most of the graves are cremation graves, but archaeological excavations in Uppland and central Sweden in the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century found and investigated a few inhumation graves dated to the Late Bronze Age and the earliest part of the Iron Age. Even though inhumation graves in the area were known during most of the 20th century, they are often seen as something unknown, unexpected and unusual. Recent studies of burial traditions in the Mälaren valley during the Bronze Age have mainly focused on cremation graves,and especially the category of “cre...

Research paper thumbnail of I bronsålderns gränsland : Uppland och frågan om östliga kontakter

In archaeological research, the province of Uppland has often been viewed as the northern ‘periph... more In archaeological research, the province of Uppland has often been viewed as the northern ‘periphery’ of the Nordic Bronze Age region. At the same time, many researchers have also emphasized the di ...

Research paper thumbnail of Mellan Öst och Väst: Arkeologisk forskning och gränser då och nu

Research paper thumbnail of Bronsålderns benbruk i östra Mellansverige : med exempel på variation i gravskicket vid Broby och Hallunda

Fornvännen, 2021

During the Late Bronze Age in the eastern parts of Central Sweden, the remains of the deceased we... more During the Late Bronze Age in the eastern parts of Central Sweden, the remains of the deceased were treated in many different ways. In addition to cairns and stone settings (which are usually regarded as graves), human bones, cremated as well as not cremated, have also been found in settlements, in heaps of fired crackedstones, wells, pits and in water. These “bone deposits” are made up of parts of people rather than complete bodies, and show a complex treatment of the dead (see, for example, Thedéen 2004; Eriksson 2005; Fredengren 2011). The purpose of this article is to study and discuss the highly varied practice of treating the remains of the deceased in eastern Central Sweden during the Late Bronze Age.This issue is discussed through two very well-known Bronze Age sites: Hallunda, Botkyrka parish in Södermanland and Broby, Börje parish in Uppland. In the article we argue that the bone deposits found in the area must partly be seen in a different way than a “grave” in the sense of a place for the deceased’s last restingplace. We highlight circumstances which indicate that the human bones that are found are the result of ritual processes with different phases, rather than individual “burials” with the grave as a last resting place for the dead. We also argue that a distinctive feature in the treatment of the remains of the dead in eastern Central Sweden is that the link between the dead individual and the “grave monument”(which is central to the concept of the grave) is weak

Research paper thumbnail of Iron in the Nordic Bronze Age and Early Pre-Roman Iron Age – Visibility, Colour Contrasts and Celestial Associations

Norwegian Archaeological Review

This paper explores the use of iron in the Late Bronze Age and the earliest Iron Age (c. 1100–300... more This paper explores the use of iron in the Late Bronze Age and the earliest Iron Age (c. 1100–300 BC) in south-eastern Sweden, with a focus on the final Bronze Age and Pre-Roman Iron Age I. The aim is to study how early iron was used, valued and perceived, particularly in relation to pre-existing bronze and gold. Choosing iron for certain object types, such as dress attributes and arm rings, and in key symbols, notably the spiral, suggests an appreciation for its metallic shine and colour in contrast to bronze. This silvery lustre was in some cases exploited intentionally, and may sometimes have been associated with the moon in a celestial mythology. The lunar connection might have been accentuated by the origin of iron from bodies of water, which were surrounded by strong beliefs and were often the focus of sacrificial depositions in this period. The qualities sought after in iron during the Bronze Age–Iron Age transition were in some ways different from those appreciated later in Iron Age and historical times. It is necessary to further consider early iron in its contemporary setting without comparison to the ‘successful’ adaptation in the late Pre-Roman Iron Age onwards.

Research paper thumbnail of Medelhavsbrons i Närke : Hasslefyndet kastar ljus över kontaktvägar, metallanvändning och offerskick under bronsålderns slutskede

Medelhavsbrons i Narke : Hasslefyndet kastar ljus over kontaktvagar, metallanvandning och offersk... more Medelhavsbrons i Narke : Hasslefyndet kastar ljus over kontaktvagar, metallanvandning och offerskick under bronsalderns slutskede

Book Sections by Karin Ojala

Research paper thumbnail of Southern bronzes in the North: exchange networks linking Scandinavia to Continental Europe in the mid-first millennium BC explored through the Hassle hoard, Sweden

Valdés, L., Cicolani, V. & Hiriart, E. (eds) Matières premières en Europe au 1er Millénaire av. n. è. Exploitation, transformation, diffusion, Actes du 45e colloque de l’AFEAF. Actes du 45e colloque de l’AFEAF. Collection AFEAF (5). Paris: AFEAF, pp. 453–456., 2023

In 1936 an intriguing deposition dating to the Bronze Age - Iron Age transition (ca 600-500 BC) w... more In 1936 an intriguing deposition dating to the Bronze Age - Iron Age transition (ca 600-500 BC) was found in a river bed in Hassle in southeast Sweden. It contained a rare combination of exotic imports originating from Continental Europe and the Mediterranean world; two bent Hallstatt swords of Mindelheim type, two
rippenzisten/ciste a cordoni buckets, two small hooks and twelve ornamental bronze discs (probably decorations for a wagon) - all found inside a reworked and repaired cauldron, possibly originating from the Etruscan or Greek area. The closest parallel to this find is the tripod cauldron from a 6th century tumulus in Sainte-Colombe-sur-Seine (Côte-d’Or), eastern France. How these objects reached central Sweden is debated. The find is currently being revised and its origins, dates and possible routes to Scandinavia is now being re-assessed. This article briefly presents some new insights and questions of these objects's possible areas of production and history of use.

Research paper thumbnail of Fusing fragments

Routledge eBooks, Oct 3, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Import eller hemmagjort? Metallografiska analyser av bronsplattor med järnbeslag från Hassledepån

Research paper thumbnail of Östliga kontakter i Mälarområdet under bronsåldern? Ett forskningshistoriskt perspektiv

Research paper thumbnail of Iron in the Nordic Bronze Age and Early Pre-Roman Iron Age – Visibility, Colour Contrasts and Celestial Associations

Norwegian Archaeological Review, 2022

This paper explores the use of iron in the Late Bronze Age and the earliest Iron Age (c. 1100–300... more This paper explores the use of iron in the Late Bronze Age and the earliest Iron Age (c. 1100–300 BC) in south-eastern Sweden, with a focus on the final Bronze Age and Pre-Roman Iron Age I. The aim is to study how early iron was used, valued and perceived, particularly in relation to pre-existing bronze and gold. Choosing iron for certain object types, such as dress attributes and arm rings, and in key symbols, notably the spiral, suggests an appreciation for its metallic shine and colour in contrast to bronze. This silvery lustre was in some cases exploited intentionally, and may sometimes have been associated with the moon in a celestial mythology. The lunar connection might have been accentuated by the origin of iron from bodies of water, which were surrounded by strong beliefs and were often the focus of sacrificial depositions in this period. The qualities sought after in iron during the Bronze Age–Iron Age transition were in some ways different from those appreciated later in Iron Age and historical times. It is necessary to further consider early iron in its contemporary setting without comparison to the ‘successful’ adaptation in the late Pre-Roman Iron Age onwards.

Research paper thumbnail of Northern Connections: Interregional Contacts in Bronze Age Northern and Middle Sweden

Open Archaeology

This article examines northern connections in the Nordic Bronze Age, focusing on interregional co... more This article examines northern connections in the Nordic Bronze Age, focusing on interregional contacts in middle and northern Sweden. In the article, we argue that it is important to incorporate a northern perspective in the discussions about the Scandinavian Bronze Age and its networks. We focus on the Mälaren Valley region, especially the province of Uppland, and the northern parts of Sweden, in particular the coastal areas of northern Sweden. We discuss some aspects of the archaeological material, which have been used in earlier discussions of interregional contacts in middle and northern Sweden during the Bronze Age, such as the Håga mound outside of Uppsala, and burial cairns and bronze artefacts in northern Sweden. Furthermore, we discuss eastern contacts with areas in present-day Finland and Russia, and how these have been interpreted in middle and northern Sweden. In our view, there is a need to critically examine interregional contacts and the construction of regional enti...

Research paper thumbnail of Inhumationsgravar under yngre bronsålder och äldsta järnålder i Uppland

This article focuses on the inhumation graves from the Late Bronze Age and the earliest part of t... more This article focuses on the inhumation graves from the Late Bronze Age and the earliest part of the Iron Age that have been excavated in Uppland. The aim is to discuss the inhumation burial practice during the Late Bronze Age in this part of the Mälaren valley. It has been known for a long time that there was wide variety in the construction of graves and/or bone deposits from the Late Bronze Age in Uppland. Most of the graves are cremation graves, but archaeological excavations in Uppland and central Sweden in the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century found and investigated a few inhumation graves dated to the Late Bronze Age and the earliest part of the Iron Age. Even though inhumation graves in the area were known during most of the 20th century, they are often seen as something unknown, unexpected and unusual. Recent studies of burial traditions in the Mälaren valley during the Bronze Age have mainly focused on cremation graves,and especially the category of “cre...

Research paper thumbnail of I bronsålderns gränsland : Uppland och frågan om östliga kontakter

In archaeological research, the province of Uppland has often been viewed as the northern ‘periph... more In archaeological research, the province of Uppland has often been viewed as the northern ‘periphery’ of the Nordic Bronze Age region. At the same time, many researchers have also emphasized the di ...

Research paper thumbnail of Mellan Öst och Väst: Arkeologisk forskning och gränser då och nu

Research paper thumbnail of Bronsålderns benbruk i östra Mellansverige : med exempel på variation i gravskicket vid Broby och Hallunda

Fornvännen, 2021

During the Late Bronze Age in the eastern parts of Central Sweden, the remains of the deceased we... more During the Late Bronze Age in the eastern parts of Central Sweden, the remains of the deceased were treated in many different ways. In addition to cairns and stone settings (which are usually regarded as graves), human bones, cremated as well as not cremated, have also been found in settlements, in heaps of fired crackedstones, wells, pits and in water. These “bone deposits” are made up of parts of people rather than complete bodies, and show a complex treatment of the dead (see, for example, Thedéen 2004; Eriksson 2005; Fredengren 2011). The purpose of this article is to study and discuss the highly varied practice of treating the remains of the deceased in eastern Central Sweden during the Late Bronze Age.This issue is discussed through two very well-known Bronze Age sites: Hallunda, Botkyrka parish in Södermanland and Broby, Börje parish in Uppland. In the article we argue that the bone deposits found in the area must partly be seen in a different way than a “grave” in the sense of a place for the deceased’s last restingplace. We highlight circumstances which indicate that the human bones that are found are the result of ritual processes with different phases, rather than individual “burials” with the grave as a last resting place for the dead. We also argue that a distinctive feature in the treatment of the remains of the dead in eastern Central Sweden is that the link between the dead individual and the “grave monument”(which is central to the concept of the grave) is weak

Research paper thumbnail of Iron in the Nordic Bronze Age and Early Pre-Roman Iron Age – Visibility, Colour Contrasts and Celestial Associations

Norwegian Archaeological Review

This paper explores the use of iron in the Late Bronze Age and the earliest Iron Age (c. 1100–300... more This paper explores the use of iron in the Late Bronze Age and the earliest Iron Age (c. 1100–300 BC) in south-eastern Sweden, with a focus on the final Bronze Age and Pre-Roman Iron Age I. The aim is to study how early iron was used, valued and perceived, particularly in relation to pre-existing bronze and gold. Choosing iron for certain object types, such as dress attributes and arm rings, and in key symbols, notably the spiral, suggests an appreciation for its metallic shine and colour in contrast to bronze. This silvery lustre was in some cases exploited intentionally, and may sometimes have been associated with the moon in a celestial mythology. The lunar connection might have been accentuated by the origin of iron from bodies of water, which were surrounded by strong beliefs and were often the focus of sacrificial depositions in this period. The qualities sought after in iron during the Bronze Age–Iron Age transition were in some ways different from those appreciated later in Iron Age and historical times. It is necessary to further consider early iron in its contemporary setting without comparison to the ‘successful’ adaptation in the late Pre-Roman Iron Age onwards.

Research paper thumbnail of Medelhavsbrons i Närke : Hasslefyndet kastar ljus över kontaktvägar, metallanvändning och offerskick under bronsålderns slutskede

Medelhavsbrons i Narke : Hasslefyndet kastar ljus over kontaktvagar, metallanvandning och offersk... more Medelhavsbrons i Narke : Hasslefyndet kastar ljus over kontaktvagar, metallanvandning och offerskick under bronsalderns slutskede

Research paper thumbnail of Southern bronzes in the North: exchange networks linking Scandinavia to Continental Europe in the mid-first millennium BC explored through the Hassle hoard, Sweden

Valdés, L., Cicolani, V. & Hiriart, E. (eds) Matières premières en Europe au 1er Millénaire av. n. è. Exploitation, transformation, diffusion, Actes du 45e colloque de l’AFEAF. Actes du 45e colloque de l’AFEAF. Collection AFEAF (5). Paris: AFEAF, pp. 453–456., 2023

In 1936 an intriguing deposition dating to the Bronze Age - Iron Age transition (ca 600-500 BC) w... more In 1936 an intriguing deposition dating to the Bronze Age - Iron Age transition (ca 600-500 BC) was found in a river bed in Hassle in southeast Sweden. It contained a rare combination of exotic imports originating from Continental Europe and the Mediterranean world; two bent Hallstatt swords of Mindelheim type, two
rippenzisten/ciste a cordoni buckets, two small hooks and twelve ornamental bronze discs (probably decorations for a wagon) - all found inside a reworked and repaired cauldron, possibly originating from the Etruscan or Greek area. The closest parallel to this find is the tripod cauldron from a 6th century tumulus in Sainte-Colombe-sur-Seine (Côte-d’Or), eastern France. How these objects reached central Sweden is debated. The find is currently being revised and its origins, dates and possible routes to Scandinavia is now being re-assessed. This article briefly presents some new insights and questions of these objects's possible areas of production and history of use.