In September 2001 the symposium 'War and conflicts in transition periods: From the heroic warriors of the Bronze Age to the medieval mercenaries' was hosted at the Viking Age site of Birka on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren. The present publication is a result of this symposium. It can also be regarded as a summary of the research project 'Strongholds and Fortifications in Central Sweden AD 400–1100' ('Borgar och befästningsverk
i Mellansverige 400–1100 e.Kr.', abbrev. 'BMS'), funded by The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond).
Author(s): Lena Holmquist Olausson, Michael Olausson (eds.)
Series: Theses and Papers in Archaeology, B:11
Publisher: Stockholm University
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 206
Introduction / Lena Holmquist Olausson & Michael Olausson 5
Aggression, territory and boundary - and the Nordic Bronze Age / Henrik Thrane 11
From Greek Hoplite phalanx to Roman legion / Johan Engström 25
At peace with walls: Fortifications and their significance AD 400-1100 / Michael Olausson 35
Constructiong the warrior ideal in the Late Viking Age / Judith Jesch 71
Danish naval complexes in the Late Iron Age and Viking Age: The Gudsø Vig barrage in perspective / Anne Nørgård Jørgensen 79
Vikings and farmers: Some remarks on the social interpretation of swords and long-distance contacts during the Viking Age / Fedir Androushchuk 93
Eastern archery in Birka's garrison / Fredrik Lundström, Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson & Lena Holmquist Olausson 105
Runes as a mark of status / Helmer Gustavson 117
Viking-age weapons found in Eastern Middle Sweden / Niklas Stjerna 125
Iron - the metal of weapons and wealth / Eva Hjärthner-Holdar 133
Byzantium and 'He taktike episteme' as a cognitive reference for Varangian military tactics / Elisabeth Piltz 145
Rus', Varangians and Birka Warriors / Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson 159
Type specific features and identification of war graves - the physical remains as source material after battle / Anna Kjellström 179
War and the ideal warrior in Medieval Sweden / Thomas Lindkvist 191
Allotted sailors and soldiers: The Swedish war machine during the 17th and 18th centuries as a reference for the military history of AD 400-1100 / Lars Ericson Wolke 199
