Innovationsmiljöer i bronsålderns samhälle och idévärld : kring ny teknologi och begravningsritual i Västergötland

Sammanfattning: The aim of this thesis is to elucidate on the factors that lay behind general occurrences in society that diversely develop according to the variance in social and cultural backgrounds. The thesis encompasses the period between 2000-500 BC and concentrates on the effects of the introduction of a new technology (metal working) and new burial rites on the society in SW Sweden (Västergötland).One key phrase is "innovative environment", i.e. the positive prerequisites for a specific occurrence in a given environment: the word "environment" here taken to include not only geographical but also social and intellectual factors. The expression is taken from technical history in a humanistic context, a subject which in common with anthropology and archaeology follows a holistic approach. The analysis section is presented in the form of various phases in the course of innovative development. The last chapter deals with religion and concepts that are illustrated by, for example, the personification of symbols, the creation of two-dimensional pictures and new burial practices.The source material originates from the information gathered from the Swedish Ancient Monument Register, stray finds and finds from rescue excavations, i.e. material not recovered as a result of a primarily scientific excavation. Late Neolithic megalithic tombs and workshop area finds from the Bronze Age are treated in greater depth than finds from other categories.The oldest metallic finds in Västergötland are small personal ornaments found in megalithic tombs. There is no evidence to suggest that local copper ore from Mid Sweden was used at that time, the importations of copper being prevalent.The intellectual environment of the Late Neolithic contained much new thinking. A move towards the individual rather than the collective was already in evidence. There was a desire to impress, demonstrated by the acquisition of exotic objects such as attractive flint daggers or by making out communal graves with standing stones or stone circles. These occurrences are further developed by way of bronze status objects and grave monuments in the Bronze Age.It is still possible to re-establish the position of the old distribution routes for exotic objects in the present day landscape. When the traditional society collapsed around the middle of the Bronze Age though, the new settlements sprang up mainly alongside the old trackways rather than where the original settlements had been. An exception is Falbygden, situated in the central part of the area under investigation, that always had a more prominent position than the rest of Västergötland.One effect of the breaking down of the more traditional form of society was that bronze acquired an economic value. Certain details of casting techniques imply not only the importation of metal but also of technical skills. Some finds from the workshops areas also illustrate that the distribution of metal followed a pattern adopted by Central Europe. It should also be noted that bronze was used for the manufacture of utility articles throughout the whole of Northern Europe in contrast to other parts of the world where copper, bronze and gold were associated only with prestige or religious usage.