Stenpackningar

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Abstract

The purpose of the following article is to illuminate layers of packed stones as an archaeological object and discuss their potential as bearers of information. In western Sweden we have investigated several layers of packed stones during the past decades. They have been of various kinds and from different chronological periods, but they have seldom been noticed in an appropriate way. In an attempt to change this, I have studied twelve structures containing packed stones and compared their morphological structures, their contexts and their content including finds and building material. The result shows that the differences between these layers of packed stones may be due to chronological, functional and/or contextual factors. However, the most important lesson is that in the future, investigations of layers of packed stones need deeper reflection with more analyses and better documentation. Otherwise, their full archaeological potential could not be used and it will be difficult to understand the structures in an accurate way.