A settlement in transformation Local typology at Lida äng settlement, Södermanland, Sweden, c. 100 BC-AD 550

Abstract

The principal aim of this article is to obtain an understanding of the structure and changes of the lron Age setlement at Lida äng, Södermanland, Sweden, by means of a thorough typological evaluation. Many of the lron Age setdements in eastern central Sweden dating from c. 500 BC to AD 400 are situated in soil that has been intensively cultivated and ploughed. It is thus seldom possible to deduce a stratigraphical sequence between the houses or to distinguish contemporaneous houses from replacement orres. It is shown here that several of the radiocarbon dates could not conceivably apply to the houses from which the material was collected. The sampling strategy shed doubt on relying on radiocarbon dates when more precise information on the age of buildings is needed. Instead an attempt is made to reconstruct the setdement on the basis ofarchitectural changes. A rough division could be made in terms of the trestle breadth/span length (tb/sl) ratio, and together with an evaluation of gable construction this led to the identification ofseveral surprisingly well-defined units, often with two houses placed perpendicular to each other. The settlement consisted of orre unit throughout the pre-Roman and Roman lron Age, mov-ing every 30th-60th year. Several of the units consist of two multifunctional dwelling houses, making Lida an a typical settlement. It is evident, however, that additional information of significance for understanding the structure and development of specific setdements can be obtained by this method.