Ny Björn Gustafsson

@nybjorn

Swedish archaeologist (PhD, Arch Sci). Finds specialist (Iron Age through Medieval per.) Surveyor of islands in the Baltic Sea. 😍LiDAR-spotting! Works for @raa-se.bsky.social Papers etc:

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Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· 13d

Last week, while hiking along the outer coastline of western Mainland, Shetland, we came upon these ramparts by the base of the Lambigart headland; the innermost being the easiest to spot. Turned out to be registered as a possible promontory fort. www.trove.scot/place/245637 #HillfortsWednesday 🏺

The position of the two ramparts, the innermost close to 2 m high, over the Lambigart headland, Shetland

The two ramparts, the innermost close to 2 m high, over the Lambigart headland, Shetland. Photo taken from southwest standing by the southern end of the outer rampart.

The innermost peat and stone rampart, close to 2 m high, over the Lambigart headland, Shetland

The two ramparts over the Lambigart headland, Shetland. Photo taken from northwest.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· 14d

Oops… - they still had books in Scotland too… - and sale in the National Museum’s bookstore…

Archaeological bookhaul from a week in Shetland and 2 days in Edinburgh.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· 16d

After visiting the actual findsite, the chapel ruins on St. Ninian’s Isle in Shetland, I had to pop in to have a new look at the actual treasure in Edinburgh… 🏺 (I definitely did prefer the number of people in Shetland to that of central Edinburgh though…🫣)

A part of the treasure from St. Ninian’s Isle in Shetland, on display in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.

St Ninian's Isle and the tombolo connecting it with southwestern Mainland, Shetland.

“St. Ninian's church”, where the St Ninian's Isle Treasure was found (by the small standing stone inside the ruin) in 1958.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· 19d

A must for any Viking specialist travelling in Shetland: Viking shield biscuits!

Biscuits in the shape of (Viking) round shields. Baked on the island of Unst, Shetland

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· 22d

A good day out on Bressey and Noos, messing around in boats, brochs and a fabulous landscape… #Shetland

Noos eroded coast with sandstone bedrock featuring distinct layers of large igneous pebbles

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· 23d

This one’s for you @helenaullmark.bsky.social - captured at Jarlshof, Shetland, this morning…

A Shetland pony at Jarlshof with Sumburgh Head in the background.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· 24d

…alas, not very compatible with travelling to Shetland… but still!

Me and LEGO-Endurance at Copenhagen airport.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Jul 13

Standing some 25 m above sea level on Hoburgen, the last cliff of Gotland, would normally mean that the horizon would be some ~18 Km away - but at 4:50 am this Saturday the Karlsöarna isles, 42 Km to the north where clearly visible… #Mirage

The Karlsöarna isles - Greater Karlsö to the left and Lesser Karlsö to the right - as mirages on the horizon as seen from the Hoburgen cliff on southernmost Gotland. The actual distance between the two points is c. 42 Km.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Jul 3

Got to handle the scabbard chape from Sör-Amsberg, Dalecarlia, this morning… - God it’s ugly! A copy of a copy. 🤣 #FindsFriday

A Viking-period sword scabbard chape in Borre-style.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Jun 29

- Vacation ✅ - Dalecarlia ✅ - House by Lake Gimmen ✅ - Off (the general) grid ✅

View through the privy door, with Lake Gimmen in central Dalecarlia/Dalarna in the background.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Jun 5

In 1877, Hjalmar Stolpe test-pitted the area we now know as Birka's Garrison. He never understood its importance - but he documented his findings. Earlier this week I realised what a C-shaped feature on his drawings represented: This bronze bracelet. Thank you (yet again) Hjalmar! #FindsFriday

An undecorated bronze bracelet, found in 1877 during Hj Stolpe's test excavations in the Garrison-area. Now part of the collections of the Swedish History Museum, inventory nr 34000:Bj 596:41.

Hj Stolpe's test pit A from above. The bracelet marked as "j". Note the line A. indicating a section drawing.

Section A with the bracelet included. Depth (1, 2, 3 etc) in feet.

The 1877 test pits (red) and 1934 trenches (blue) on top of a principal drawing of the "Hall of the Warriors" at Birka's Garrison, fully excavated between 1998 and 2001.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· May 30

Have you visited the shorter but larger house foundation in Etelhem? (825 m2 vs 737 m2 at Stavgard) app.raa.se/open/fornsok...

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· May 29

On 2 June, 13:00-15:00, Moa Råhlander will defend her Doctoral dissertation "The attributes of beads: what beads can tell as archaeological objects". 🏺 Opponent: Birgit Maixner Zoom-link: stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/69840463764 The thesis can be downloaded here: urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=...

The cover of Moa Råhlander's PhD-thesis, featuring a drawing of the upper part of a skeleton with women-attributed jewellery.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· May 21

For those who understand Swedish: An interview with Per Widerström, Gotland Museum, on the fact that the 12th C silver (mostly) hoard from Mörkö have been bought by the State for 4 million SEK. Short version: www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/mynt... Longer: www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/2792...

The hoard, or at least parts of it during the “excavation” by the finders. Coins photographed by a hole in the ground.

A glaring example of how NOT to act when you encounter artefacts. All information about the hoard’s internal structure was lost for ever.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Apr 19

New publication by Birgit Maixner: ”Three Miniatures on Raw Material Exploitation and Long-Distance Trade in Central Norway During the Early Viking Age: A Regional Study of the Viking Economy Based on Archaeological Evidence” (Gunneria 84) 🏺🥳🇳🇴 Free here 👇 www.ntnu.no/documents/10...

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Apr 18

And here’s a message from one of our sponsors: - Scratch a bit more twolegs, no not there - to the left!

Two Gute sheep ewes, a breed typical to Gotland. Both rams and ewes have horns.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Apr 18

…just some light Saturday messing-about with native Gotlandic wool…

Combing and sorting some lightly washed Gute sheep wool. Rather dark for that breed.

Gute sheep wool spread out to dry. Spinning’s up next, but I’ll leave that to those better qualified (aka my wife).

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Apr 17

Better pictures of the recently reported golden (runic) bracteate and clasp button from Sjonhem, Gotland - along with parallells. #FindsFriday 🏺

Golden (runic) bracteate (type C) and clasp button (John Hines' group B1 VI) from Sjonhem, Gotland. Found in a garden in the 1970's and kept by the family until last year.

Photo: Gotland Museum

Clasp with buttons from Havor in Hablingbo, southwestern Gotland (SHM 8064).

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Apr 14

Interested in the rules on public metal-detecting in Iceland? Here's a fairly recent set of guidelines (in Icelandic, náttúrlega...): Málmleitartæki, Minjastofnun Íslands Leiðbeiningar 9 (Stefánsdóttir 2026) 🏺 www.minjastofnun.is/static/files...

Probably the most un-Icelandic vision of metal-detecting you will ever see... - barefoot in the sun...

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Apr 13

New article in the Journal of the North Atlantic: "Norse Seafaring in Western Scotland: Sea Routes and Navigation Marks" by Shane McLeod & Alex Sanmark of @insuhi.bsky.social Open access ⤵️ 🥳🏺 bioone.org/journals/jou...

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Apr 10

A new VERY interesting find from Telemark fylke, Norway. 🥳 🇳🇴 A Viking-period trefoil brooch with what appears to be a bird of prey-ornament. I have personally never seen anything like it… 🏺 📸: Frank Brødsjømoen Måbø #FindsFriday

The centre and one “leaf” of a trefoil brooch with what appears to be a bird of prey-ornament

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Apr 1

@fornvannen.bsky.social just published a (short) paper I wrote on a quite atypical Viking-period sword scabbard chape from the Paviken harbour site, Gotland. 🏺 Read it - open access - here: publicera.kb.se/fornvannen/a...

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Mar 21

A really good collection of papers on personhood, possessions and the concept(s) of ownership - “Own and be owned” (2015). 🏺 As alway, best read in the traditional way - but you can also find it on-line, for free, here: www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/di...

The cover of the volume “Own and be owned : Archaeological approaches to the concept of possession” edited by Klevnäs & Hedenstierna-Jonson. The front face is dominated by a stylised photograph of a key handle from the Viking Period.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Mar 20

In 2013, the Swedish version of ”Antiques Roadshow” visited Visby. A man brought this large, unprovenanced pseudo-penannular brooch from the Viking Period for evaluation and after a bit of a debacle it was bought by the state and is now kept by Gotland Museum. #FindsFriday 🏺

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Mar 18

It is an old find, from Busarve in Othem parish on northeastern Gotland, and alas that is all we now about it. Based on the parallels from e.g. Björkö there are reasons to assume that it is early, and for human wrists. Accession nr GFC9779 (📸: Kajsa Pontén Röcklinger, CC BY)

The shackle and chain from Busarve, NE Gotland.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Mar 18

Got to do a bit of hands-on lecturing last night, refreshingly analogous in the storages of Gotland Museum. The theme was “The basics of Viking-period economics”… 🏺 (📸: Lisa Berg)

Holding a Gotland-found iron shackle, possibly a reminder of the not so much discussed “slaves for silver”-business model.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Mar 16

Another "That belongs in a museum"... Sold 2018 for 103 € - without context of course, but seemingly from the Netherlands. auction.catawiki.com/kavels/19373... It's a rather close relative to a chape found 1931 in a Viking-period cremation grave in Hamrånge, Sweden (SHM 19777, grave 16).

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Feb 25

New on Old Uppsala by Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, Johan Callmer, John Ljungkvist, Per Frölund and others, presenting some of the results from the last 20 years of excavations and research. "Från hallar till fynd i Gamla Uppsala"

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Feb 23

A bleak morning by the medieval gallows above Visby.

Ny Björn Gustafsson@nybjorn· Feb 22

Proceedings of the 40th Interdisciplinary Viking Symposium - 3 May 2023 in Odense: ”Travelling Viking Age” museumodense.dk/wp-content/u...