Astrid Noterman, Alison Klevnäs, Cecilia Ljung (Stockholm) ’Dealing with the dead: new osteological analysis of early churchyard burials on Gotland’.

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New analysis of early churchyard burials on Gotland
In this seminar we will present the first results from an ongoing project funded by Stiftelsen Marcus och Amalia Wallenbergs Minnesfond. The project is carrying out biomolecular analyses of human skeletal remains from early churchyard burials on Gotland. The aim is to understand the interplay of life courses and kin relations in decisions to adopt new Christian mortuary forms and locations. We have so far  conducted osteological assessments of some 40 individuals from 7 churchyard contexts. Some individuals showed distinctive tooth wear patterns which may indicate a shared activity between some female individuals. The first crop of radiocarbon  and C and N stable isotope results has just come back and confirms that we have found some of the first individuals buried in Gotlandic churchyards. The second half of the skeletal remains for radiocarbon dating, plus those for aDNA and strontium stable isotope analysis are about to be sent to the relevant laboratories. 
The initial results will be presented in the wider research frame along with a look forwards to the analyses and questions which will come next. The project team has just acquired further funding, this time from Berit Wallenbergs Stiftelse, which will see us placing the biomolecular results in a broader archaeological context over two years from mid-2024.