EXCAVATION 2026- RONE RAUDSTAJN

Understanding the ancient coastal landscape

A new phase in The Connecting Point Project

Gotland is particularly rich in prehistoric remains. No place in Scandinavia has such a large amount of Viking objects found during the last 200 years, and no area has seen so many silver hoards as Gotland. More than 700 hundred hoards, containing in total more than 200,000 silver coins from the Arabic world, England, Germany and other countries, provide clear evidence of the importance of the island during the Viking Age. The island is also famous for its Bronze Age monuments: enormous cairns and ship-settings, as well as its Early Iron Age house foundations, so-called ‘giant’s graves’. Much of the archaeological research on the island has focused on settlements and harbour sites, but the questions that need to be answered are still many.

During summer 2026 we are planning to investigate the ancient coastal activities in the south-eastern part of Gotland, analyzing in particular house remains and a possible harbour.

This is a continuation of the "Connecting Point Project", started in 2018 and continued till 2023 in different locations in Eke parish (read more about it here).

The traces of prehistoric coastal activities before the Viking Age were previously completely unknown, which was seen more as a pure knowledge gap than that there were no coastal activities from earlier times. 

The investigations in Eke showed a strikingly extensive activity on the coast.
Here, clear traces of dwellings (simple forms of overnight houses by the sea) could be found from the Roman Iron Age–migration period and also with hints of activity at the site from the Bronze Age–Iron Age transition period.

It can be said that the investigations at Gudings in Eke have lifted the lid on a completely unknown prehistoric world.

An important question that has not yet received a definite answer is whether the history at Eke is specific to that particular place or whether it is an example of a general process in which corresponding sites are found throughout the coast.

A survey along the coast from Rone to Grötlingbo has shown that there are several sites here with indications of a history similar to that at Gudings in Eke.

It can be noted that at all the sites where there are remains, these are linked to historical fishing villages.

Many of today's fishing villages have a history that goes back to the Iron Age or the Late Bronze Age, all in all a remarkable picture of a continuity in the landscape's history that extends back a couple of thousand years.

One way to answer the central questions within the project about time and function is to provide important information through complementary investigations of corresponding sites, whether we are talking about a general trend where the history of Eke occurs in many other places, especially legible in sections along coasts that are very shallow, as in the case of Eke and Rone.

To clarify these issues, we are going to carry out our investigations in 2026 in a location in Rone parish within the site of the fishing village of Raudstajn just west of Rone harbour. The site contains extensive traces of older activity at a level of approximately 3-4 metres above sea level. A smaller test investigation was carried out in the area in 2021 when a plot of land was excavated and documented with a date of approximately 800 AD.

The location for 2026 excavation and the ancient remains in the area.

Raudstajn is a fishing village that can be traced back to the 17th century in older maps and was used by some of the farms in the western part of Rone parish.

The site undoubtedly contains many traces of these types that illustrate extensive activity on the former coast, probably with roots in the Early Iron Age or possibly even further back in time.

Interesting in this context is the very strong stone wall that surrounds the entire area and encloses a total area of ​​32 hectars during the Early Iron Age.

The enclosure cannot be linked to any property boundary or equivalent in any of the older maps covering the area, from the legal division from the end of the 19th century to the older maps from the 18th century.

Close to the environment with remains from prehistoric times is the fishing village of Raudstajn, which, as mentioned, can be traced back to the 17th century and probably has roots in this place from the Middle Ages, considering the level above sea level.

The site is an excellent addition to the landscape at Gudings and a survey of remains in this area could in a tangible way shed light on the question of whether Gudings in Eke is an isolated occurrence or if history repeats itself along the coast, which is the most likely.

It could also provide further evidence for the function of the sites and any changes over time. 

The house foundation with the typical Iron age "shell walls", excavated in 2021 in Raudstajn, dated to 800 AD.

The fieldwork involves laying out trenches over such sections and remains that are deemed to be able to answer our main questions about time and function of the settlement (figure below).

This primarily concerns house remains. However, it should be noted that many of the remains at Raudstajn are very diffuse and almost impossible to determine their function and type before excavation. But we are going to discover it!

The investigations of the houses/plots will be concentrated in different sections of the settlement in order to have a view of the landscape as complete as possible.

The ground slopes slightly to the south and the oldest houses are hypothetically to be found in the northern part and the youngest furthest to the south.

Centrally within the settlement area there is a distinctive structure that most closely resembles the remains of a cellar. However, it could also be a smaller boathouse of a type that occurs along the Gotland coast and also on Stora and Lilla Karlsö.

The yellow rectangles are houses/plots, red markings are stone mounds of unclear function.

The planned investigations of probable houses, are divided into three areas (numbers 1-3).

The intention is to examine in whole or in part a house within each part of the archaeological site with the aim of seeing the span in time.

In addition, the idea is to examine the cellar-like structure number 4.

If time permits, there may be reason to have part of the area with boat landings (number 5) examined, with the main aim to fin datable material.

For information about costs and registration procedure and the B&B options, please visit our cooperating partner, Gotland Folk High School here.

The course fee includes:

• Lunch, coffee and dinner (Monday - Friday)
  

• Gear for excavating (except clothes, shoes and personal equipment)

• All lectures, seminars and excursions are included.

It's possible to add the staying in the school that includes:

• Full board at Gotland Folk High School in Hemse in a single or double room and three meals per day on all days including weekends.

• Wifi is included together with laundry room and communal areas.

• Transport to and from the excavation site and the excursions.

Field school director

Dan Carlsson, PhD, Associate Professor

dan.carlsson@arendus.se

Field supervisor

Alice Rosa Brusin, M.A.

alicerb@arendus.se