Elevated Crafts: Textile Production at Fortified Hilltop Settlements from the Migration Period

Sammanfattning: This study focuses on the textile implements, notably the loom weights and spindle whorls, found at fortified hilltop settlements - a specific type of hillfort in Sweden. The sites included in the study are Boberget (Östergötland), Gullborg (Östergötland), Darsgärde (Uppland) and Börsås kulle (Bohuslän). From quantitative analysis of the material, assessing the least possible production range, the study also discusses textile production and its social dimensions within the context of sites that deviate from the ordinary, primarily domestic, settlements during the Migration Period. It was possible for the sites to produce textiles of both simple and fine quality. The context of these sites as central places suggests a specialised textile craft which seems to be representative in nature.