Galgbackarna i Halland: en landskapsarkeologisk analys av fyra offentliga avrättningsplatser i det tidigmoderna Hallands urbana miljöer

Sammanfattning: The ideal image of an Early Modern public execution site might be a highly elevated and clearly visible place in the landscape, perhaps close to a road, and not too far from a town or a village. This visibility pattern is also what most of the research and the studies on public execution sites in southern Sweden has shown. However, there are also exceptions. The aim of this thesis has been to obtain knowledge about the Early Modern public execution sites in the urban environments in the county of Halland, in southwestern Sweden. Execution sites in Kungsbacka, Varberg, Falkenberg and Halmstad has been investigated. The study and its results are based on the author’s interpretations of the landscapes through historical maps, aerial photography, as well as personal observations in the field. This study has shown that the investigated execution sites have similar visibility patterns as most of the earlier researched execution sites in other parts of southern Sweden. There seems to be no question about the purpose of these sites and their spatial situations. They were clearly meant to warn, scare, and force the public to obedience.