Den tunna röda linjen : identitet inom arkeologisk teori och metod

Sammanfattning: THE THIN RED LINE ? Identity in theory and method With this essay I want to explore some possibilities with the term identity within archaeology. Identity is a term best understood in the light of different scientific approaches. For instance the anthropological and historical angel combined with the quality of archaeology, as is the case in this essay. By combining these approaches, I create a (clarification) method of exploring traces of identity. By analysing two different graves from Scania, having a negligible number of artefacts from the Viking Age, and three graves from Bornholm, known for its large number of finds from this period, I test the ability of my method. In short the result shows that it is the context of thing, body and construction on the grave that is significant for finding identity in prehistoric graves. I also want to focus on the social function of the objects found in graves. The social function, in this context, means that artefacts have an additional dimension of meaning other than the usual practical and symbolic function. It is built on an assumption that the presence of objects in a grave is a form of social understanding of an individual. It could also be a kind of projection of a social image that is based on the wishes of those who buried the person.