| Summary: | This thesis provides new, fundamental insights into the morphological features, chronology and development of Bronze Age ceramics from Norwegian burial contexts (1700-500 BC). It furthermore focuses on how different depositional practices of pottery in the Bronze Age, as well as the pottery itself, can be interpreted socially and ritually within a framework of relational identity. The study has included finds of ceramic vessels and lids from both Early Bronze Age/EBA (1700-1100 BC) and Late Bronze Age/LBA (1100-500 BC). Based on the prevalence of the findings, a division was made into four analysis regions: Nordland/North-West Norway, Sunnhordland/Karmøy, South-West Norway and Eastern Norway. The material were then divided into two main categories: rock-tempered ceramics and western Norwegian asbestos ceramics. The rock tempered ceramics is interpeted as part of an overreaching tradition and development primarily from southern Scandinavian bronze age pottery. The asbestos ceramic is exclusively found in EBA graves in the northernmost analysis region, rooted or influenced by the Fennoscandian tradition of asbestos tempering but made in a specifically local style and in burial contexts that connects to southern Scandinavia. Methodically, the analysis builds on detailed classifications and reconstructions of pottery. The basis for the chronology is a combination of new 14C datings of cremated remains from urns, re-calibrated 14C dates from several previously dated contexts as well as typological dates. The works and knowledge on ceramics from the bronze age i Norway is extremely limited, chronologies and insights from mainly Danish and Swedish publications have therefore been actively applied. Overall, the development can be described as follows: In the EBA the rock tempered pottery appears in both inhumation and cremation graves. The finds are few in number and often fragmented, partly because of the practice of intentional deposition of fragmented pottery/pottery sherds in graves. These are coarse-tempered wares, ...
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