Proud to be one!

A few days ago, on the 10th, the spade had given testimony for one year. During the first 365 days I’ve posted 148 posts and have had more than 12500 visits. I feel pleased with my first year with the spade. I missed my birthday with a few days but better late than never.

 

I use this opportunity to share some photos I haven’t shared before. One of my big interest is Ostoeology so this time around it got to be photos of bones, in this case craniums.

 

As I went through my digital photos I found these pictures that I took as I worked at the Osteoarchaeological Research Laboratory (OFL), Stockholm University, in preparing a move from the royal castle Ulriksdal to the Wallenberg laboratory in 2005.

 

The photos of these craniums have been taken for different reasons. These are examples on how disease can leave traces on bone. On this skull we see what osteosarcoma, a type of malignant bone cancer, looks like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This photo where taken as an examples of a discrete trait, in this case so called inca bones or os incae. Discrete traits are traits that often are more common among certain populations. The inca bones have been named so as they are more common amongst the Incas of South America. Inca bones are small bones that are developed within the sutures of the skull.

 

Continuing with sutures; a suture that normally closes during childhood is sutura frontalis, on the forehead, but in some cases it is visible beyond that.

 

 

As you can see on this child cranium the forehead (os parielate) is divided into two pieces though the sutura frontalis has began to close.

 

 

This a an adult cranium where where one can see the sutura frontalis.

 

Other marks are from a trauma of diffrent kinds. In this case it is a healed injury, probably from a sword or an axe.

 

 

The edges of the injury are soft and rounded, this shows that the individual has survived the injury.

In the collections, at that time, were also a few mummies. Here is one of them, today these are at the university of Uppsala.

 

 

Through the bones and other remains of prehistoric or historic humans we as archaeologist/osteologists comes very close to the individuals we work on. The skeletons hold many answers on living conditions, health and in some cases what the individual did for a living. I see it as a privilege to be able to work on such materials and to be able to find out more about what their life might have been.

 

 

Lets hope for an interesting year with lots of archaeology and osteology!

 

Magnus Reuterdahl

The exterior of the dome of Linköping and then some

In my last post I showed parts of the interior of the dome now to the exterior.

The history of the dome of Linköping begins before the dome; it probably is predated by a small wooden church, maybe built during the 11^th century. The first stone church was built during the first half the 12^th century. The foundation of this church was excavated in 1915-1916. During the beginning of the 13^th century the bishop Bengt (1220-36) started to make expansions. He built a new chancel as well as a transept nave. These parts are still a part of the dome as well as the altar. Since the church has been rebuilt, added to and renovated. A dome can be seen as a constant work in progress, though these days there are mostly renovations and changes of the interior design.

 

One interesting detail is the sundial, it can be found on one of the exterior pillars of the chancel.

It is dated to 1512 and one of the oldest in Sweden. As you can se in the photo below it is a square with lines and inscriptions to help the watcher to read the time.

 

Just northwest of the dome is a reconstruction of a labyrinth, a.k.a. a trojaborg.

 

Just southwest of the dome is Linköping castle. The oldest parts of the castle are dated to the 12^th century and it is one of the oldest profane buildings in Sweden. The oldest parts are a small basement and a small two-storey house, both made out of limestone, they are dated to the first half of the 12^th century (of which I have no pictures…).

 

Magnus Reuterdahl