Trelleborg revisited

This study re-analyses artefact finds from the Viking Age ring fortress Trelleborg, Denmark, based on a digitisation and GIS mapping of the unpublished lists of finds and construction from the 1934-42 excavations. We assess the excavation’s recovery strategy and we analyse the quality of the documentation in terms of the distribution and context of the artefacts. We show that a total of 3,267 artefacts were recorded from the excavations and that there is a clear under-representation of plain pottery, which suggests that many pottery sherds were discarded. Some iron artefacts are also likely to have been discarded. It is possible to link the majority of the finds to a feature or a find coordinate. The mapping shows that the vast majority of finds were found in pits or in the topsoil at the fortress site. The spatial distribution shows clear concentrations of finds related to textile work, antler working debris, and cooking vessels made of soapstone. We conclude that the finds reflect areas of activity at the ring fortress. However, there is no clear association between activities and specific buildings, which argues against artefacts being left behind in a sudden and unprepared destruction of the fortress.