The churches in Silte : On church buildings and church finds from early medieval Gotland

This paper looks to examine the relationship between the church buildings and archaeological finds from under the church floor in Silte parish on the baltic isle, Gotland. The material was excavated in 1971-1972, after evidence of an older wooden church was uncovered during restoration work. This older structure, revealed to have consisted of a chancel and choir, had evidently been connected to the present stone choir for some time. The well preserved foundation was excavated along with a rich archeological material consisting of, amongst other things, some 1700 coins and 18 graves along with skeletal material indicating an additional 25 individuals. In this thesis the material and the buildings are put into context and an attempt is made to link it to different phases of christianization. One connecting to the timbered stave church, and one to the later stone church. The results are then used to make a connection between this development and the formation of the parish system on the island and the increased stratification of church and society during the early Middle Ages in Sweden and Scandinavia.