Was there an elite on Gotland? : A study of Roman Iron Age on Gotland with focus on roman artifacts

The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to examine whether there was an elite on Gotland during Roman Iron Age or not. To explain this focus has been put on the roman goods. The contexts in which the roman artifacts are found indicate that they can be tied to what might have been an elite on Gotland during Roman Iron Age. They might also have been used as means of expressing wealth and prestige. Because the roman artifacts found on Gotland most often are drinking utensils they are also associated with drinking rituals. Drinking rituals are thought to have been very important events in which wealth, political influence, and status could have been expressed. Roman artifacts found in graves also indicate that they might have owned by some kind of elite, because they have been placed together with other status objects. The thesis does not exclude other events or phenomena that took place during the Roman Iron Age. The Iron Age society as a whole is also studied; this is meant to give a broader understanding of the people being researched