Runstenarnas sociala dimension

A case is made for defining runology as runic philology, the ultimate goal of which is to arrive at a “basic” interpretation of rune-texts. Scandinavian rune­stones from the Viking Age are not, however, only sources for old languages and writing practices. They may tell us much about contemporary cultures and the social role played therein by runic monuments, information which may in turn be used to understand better the texts themselves. A discussion is offered of the different angles from which the social aspects might be studied: stone types, monument location, carving technique and ornamentation, monument status levels, runic usage, phonology, morphology, as well as lexemes, including names