Animal husbandry in Västergarn parish : an osteoarchaeological case study of animal bone material from Snauvalds 1:2, Västergarn, Gotland

In this Bachelor thesis an animal bone material from Västergarn parish is analyzed and discussed. The purpose of this thesis is to gain more knowledge about the Viking Age/Early Medieval Västergarn. Västergarn has a few remains from former days which have been discussed throughout the years and are still a bit of a mystery for archaeologists. The main focus is to inquire into whether Västergarn was an urban, complex society or a rural settlement. This will be done by studying the animal husbandry from the property of Snauvalds 1:2. The animal bones have been typed, and sex and age estimations have been made on the most common domestic animals, ergo cattle, sheep/goat and pig. The result from the analysis shows that Västergarn has tendencies of both countryside settlement and a more urban society and the final conclusion is that it has most probably been a trading place or a market place considering its closeness to a Viking Age harbor