Transcending borders. Social identity in the Middle Ages and in Medieval archaeology.

The article aims at pointing out the limitations of those archaeological approaches in the field of medieval studies that strictly follow the medieval social theory of the three and later four orders/estates. As an example of the possibilities offered by the use of an contextual approach in attempting to transcend the borders of the four-estate model, an analysis and interpretation of the pottery procuction and consumption patterns in Skåne, Sweden and the Lake Mälaren region, Sweden from the 10th to the 13th century is presented