Birka – A State of Research

The project “Birka – A State of Research” aims to prepare a by the länsstyrelsen in Stockholm only in 2012 urgently demanded state of research of the academic Birka investigations. The author’s points of departure are his previous archive studies at the Antikvarisk-topografiska arkivet and the Birka StadsGIS developed by the applicant. The project’s major focus will be put on Birka’s structural layout and only to a lesser degree on artefact studies when they can contribute to the general interpretation of the site.

The long history of research and an accordant amount of available information in combination with a bewildering output of publications made it difficult to define the current state and future perspectives in research. The developed StadsGIS and the collected archive material in combination with the scientific publications on Birka for the first time will allow a conscientious and comprehensive presentation of the current state of research. The structural analysis will contribute to the definition of new research goals and a responsible handling of the archaeological monument.