Nordic Archeology

The Gustavianum has a large amount of archaeological finds from the Nordic region. The collections includes prehistoric objects from the Stone and Bronze Ages, as well as the Vendel and Viking Periods; there is also a lot of Medieval material.

Where does the collections come from?

The area around Uppsala is rich in archaeology and the university's archaeologists have for several centuries collected objects from various excavations. There are also finds from Uppsala city centre, for example from excavations in 1907 in connection with the construction of Saluhallen (the Covered Market) at a location known in the 17th century as Studentholmen (‘Student Island’).

Highlights of the collections

A substantial and unique collection of finds comes from a burial ground at Valsgärde, north of Uppsala. University archaeologists excavated the area during two periods – in the 1920s and 1950s – and found a large number of boat graves, cremation burials and other finds.

The major current research project Vikingafenomenet (‘The Viking Phenomenon’) is centred around our collections.