The excavations in Gamla Skogsby 2021

Thanks to the generous contributions from the public, finds from the students' excavations in Gamla Skogsby can be analyzed. The analysis results can provide more knowledge about life in Gamla Skogsby, about how people have lived there and possible links to the massacre in Sandby Castle on Öland in the 400s.

For two seasons, Linnaeus University's archaeology students have carried out excavations in Gamla Skogsby. For the third season in 2021, the public was offered to contribute. The collection resulted in just over SEK 215,000 to be used to carry out analyses of the extensive 1500-year-old source material, such as analyses of charred plant remains and bones and also surveys of the area.

"It feels absolutely fantastic, really far beyond expectations. It is undeniably proof that many people think that what we do is important and interesting, which means a lot, says Ludvig Papmehl Dufay, senior lecturer at the archaeology programme.

As a thank you, the approximately 550 contributors received a digital tour of Gamla Skogsby, where Ludvig Papmehl Dufay guided around the excavation site and showed finds. Also present in the screening were two students who talked about their experiences at the excavation.

The students have finished digging for the season, but it is still possible to make contributions to Linnaeus University. If you want to contribute specifically to continued research on Gamla Skogsby, you need to label your contribution to Linnaeus University with "Gamla Skogsby". On the Support us page, we show different ways to contribute.

Background Sandby castle and Gamla Skogsby

Sandby Castle on eastern Öland has become known for the brutal massacre that took place there during the late 400s. Archaeologists have found traces showing that the castle's inhabitants were beaten to death and left where they fell in the attack. The surveys have given many details about the life of the migration period, but one thing has eluded the researchers: who carried out the massacre?

There are signs that it was an internal Öland conflict between competing groups that escalated in the massacre. In the search for the perpetrators, archaeologists are now looking west, towards a place not far from the Öland Bridge that bears the name Gamla Skogsby.