Ridanäs is the name of a 6-12th century AD Viking settlement located on the island of Gotland, Sweden. Archaeological and historical evidence indicates that over time, the residents of the site gradually accepted Christian ideological tenets and religious practices, a change directly expressed in the material culture--the archaeology--of the site.
During the Viking age, Ridanäs was a port city, and an important point of departure between Scandinavia and Europe. The residents of Ridanäs participated in an extensive exchange system, marked archaeologically by the presence of lots of trade goods. Trade items included amber from the Baltics; rock crystal from the Black Sea; walrus ivory from the North Atlantic; glass from Italy; carnelian, rock crystal and amethyst from the Arabian peninsula; cowry shells from the Indian Ocean; and silver coins of Arabic, English and German origin. Scholars believe this extensive trade resulted from a 'gift economy', that is, that they resulted from gifts given to and from Viking chiefs, helping to establish and maintain their authority.
Ridanäs and the Christian Conversion
The Christian conversion of the island of Gotland is marked by the building of a new church at Fröjel, and a shift of settlement away from Ridanäs' coast inland. At the same time, Ridanäs lost its function as a center of interregional exchange, partly because of post-glacial land uplift which significantly lowered the harbor, partly because improved shipbuilding made a port between Europe and Scandinavia unnecessary, and partly because of the social changes wrought by the conversion.
The Christian church's political organization led settlements to become closed communities with regional connections established through the church authorities. The result was a more isolated and self-sufficient Christian community, detached from the Viking Age network of economic changes and cultural interaction.
Burials at Ridanäs
Further changes wrought at Ridanäs by the conversion included a changes in burial practices. Viking Age burials were in crouched positions, without coffins and with grave goods including Norse style jewelry; while Christian patterned burials included narrow wooden coffins. Interestingly, stable isotope analysis of the skeletal material revealed that diet remained fairly stable over time, with a continued reliance on seafood.
Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com Guide to the Vikings, and part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
Excavation of the site was conducted by Dan Carlsson and colleagues between 1987 and 2005.
Kosiba, Steven B., Robert H. Tykot, and Dan Carlsson 2007 Stable isotopes as indicators of change in the food procurement and food preference of Viking Age and Early Christian populations on Gotland (Sweden). Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 26:394-411. Free download
