The history of a farm–shieling system in the central Swedish forest region

The local vegetation history of three sites in the forested region of central Sweden was studied. These sites were the forest village site Angersjo and the two nearby shieling sites, Gammelvallen and Ojingsvallen. The aim of the study was to elucidate the relationship between the establishment of the farm and of the shielings. The results indicate that agriculture began in the area in the Roman Iron Age or Migration period. There is evidence of contemporaneous human activity in the village of Angersjo and the shieling at Ojingsvallen, suggesting the development of a farm–shieling system. We suggest that permanent farms and shielings were established concurrently as a local system, and that one of the main reasons was to demonstrate that the territory between the farm and the shieling was a potential resource area belonging to the farm. The problems of using pollen to differentiate between a shieling and a farm are also evaluated and it is concluded that multiple sites as well as a multidisciplinary approach is essential in order to be able to address such complex problems as the emergence of the farm–shieling system.