Västergarn Boat Rivets in Context : Case Study : The Missing Boatyard

Abstract: Gotland has a rich material cultural heritage from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages thanks to the island's strategic location in the middle of the Baltic Sea; especially true for the Viking Age when Gotlanders had extensive trade contacts with the east dating from the mid 12th century and Gotland’s economy was dominated by such contacts. This essay deals with Gotland's maritime infrastructure and its development between about 1100 and 1400 based on a case study of boat rivets from the medieval settlement of Västergarn. The study focus is on Västergarn’s emergence as a maritime community on Gotland's west coast, and if Västergarn had the opportunity to decide its own economy, i.e., to control its’ external contacts and internal trade with the rest of Gotland? What role did maritime traffic play in Västergarn economy? Is it possible to draw conclusions about site maritime organization and infrastructure based on the extensive rivet material? What supply chains with the surrounding area may have existed that made such activity possible? What professional skills and knowledge were in place? In the analytical part of the dissertation a classification system for Västergarn's rivet material is established and discussed in comparison with other literature on boat building technology from the rest of Scandinavia, in particular the Baltic Sea area. Results of the study indicate the existence of a boatyard mainly for the repair of clinker-built vessels. Further conclusions about how shipping, especially after clinker-built vessels were replaced by cogs, affected Västergarn's economy and its’ further existence as a port, however, is not established.