In memory of Hans Browall

Regrettably, this blog post concerns the passing of Hans Browall associate professor, PhD, during the summer of 2023. Browall was an immense source of information concerning the Alvastra region, especially the Alvastra pile dwelling. He was an important link between the older excavations by Otto Frödin (1909-1931) and the excavations managed by Mats P. Malmer (1976-1980). This is so since Browall single-handedly published the results from Frödin’s extensive excavations (Browall 2011) and was one of the excavating archaeologists at the excavations in the 1970-80s. Browall also published the results of these latter excavations, in part (Browall 2016). To add to the list of publications concerning Alvastra pile dwelling, Browall wrote his doctoral thesis with a special focus on the site (1986), as well as articles (e.g., 1991a; 1991b), together with texts concerning the larger Alvastra region (2003; 2019; 2020; 2021).

All in all, Browall’s work connected many loose ends and unpublished work was made accessible for research through him. It should also be noted that Hans Browall was the initiator of the project Alvastra pile dwelling – an archeological resource at the Swedish History Museum, i.e., the project of which this blog is a part. Consequently, without insight that the material from Malmer’s investigations was in need of being processed, this project would not have been initiated, and the material could still have been inaccessible for further research in the museum storerooms.

With this brief account of Hans Browall’s research we hope that his work with Alvastra pile dwelling continues, and that further knowledge can be obtained, knowledge that clearly builds upon the extensive work that Browall conducted during his lifetime.

References

Publications specifically concerning Alvastra pile dwelling

Browall, H. 1986. Alvastra pålbyggnad: Social och ekonomisk bas. Theses and papers in North-European Archaeology 15. Stockholm: Stockholm University.

Browall, H. 1991a. Om förhållandet mellan Trattbägarkultur och Gropkeramisk kultur, in: Browall, H., Persson, P., Sjögren, K.G. (eds.). Västsvenska stenåldersstudier. GOTARC Serie C Arkeologiska skrifter 8. Gothenburg: Institutionen för arkeologi.

Browall, H. 1991b. “Jättestativet” i Alvastra: en föregångare till dagens fototorn. Fornvännen 1991 (86). pp. 191-200.

Browall, H. 2011. Alvastra pålbyggnad. 1909–1930 års utgrävningar. Stockholm: KVHAA.

Browall, H. 2016. Alvastra pålbyggnad: 1976–1980 års utgrävningar: västra schaktet. Stockholm: KVHAA.

Publications concerning the wider Alvastra region

Browall, H. 2003. Det forntida Alvastra. Stockholm: Statens Historiska Museum.

Browall, H. 2019. Alvastra genom tiderna. Borås: Recito förlag.

Browall, H. 2020. Stenålder vid Tåkern. Stockholm: KVHAA.

Browall, H. 2021. Hall eller plank i Alvastra, eller ingetdera? Fornvännen 2021 (116). pp. 59-60.