Gotland is particularly rich in prehistoric remains. No place in Scandinavia has such a large amount of Viking objects found during the last 200 years, and no area has seen so many silver hoards as Gotland. More than 700 hundred hoards, containing in total more than 200,000 silver coins from the Arabic world, England, Germany and other countries, provide clear evidence of the importance of the island during the Viking Age. The island is also famous for its Bronze Age monuments: enormous cairns and ship-settings, as well as its Early Iron Age house foundations, so-called ‘giant’s graves’. Much of the archaeological research on the island has focused on settlements and harbour sites, but the field school now has turned its attention to a different aspect.
During summer 2024 we started a new exciting project called The Viking Age Farm, in order to shed light on one of the aspects of Gotland history and landscape that still require an answer to many questions.
In summer 2025 we will continue to explore the past of Kärrman farm.
For an accurate description of the project, click here or on the pdf document.
Please see the FAQ sheet for additional information.
Here you can find the Syllabus for the Summer 2025 in PDF format.
For those with an artistic mind, there is oppurtunity to draw finds. Archaeological drawing is not like an ordinary sketch; you have to show the intricate parts of the artefact that a picture can't show.
3 week field course
The field course is carried out over 3 weeks, from the 30th of June 2025 until the 18th of July.
The course package includes field activities, weekly evening lectures, lunch on the field, two coffee breakes and dinner at Hemse Folk High school.
It's possible to add a B&B staying at the package in Hemse Folk High School.
Field methods that will be applied at the excavation are:
The course is set at a beginner’s level and after the completion of the course, the student will be able to excavate a trench and possible features by following single contexts and stratigraphical layers together with documentation through measuring, drawing and writing.
The student will be able to distinguish from different archaeological finds and material, recognize changes in stratigraphy and clean, measure, weigh, photograph and catalogue finds. The student will also learn how to write basic archaeological documentation and reports, read academic texts and discuss theories and methods in a group environment. The student should also be able to theorize around the features and find materials as well as contextualize the excavation to the surrounding landscape and the time period.
Please note that we are not part of a university and can therefore not provide academic credits. Read more about academic credits and transcripts in the syllabus that you can find just here on the left.
Personal Research
Students will take on a research subject related to the excavation findings and present their results at the end of the course.
We also encourage students to use materials from the excavation or previous excavations for their own university studies (i.e. essay or thesis) with permission.
For information about costs and registration procedure and the B&B options, please visit our cooperating partner, Gotland Folk High School here.
The course fee includes:
It's possible to add the staying in the school that includes:
Field school director
Dan Carlsson, PhD, Associate Professor
Field supervisor
Alice Rosa Brusin, M.A.
First week
Second week
Third week