Byns vara eller icke vara, är det frågan ? By och bebyggelse i sydvästra Skåne 400–1800 e.Kr.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the concept of village and settlement patternsin a long-term perspective in the southern part of Sweden. For whom were villages asuccessful concept and was one definition really enough to describe the role villagesplayed in different societies ? All excavated farmsteads in the period AD 400–1800were registered in a GIS database that was used for large-scale analysis. Trends inups and downs in the settlements at different times became visible. Large farmunits/estates influenced village formation due to control over land and the abilityto organize people and agrarian production. Village nucleation was considered as aprecondition for state formation, as it guaranteed a stable and continuous transferof agrarian surplus through taxes.