Overview

War is often viewed through the lens of strategy, statecraft, and technological progress. However, both war and violence in general are deeply rooted in social and cultural frameworks. From Mesolithic conflicts to Early Modern naval warfare, this interdisciplinary anthology explores the practice and perception of various forms of violence in past societies, revealing patterns that prompt reflection on modern assumptions about war. Blending insights from Conflict Archaeology and War Studies, the work underscores the critical value of material culture in understanding the complexities of warfare, both theoretically and methodologically. For Conflict Archaeology and war scholars, this work advances a perspective that situates violence and warfare within broader social and cultural contexts, emphasizing that war is more than just tactics and technology - it is a social reality embedded in both human action and material culture.

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Rolf Fabricius Warming is a PhD candidate at the Department ofArchaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, and is a partof the Centre for Maritime Studies (CEMAS). His doctoral researchproject, titled ""Soldiers at Sea, c. 1450-1650"", explores the topic ofclose-quarter combat at sea between c. 1450-1650 through a selectionof notable shipwrecks like Griffin/Gribshunden (1495), Mary Rose(1545), Mars (1564) and Vasa (1628) as case studies. With an academicbackground that includes an MA (with distinction) in MaritimeArchaeology (University of Southampton) and another MA in PrehistoricArchaeology (University of Copenhagen), his amphibious interestsstretches both prehistoric and historical periods, with particularfocus on conflicts and warfare (both on land and at sea). Currently, heis also a visiting scholar at the Department of War Studies (MaritimeOperations Division), Swedish Defence University, and is a foundingmember of the Society for Combat Archaeology. Professor Jens Christian Moesgaard, born in Aarhus, Denmark, in1963, holds a Cand. phil. in History from the University of Copenhagen(1992). He managed the numismatic collection at the Muséedes Antiquités in Rouen, 1992-1995, then served as a research associateat the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, in 1997. From there, he was a curator and researcher at the National Museum of Denmark,1997-2019. Since 2020, he has held the Gunnar Ekström Chairas Professor at the Stockholm Numismatic Institute, StockholmUniversity. Moesgaard's research focuses on coinages and coin usein France, England, and Scandinavia, spanning the Viking Age, Middle Ages, and Renaissance. He explores coins as state expressions, the relationship between coins and the population, and theimpact of metal detecting on coin finds. He has published extensively, including two books and numerous articles, and frequentlyengages with the public through talks and edited works. Lena Holmquist is an Associate Professor at the ArchaeologicalResearch Laboratory (Stockholm University) and works with issuesrelating to the Viking age with focus on Viking Age towns especiallyBirka. The projects in 1995-2004 were about Birka's fortifications andgarrison. They were part of the project Hill- forts and fortifications inCentral Sweden 400-1100. Since then, she has researched Birka'sharbour facilities, which concerned trade contacts in Northern Europeand around the Baltic Sea. She has also led excavations of fortificationsin North Macedonia and Germany. Today she is employed in theproject Crisis, Conflicts and Climate as conservator.

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