Abstract
This study discusses the construction of regional identities in the Early Bronze Age. The preliminary focus is on burial practice in southwest Norway, and how this is visible in the archaeological material. Earthen barrows from Etne, Karmøy, Jæren and Lista, Norway, have been selected as the archaeological source for this study. How historically constituted structures together with external practice are part of an open-ended process of identity construction, will be investigated. Previous research has often used a set, rigid definition of identity, and earthen barrows along the coast of southwest Norway have therefore frequently been portrayed as part of a southern Scandinavian culture. These perceptions are not necessarily wrong, but have neglected the complicated concept that identity is. In this thesis I argue that patterns, both unintentional and intentional, in the material remains, which express regional variations, can be traced. The construction of identity is a multifaceted process, and the present study will reflect this. A quantitative methodology based on a selection of focus points has been used for the analysis of every earthen barrow from the regions chosen for study. As a result, the southwest of Norway during the Early Bronze Age can now be seen as a more complex and dynamic region. Although many similarities between regions are shared, these are also divided and competitive. The results are discussed in relation to a theoretical framework on identity, but also in a practical context.