Anders Kaliff
Anders Kaliff was born in 1963 in Linköping, Sweden. He is a Ph. D. and Professor in Archaeology at Uppsala University and has worked as an archaeologist since the mid 80s.
After training at Uppsala University , Kaliff worked for some years as an archaeologist at different archaeological excavations, at Swedish and Norwegian museums as well as the Swedish National Heritage Board. During 1989-1999, he was employed by the Swedish National Heritage Board, Department of Archaeological Excavations as manager of different archaeological projects. During this period, he continued his association with Uppsala University and successfully defended his doctoral dissertation Grave and Cultic Place in 1997.
Since 1999, Anders Kaliff has been employed at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University , as a researcher, lecturer and supervisor. In 2001 he was appointed Associate Professor and in 2008 Professor in Archaeology. He has also been Director of Studies for undergraduate studies (2001-2002), and for graduate studies (2005). During the period 2003-2008 he was partly on leave, working as Deputy Head and later Head of Department at the Swedish National Heritage Board, Department of Archaeological Excavations.
Kaliff´s scientific production includes work on a variety of topics, covering all periods from the Mesolithic to the Viking Age. The dissertation, as well as a number of scientific and popular publications deals with interpretations of cosmology and religion in ancient Scandinavian society, mainly based on excavated graves and ritual sites. The theoretical basis is mainly the phenomenology of religion and analogies with other cultural contexts. The theoretical framework concerning interpretation of cosmology and ritual is in focus. Other publications deal with cultural contacts between Scandinavia and continental Europe, during Bronze Age and Iron Age, as well as settlement archaeology. The Swedish province Östergötland, where Kaliff has managed a large number of excavations has been an important focus for research. The area has provided material for different articles as well as a monograph on the prehistory of the province, mainly from a perspective of settlement archaeology and the development of central places. Baltic Sea contacts in prehistory has been an area of research in cooperation with colleagues in the Nordic and Baltic countries. He has done interdisciplinary work together with scholars in History of Religion as well as Human Geography.
Kaliff's international experience includes the Middle East, where archaeological projects have been initiated and managed at al-Lisan in Jordan together with a the Swedish colleague Richard Holmgren (The Swedish Dead Sea Expedition, SDSE) in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities of Jordan. He has also conducted field work in Estonia as well as in Nepal and initiated an archaeological cooperation between Chinese and Swedish archaeologists, including a conference in Beijing in September 2005. Kaliff has participated in a number of Swedish, Nordic and international conferences and was for several years a board member of the Swedish Association of Archaeologists. He is also a member of the Nathan Söderblom Society in Uppsala . His scientific production numbers c. 60 monographs and articles, c. 30 works of popular science as well as a number of archaeological excavation reports.
Current research topics includes comparative studies between Bronze Age and Iron Age Scandinavia and other so called Indo-European religions, with focus on the old Vedic and old Iranian ritual systems. Burial customs as well as sacrificial rituals are in focus. The current research also includes work on the Iron Age settlement archaeology in western Östergötland.
Publications
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Det store ritualet: Kremasjon, konstruksjon og konsumpsjon
Part of Bronsålderns Håga, p. 13-36, 2022.
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Arthur Nordén (1891 - 1965)
Part of Svenska arkeologer, p. 233-240, 2020.
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Oscar Montelius (1843 - 1921)
Part of Svenska arkeologer, p. 61-68, 2020.
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The Great Indo-European Horse Sacrifice: 4000 Years of Cosmological Continuity from Sintashta and the Steppe to Scandinavian Skeid
Uppsala universitet, 2020.
Download full text 1 (pdf) of The Great Indo-European Horse Sacrifice: 4000 Years of Cosmological Continuity from Sintashta and the Steppe to Scandinavian Skeid Download full text 2 (pdf) of The Great Indo-European Horse Sacrifice: 4000 Years of Cosmological Continuity from Sintashta and the Steppe to Scandinavian Skeid
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Har människor offrats till makterna i det forna Skandinavien? Nya arkeologiska perspektiv på en gammal fråga
Part of Religionshistorikern Folke Ström, p. 147-160, 2019.
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Torma Zsófia és a civilizáció bölcsője: Erdély úttörő régésznője és felfedezései
Ághegy-Liget Baráti Társaság (ÁLBT) Könyvek, 2019.
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Källan på botten av tidens brunn: Indoeuropeiska rötter till fornnordisk religion
Carlssons Bokförlag, 2018.
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Anchorite Cells and Dwelling Complexes on al-Lisan Peninsula: Preliminary results based on the field documentation by TheSwedish Dead Sea Expedition 2009/2011
Part of Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (ADAJ), 2017.
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Cremation, Corpses and Cannibalism: Comparative Cosmologies and Centuries of Cosmic Consumption
Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017.
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Tempel och kulthus i det forna Skandinavien: Myter och arkeologiska fakta
Carlsson Bokförlag, 2017.
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Akademien granskar...: Arkeologi
Part of Saga och Sed.. Kungl. Gustav Adolfs akademiens årsbok, p. 137-154, 2015.
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Kremation och kosmologi: en komparativ arkeologisk introduktion
Institutionen för arkeologi och antik historia, 2013.
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Goter och goticism - ett europeiskt fenomen
Part of Saga och sed, p. 77-94, 2012.
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Fire
Part of The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Ritual & Religion , p. 51-62, 2011.
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Goternas ursprung - Mystiskt och missförstått
Part of Wulfila och den gotiska bibeln, p. 7-14, 2011.
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Greeting Adress
Part of Gotite III, 2011.
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Kosmopoliterna som lyssnade i vildmarken
Part of Populär arkeologi, p. 26-27, 2011.
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Preface
Part of Gotite III, p. 19-21, 2011.
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Silverbibeln - nytt världsarv
Part of Populär Arkeologi, p. 26-27, 2011.
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Dracula och hans arv: Myt, fakta, fiktion
Efron & Dotter, 2009.
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Skepnader i historiens gränsland: Identitet, centralitet och externa influenser i västra Östergötland under järnåldern
Part of Skuggor i ett landskap, p. 13-45, 2009.
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Tolkning eller analytiskt redskap?: Om terminologins betydelse vid tolkning av rituella lämningar
Part of Döda personers sällskap, p. 19-34, 2009.
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Excavating the Kings´Bones: The Materiality of Death in Practice and Ethics Today
Part of The Materiality of Death, 2008.
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Fire, Water, Heaven and Earth: ritual practice and cosmology in ancient Scandinavia: an Indo-European perspective
Riksantikvarieämbetet, 2007.
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Gravhus, kulthus eller tempel?
Part of Kulthus & dödshus. , 2006.
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Kremering i forntiden och idag
Part of Ett bredare fält, p. 94-97, 2005.
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Oden och Mithraskulten: finns det ett samband?
Part of Religion och bibel: Nathan Söderblom-sällskapets årsbok, p. 61-75, 2005.
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Goternas urhem - myt eller verklighet?
Part of Guldskatter, 2004.
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Goternas märkliga färder
Part of Populär arkeologi, p. 19-23, 2002.
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Continuity and Long-term Changes: Three Prehistoric Sites in Western Östergötland
Part of Tor: Tidskrift för arkeologi, p. 107-123, 2000.
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Objekt och tanke: Speglingar av bronsålderns föreställningsvärld
Part of Spiralens öga, p. 91-116, 1999.
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Tiden, landskapet och människan - en arkeologisk betraktelse
p. 207-214 1999.
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Skärvstenshögar och kremeringsplatser: Exempel och experiment med utgånsgpunkt från en utgrävning i Ringeby, Kvillinge sn, Östergötland
Part of Tor: Tidskrift för arkeologi, p. 35-55, 1994.
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En religionsarekologisk syn på gravar
Part of Tor: Tidskrift för arkeologi, p. 125-143, 1992.
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Kulturlandskapet och människan under 9000 år
Part of En väg med historia, p. 13-21, 1992.
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Skälv - en stormannagård med gravfält från äldre järnålder
Part of En väg med historia, p. 65-72, 1992.
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Östergötland - ett landskap växer fram
Part of Tor: Tidskrift för arkeologi, p. 103-124, 1992.