Introduction to the films
The excavations at Alvastra pile dwelling were also documented on film. The original super 8 films have been digitized and are available in the Alvastra archives. Mats P. Malmer or Brita Malmer made seven of the films and Hans Browall made the other 18. The seven Malmer films have been edited and are available on this platform as one continuous film, denoted 1-7, in this chapter.
There follows a description of the films, both those available on this platform and those preserved in the archives. The films have not been examined in detail by those who took part in the excavation. For this reason, it has not been possible to identify all the people who feature in the films. We have noted only those whom we within the current project have been able to name. Likewise, it has not always been possible for us to say exactly what the films show. We have included the processes and objects we in the current project have been able to identify.
| Number | Received from | Length in minutes | Content | People | Year | Available |
| 1 – 7 | Mats P. and Brita Malmer | 15,49 | E trench; photo tower; piles; water pump; water sieving; uncovering E trench | ED, HB, EH, MH, BM, AC, PE, MPM | 1979, 1980 | here |
| 8 | Hans Browall | 16,41 | Site before excavation; E trench; W trench; pollen sampling, wood samples from piles; lunch; covering excavated area; water pump; radiocarbon sampling | MPM, GOJ, AB, HB, HG, TB, IO, SW, GA, TP | 1976 | ATA |
| 9 | Hans Browall | 23,10 | Public guided tour; excavating piles from F trench; water pump; E trench; W trench; M trench; dry sieving | GOJ, MPM, AB, SE, TB, AC, AH, | 1977 | ATA |
| 10 | Hans Browall | 16,44 | Public guided tour; excavating piles from F trench; sawing piles for dendrochronological analysis; water sieving, W trench; E trench; Middle trench | TB, LUJ, AH, MPM, AB, SE, GOJ. | 1977 | ATA |
| 11 | Hans Browall | 2,56 | Performance of play with Stone Age characters, Music on Omberg | 1978 | ATA | |
| 12 | Hans Browall | 2,19 | Opening of Trial trench; moving of staff hut | GOJ, AH | 1978 | ATA |
| 13 | Hans Browall | 3,00 | E trench, Trial trench, M trench | MPM, AH, ED, AC, EH | 1978 | ATA |
| 14 | Hans Browall | 2,53 | E trench, Trial trench, M trench, public guided tour, water pump | MPM, GOJ, AH | 1978 | ATA |
| 15 | Hans Browall | 3,20 | M trench; piles in F trench; water sieving | AH, AC | 1978 | ATA |
| 16 | Hans Browall | 3,21 | Lunch; E trench; tower photo | GOJ, CL, EH, AC, BH, HG | 1978 | ATA |
| 17 | Hans Browall | 3,20 | Identifying piles in F trench; end of season covering of trenches | GOJ, CL, AH, MPM, AC, EH, LUJ, TB | 1978 | ATA |
| 18 | Hans Browall | 3,20 | E trench; M trench | AC, AH, MPM, MH, CL | 1979 | ATA |
| 19 | Hans Browall | 3,21 | Excavating piles in F trench; sawing piles for dendrochronological analysis; E, M, W, Trial trenches | TB, SB, MH, AB | 1979 | ATA |
| 20 | Hans Browall | 3,18 | Sawing piles for dendrochronological analysis; excavating piles from F trench; documenting piles | TB, SB, MH | 1979 | ATA |
| 21 | Hans Browall | 3,19 | Sawing piles for dendrochronological analysis, excavating piles from F trench, documenting piles | MH, SB, TB, AC | 1979 | ATA |
| 22 | Hans Browall | 3,19 | W, E, M trenches; water pump; discs for dendrochronological analysis; wood samples from piles | AC, ED, EH, AH, HB, CL, TB | 1979 | ATA |
| 23 | Hans Browall | 3,19 | W, E trenches; excavating and documenting pile from W trench | AC, ED, HB, EH, AH | 1980 | ATA |
| 24 | Hans Browall | 0,43 | E trench | AC, EH, BM | 1980 | ATA |
| 25 | Hans Browall | 3,21 | E, M trenches; photo tower; Casa Miranda; staff huts; trenches covered; on-site museum | BM, ED, AH, EH, AC, SB | 1980 | ATA |
Fig. 1. Digitized films of Mats P. Malmer’s excavations
Key for column 5, People
| Initials | Name in full |
| AB | Andrea Browall |
| AC | Anders Carlsson |
| AH | Arne Hallström |
| BH | Birgitta Hulthén |
| BM | Brita Malmer |
| CL | Christian Lindqvist |
| ED | Ebba During |
| EH | Elisabeth Herner |
| GA | Greta Arwidsson |
| GOJ | Gunborg O. Janzon |
| HB | Hans Browall |
| HG | Hans Göransson |
| IO | Ingrid Olsson |
| LUJ | Lars-Uno Johansson |
| MH | Magnus Holmström |
| MPM | Mats P. Malmer |
| PE | Per Ericsson |
| SB | Stefan Bergh |
| SE | Saskia Enckell |
| SW | Stig Welinder |
| TB | Thomas Bartholin |
| TP | Thomas Persson |
Fig. 2. Some of the people who feature in films