Stone transport and labour division in Skåne in early medieval period

The aim is to explain how 65000 tons of stone was transported from the quarries to the minster i Lund between 1080 and 1145 but it also deals with other stone buildings and there building logistic. The entrepreneurs, the roads, the labourers, the oxen, the cart and biblical symbolism in the work is tacen up to discussion. A great part of the project concernes the slavery in early medieval period.

The consecration of the now standing Minster in Lund took place in 1145. The transport of 65000 tons of stone from quarries 35 km north of the town had been going on for 60 years. 10 carts/day had to come to the building place. Already early in the 11th cent. stone was transported for an older stone church at that time 6,5 km. How was this done and administrated? There was a need for an entreprenör, labourers, oxen, carts, roads, river crossings, sleepover places, food, forage etc.

The entrepreneur might have been the Hvide family. They owned the quarries and also the sleepover place Trollenäs/Näs according to the mural paintings in Näs church/chapel. According to english similar building projects oxen were used. The man on the cart, in the quarries and at the building place was most obvious a slave. Already in the 8th cent we can indicate the slaves in this part of Denmark. Slavery was accepted and in large scale up till the beginning of the 13th cent. Then we find the free slaves as the kings tax farmers in the earlier deserted forests in Northern Skåne.

The bilblical scene, comparing the Minster building with Salomos Temple building gave a possibility of making a pilgrim road from the St Olof in Lund, passing a couple of chapels by the fords and ending at the St Olof by the quarries.

Also the Medieval export of the Höör sandstone to Seland and Germany is dealt with in the project.