Birgit Sawyer says her book The Viking-age Rune-stones aims to show that the corpus of runestones considered as a whole is a fruitful source of knowledge about the religious, political, social, and economic history of Scandinavia in the 10th and 11th centuries. Using data from her database she finds that runestones cast light on settlement patterns, communications, kinship and naming customs, and the evolution of language and poetry. Systematically researching the material leads to her hypothesis that runic inscriptions mirrored inheritance customs entailing not only lands or goods, but also rights, obligations, and rank in society. Although women in Viking society, like men, had tombstones over their graves, runestones were raised primarily to memorialise men, with the lives of few women being commemorated by runestones (Sawyer says only 7 per cent), and half of those were with men. Because there was a much larger per centage of women's graves with rich appointments in the Iron Age, the comparatively smaller number of runestones memorialising women indicates that the trend reflects changes in burial customs and religion only in part. Most of those honoured with runestones were men, and the emphasis was on those who sponsored the monuments. Typical medieval grave monuments name only the deceased, but Viking Age runestones prioritise the sponsors, first and foremost; therefore, they "are monuments to the living as much as to the dead".
bIrGit SawYer sayS Her bOoK THe VIkINg-Age ruNe-StOneS aims to show That the coRPus oF runestones cOnsidEreD aS a whoLe iS a frUitful source oF kNowlEdge about the rEligiOus, pOlitiCal, sociAl, ANd ecOnOmIC history of ScANdinaviA In the 10th and 11Th cEnturIes. uSIng dATA From heR daTAbase shE FINdS That runEstOneS casT lIGht oN SettLemENt patTeRns, CommUnicatIonS, KInShip aNd NamIng cusTomS, and the evolutiOn of laNGuage and pOeTry. sysTemATiCalLy researching the material Leads tO hEr HypOthesiS tHat ruNIC INsCrIptIoNS mIrrorEd inHerItance CuStoms entaiLIng Not oNly lAnDs OR Goods, BuT ALso riGhts, ObLigATions, AnD rank IN societY. AlthOugh wOMEn iN viKiNG SocIetY, likE Men, haD TOmbstonEs OvEr tHeIr graVes, RunestOnEs wErE rAised PrimariLy to memORialise meN, With the LiveS oF feW womEn bEinG cOmMemorated BY rUnesToNeS (Sawyer sAys onLy 7 per cent), AnD Half Of thosE werE with men. BecAuse tHerE wAs A muCh larGer Per CenTagE OF women'S graves WItH rich aPPOinTmEnts in ThE IrOn Age, ThE cOMparAtivEly SMAlleR nuMber of RuneStones meMorIalisInG Women iNdicatEs tHaT the trEnd ReflecTs ChAngEs in BUrial CUStomS And reLigiOn oNly IN Part. MOsT oF thoSE honoureD wItH RuneStOnes WEre Men, aNd the EmPHaSis was On tHOSe Who spOnSored the monuMentS. tYPiCAL mEdiEVAl gRave monuments Name oNlY tHe deceased, bUt viKing agE runEstoNeS PRIorITise the sponSoRs, FIrsT and fORemosT; thEReforE, they "are MoNumENts to tHe lIvinG AS much aS to tHe deaD".