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Sweden Country Grepstad Grave Field © L-M K Also known as: Sverige See individual sites for details Added by TMA Ed News (1) Links (2) 0 discussions Start a topic Show  |  Hide Web searches for Sweden Flickr Google Google Images Stone Pages Wikipedia

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Prehistoric Swedish dildo - or is it a tool? A dig in Motala (Sweden) recently turned up a carved antler bone that bears a strong resemblance to an erect penis. The phallic object is 10.5cm long and 2cm in diameter... continues... Comments (3)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by goffik 27th July 2010ce

Links

Swedish National Heritage Board Fornsök An english description of this search facility: http://www.raa.se/cms/fornsok/about_fornsok.html The interface is only in swedish. «Län» and «Landskap» makes it possible to select geographical locations. Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by Vragebugten 28th July 2009ce

Swedish National Heritage Board's photographic database The link is a search for «Stenkrets» (i.e Stonecircle) in The Swedish National Heritage Board's photographic database. Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by Vragebugten 26th June 2009ce

Kungagraven — Fieldnotes

Visited 3rd August 2011 the Kungagraven is Scandinavia's largest known burial cairn and therefore was a must visit on our trip to Skane. Having read about the site and seen the pictures in The Megalithic European, I was worried this site might be one of those over-restored tourist trap kind of places, but I needn't have worried. We arrived at 10am, just as the place was opening and had it to ourselves. The low cairn is huge, probably the largest I've ever seen, but so denuded from hundreds of years of being robbed for building materials. The curved entranceway was put in during the restoration work in the 1930's along with the gated doorway and 'crypt' containing the cist, but even with this modern meddling the sheer scale of the place allows it to retain its grandeur. Inside the cool darkened chamber the decorated cist slabs seem to glow in the artificial light, the symbology showing sun wheels and burial rites, the style reminiscent of neolithic cave painting, although this tomb was constructed during the Bronze Age. The preponderance of axe heads painted on the slabs reminds me of the carved axe head symbols I've seen in the tombs in Kilmartin valley. The cist slabs were damaged during the 18th century when the quarrying was at its peak, and three of the slabs even disappeared from the site, although fortunately detailed engravings (copies of which hang in the nearby cafe) were made before this happened. Soon other visitors start to arrive and we move from the small chamber back out to the dazzling sunshine for a wander around the outside of the cairn. Near to the cairn, where you pay for your entrance tickets, by a murmuring brook, is the picturesque Cafe Sagmollan, where we sat for a very nice cup of coffee and I was able to write up my fieldnotes, Ellen also discovered for sale a great little booklet with information on the Kungagraven in English, and even better after leafing through it we discovered that less than 300 metres south of the cairn was a large gravefield with a number of stone settings! An unexpected megalithic bonus that we could head off to explore. Overall the Kungagraven has been well worth a visit, reasonably priced at 20kr (about £2 when we went) and not in any way 'in your face' touristy. Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by Ravenfeather 31st January 2012ce

Kungagraven — Images (click to view fullsize)

Posted by Ravenfeather 31st January 2012ce

Disa's Ting (Standing Stones) — Fieldnotes

Visited 2nd August 2011 Disa's Ting is a rectangular setting of sixteen stones, which were erected on a small earthen bank delineating an area of thirty-six metres long by sixteen metres wide. Where elsewhere the stone setting could be described as a cromlech, in Scandinavia these types of monument are know as thing-vollr, a law centre or 'field where an assembly meets'. The sixteen stones range in height from 7' tall, in the south-east of the rectangle, to around 1' high, the largest stones standing along the southern quadrant closest to the sea. There does not appear to be any graduation in the height of the stones. Excavations in 1920 discovered a cobblestone framework was laid down in order to form the foundation for the earthen bank, and amongst this material were found scattered burnt human bones. These were interpreted as being the remains of an Iron Age grave that would have dated from around 500 BCE to 400CE, later carbon dating has put this towards the earlier end of that scale. The embankment on which the stones stand has now denuded over time, but is still visible, and provides an opening to the enclosure from the west. Although the archaeological evidence recovered points toward the Iron Age, and therefore long after the rest of European megalithic culture, the surrounding area is rich in earlier Bronze Age remains, including a barrow field (graberfeld) only a few hundred metres to the west, indicating that the site may have had an earlier date of construction and had been adapted for later use, as has been seen at other megalithic sites present in areas of Viking culture. I've had an evening of paddling on the beach only feet away from Disa's Ting, and even at 8.30pm it is still warm, so I waded into the Baltic at the nice little beach at Svarte, only three miles away from the house where we were staying. Then I walked barefoot to the stones as evening fell, sitting in the middle of the thing-vollr and just relaxing in the atmosphere. Although so close to the edge of the village, with houses just a stones throw away, it doesn't feel overlooked or unwelcome here. In fact the whole history of the site as a law centre makes it feel an integral and organic part of the village, rather than humanity encroaching on the wildness of the places where megalithic sites usually stand. It's also interesting that this is a very young site in megalithic terms, only 2,500 years old, although I get the feeling that the site was used by an earlier culture and adopted later by the Vikings as a powerful place to make pronouncements. As I sit in the middle of the stones, the spiky grass jabbing at my feet, I also ponder on who the enigmatic maiden Disa was. Was she a volva or seidr? It's nice that the place is still associated with her name. Now as the sun sets the light over the stones and the view out to sea is exquisite, before I sat down I hugged one of the stones and was suffused with warmth, although this was a physical rather than spiritual effect, as a result of the days heat radiating from the stone, although it still feels lovely! It's magical to be here at sunset, with the light low over the stones, and the normally busy coast road now quiet. This was the first megalithic site we visited in Sweden, and it feels special, a good introduction to the wonders of Skane! Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by Ravenfeather 8th January 2012ce

Disa's Ting (Standing Stones) — Images

Posted by Ravenfeather 8th January 2012ce