GP 227 Källunge kyrka 9

Context and Discovery
The fragment was discovered in the choir of the church by Beata Böttger-Niedenzu in 1984, together with GP 226 Källunge kyrka 8 and GP 228 Källunge kyrka 10. In 1982, Böttger-Niedenzu submitted her master’s thesis on Gotland’s picture stones to the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, and during the years 1981 to 1985, she visited the Gotlandic rural churches, discovering not fewer than 38 previously unknown picture stones, which she published in a brief catalogue in 1988. While Källunge kyrka 8 and Källunge kyrka 10 are embedded into the floor south-east of the altar, Källunge kyrka 9 was re-used as the first of three steps leading to the sacrament niche (ʻaumbryʼ) in the northern wall of the choir. Six fragments from the nave, most of them kerbstones (Randsteine), were published by Sune Lindqvist in 1941/42 (GP 219–224 Källunge kyrka I–VI). Between 1979 and 1984, another possible picture stone was discovered in front of the sacristy door, right next to the aumbry (GP 225 Källunge kyrka 7).

An apsidal choir built between 1100 and 1150 was the first part of the church, while the present nave and the tower date to around 1150. The small Romanesque choir, however, was replaced by a new and much larger Gothic style choir building, which was not finished before 1350. The tiny Romanesque nave could not be used as such anymore and therefore the ʻoversizedʼ choir serves as main part of the church.
GP 226 Källunge kyrka 8
GP 228 Källunge kyrka 10
GP 219 Källunge kyrka I
GP 220 Källunge kyrka II
GP 221 Källunge kyrka III
GP 222 Källunge kyrka IV
GP 223 Källunge kyrka V
GP 224 Källunge kyrka VI
GP 225 Källunge kyrka 7

Measurements, Material and Condition
The picture stone fragment is 1.51 m long and, as far as visible, 0.37 m wide. A large part of the stone probably is hidden by the step on top of it – which cannot be verified since only the steps’ horizontal surfaces are visible, while all vertical faces are plastered. The limestone is dark grey, with only a few cracks and depressions. As a whole, the surface is almost completely smoothed by footsteps. Remains of relief carvings are not discernable.

Description of Ornament and Images
Two parallel grooves are running along the south-facing edge of the step, which must be regarded as the monument’s right-hand side, as explained below (see IX). They are quite flat, very greatly worn by footsteps, and therefore only slightly discernable. Nevertheless, both grooves are traceable almost along the stone’s full length, except approximately its undermost (i.e., western) quarter, where they seem to fade away gradually. Approximately at this height, at a distance of around 0.20 m from the lower (western) narrow side, two horizontal lines are carved into the stone, forming a horizontal band of circa 0.11 m width.

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
Böttger-Niedenzu notes that the stone’s type remains unclear. However, edge decorations consisting of only two parallel grooves can be found on many Type A picture stones. The horizontal lines on the stone from Källunge probably indicate a horizontal border in the lower part of the slab. Such a horizontal decoration element near the base of the picture stone, together with a pair of grooves representing the only edge decoration, is depicted on GP 537 Vallstena Vallstenarum I and GP 554 Väskinde kyrka 5. Apparently, Källunge kyrka 9 corresponds to the stones from Vallstena and Väskinde also in terms of size and proportion. For these reasons, the fragment from Källunge kyrka must be assigned as Type A picture stone, probably dating to between AD 400 and 600.
GP 537 Vallstena Vallstenarum (I)
GP0554

References
Böttger-Niedenzu 1988, pp. 11–12; Oehrl 2019a, p. 40, pl. 21b; Oehrl 2020a, p. 87.

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