Parish Find Location 
Stenkumla

Find Location 
An agricultural field about 500 m north of the farm ʻForsa gårdʼ (also spelled ʻForsʼ) in Stenkumla parish.

Find Context Classification 
Agricultural Field

Parish Present Location 
Stenkumla

Present Location 
Re-erected on the grave field north-east of the farmstead (RAÄ Stenkumla 70:1).

Present Location Classification 
Grave-field

Coordinate Present Location (lat) 
6384763

Coordinate Present Location (long) 
693213

Material 
Limestone

Height 
224

Width 
122

Thickness 
20

Lindqvist Type 
C/D (ca. 700-1000)
E (ca. 1000-1150)

Lindqvist Shape 
Tall stone

Runic Inscription or not 
No

Context and Discovery 
Based on the reports kept in ATA (dnr 2623/26; 4782/26; 1035/27), Lindqvist summarizes as follows (1941/42 II, p. 114): “This stone was found in 1918, about 500 m north of the farm, while ploughing a field that formerly had belonged to Suderbys in Västerhejde, but not much earlier had been awarded to Forsa. The stone is said to have rested about 20 cm below the earth’s surface, with its head pointing southwest and the obverse facing upwards. Next to the root and the southeast edge, there were to smaller slabs; also, there were cobbles all around. The stone was erected in 1926 between the stone settings of a large grave field, about 150 m north-northwest of [GP 363 Stenkumla Forsa I], with the obverse facing west.” The stone must have been moved to the grave field shortly after its discovery; it was re-discovered there by Ture Carlsson in 1926, lying on the ground, partly hidden by the stones of a grave mound, and re-erected in the same year.

Lindqvist assumes that GP 363 Stenkumla Forsa I and Stenkumla Forsa II originally belonged together, forming one monument, commissioned by one and the same person (ibid. I, p. 53). Of course, this assumption cannot be verified.
GP 363 Stenkumla Forsa I

Measurements, Material and Condition 
The large slab represents an almost entirely preserved mushroom-shaped monument; only some parts of the stone’s right edge and head’s upper edge are damaged and broken off. The right corner of the head is missing. The limestone slab is up to 20 cm thick. “The obverse is even with some indentations, the narrow sides are rounded towards the back, the reverse is rough and unworked. The stone’s total height is 224 cm, of which 180 cm are visible above ground now. The surviving height of the head is up to 38.5 cm. The width of the head is 62 cm (originally 65 cm), that of the neck 57 cm, that of the base 122 cm” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 114–115). The stone is still standing at the place where it has been re-erected in 1926, solidly anchored in the ground with concrete. The early photos of the stone depict a relatively clean surface (ibid. fig. 489; cf. ATA Run- och bildstenssamling), while today it is heavily overgrown with lichens. Furthermore, it bears marks of the plough that brought the stone to light.

Description of Ornament and Images 
There are no traces of carvings discernable. Already in 1927, Ture Carlsson tried to identify remains of decoration, examining the surface during the night and applying oblique light, without any success (ATA dnr 1035/27).

Interpretation of the Imagery 
No interpretation

Type and Dating 
Tall mushroom-shaped late-type picture stone, belonging to ʻAbschnittʼ C/D or E according to Lindqvist’s typology (1941/42 I, p. 44). If there is no decoration left, those monuments can only be roughly dated to the period between the 8th century and around AD 1100.

References 
Lindqvist 1941/42 I, pp. 44, 53; II, pp. 114–115, fig. 489.

 
Fyndplats
Bildstenen påträffades 500 m norr om gården Forsa vid plöjning av en åker som tidigare hade tillhört Suderbys i Västerhejde. Runt bildstenen påträffades mindre stenar.

Nuvarande lokalisering
Bildstenen restes mellan stenrösen på ett gravfält cirka 150 m nordnordväst om GP 363 Stenkumla Forsa I.

Beskrivning
Stor svampformig bildsten (period CD), 224 cm hög och största bredd 122 cm. Stenen saknar spår av bilder.

Datering
Kan inte dateras med säkerhet, men tillhör perioden 700-1000-talen.

Tolkning
Ingen tolkning.

AA
GP 363 Stenkumla Forsa I

Title
GP 364 Stenkumla Forsa II

Fornsök ID 
L1976:9937

RAÄ ID 
Stenkumla 69:1

Jan Peder Lamm ID 
228

Lindqvist Title 
Stenkumla, Forsa II

ATA
K-Samsök