GP 369 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs IV

Context and Discovery
The cemetery of Lillbjärs (or Lilla Bjärs, sometimes just Bjärs, also as Bjers), in Stenkyrka parish is one of the largest and most important grave fields on Gotland (RAÄ Stenkyrka 26:1; Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 118; Thunmark-Nylén 1995–2006 III:2, p. 627). It includes more than 1000 visible stone settings (rösen and other circular or almost circular stone mounds), as well as a ship-shaped stone setting from the Bronze Age (5 x 2.25 m) and a monumental (17 m in diameter) grave mound called ʻÄuglehaugʼ (or ʻUgglehaugʼ), which probably dates to the Migration Period. An old path of about 550 m leads through the entire area in an east-west direction. Many of the graves were robbed; only a small number have been excavated, including about a dozen dating to the Viking Period. Remarkable features of the stone mounds are a surrounding dry-stone wall consisting of several layers of limestone slabs, as well as the frequent occurrence of grave orbs (gravklot), erected stone slabs, and picture stones in the immediate context of the (Vendel or Viking Period) graves (ibid. pp. 582–583). Lindqvist published 19 picture stones from this grave field – GP 369–373, 377–381, 388–396, 429–431, 440 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs I–XIX.

“In November 1908, O. V. Wennersten reported in a letter to the National Antiquarian that a local, Emil Svensson in Tune, had discovered three picture stones on the ground belonging to Lillbjärs and taken custody of them. […] On this occasion, the antiquarian Emil Eckhoff visited the find place in the following summer and sent to SHM the stones [Stenkyrka Lillbjärs I–VI] as well as three fragments of another slab, which, however, did not clearly represent a picture stone. He also collected numerous grave orbs […]. In 1911, [Fredrik Nordin] visited the site and was given more information by Svensson about the find place and the circumstances of the discovery of the stones […]. When [Fredrik Nordin] returned in 1913 to conduct excavations, Svensson in the meantime had moved away, and unfortunately, it turned out to be impossible to locate all the find places described by him” (ibid.). Nordin excavated a number of stone settings in 1913 as well as in the following summer and discovered eight more picture stones in situ (Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VII–XIV). Between 1910 and 1912, three more picture stones were reported to Gotlands Museum by Svensson and moved to Visby where they are still kept today (Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XV–XVIII). Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XIX was found later, in 1927.

Most of the picture stones from Stenkyrka church presumably came from the Lillbjärs cemetery as well. Nevertheless, the stock of picture stones from this site can by no means have been recorded completely, and there is good reason to believe that this grave field in the future will provide even more discoveries (cf. Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 118).

The stones I–VI were discovered by the worker Emil Svensson in 1908. The picture stone Stenkyrka Lillbjärs IV was collected by Svensson near the road in the southern part of the grave field (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 118). The slab “[…] was found fallen over in the vicinity of the northeast edge of a damaged stone mound of approximately 9 m in diameter, 50 m north of the stone setting next to which [GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs] III was found. The stone seems to have stood with the obverse towards the north” (ibid. 123). The picture stones I–VI (SHM 13742) were delivered to Statens Historiska Museum by antiquarian Emil Eckhoff in 1909 (Fornvännen 1909, pp. 253–354).
GP 370 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VII
GP 371 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs IX
GP 372 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XIII
GP 373 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XIX
GP 377 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VIa
GP 378 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VIb
GP 379 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VIc
GP 380 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VId
GP 381 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VIe
GP 388 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs I
GP 389 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs II
GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III
GP 391 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs V
GP 392 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VIII
GP 393 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XIV
GP 394 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XV
GP 395 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XVII
GP 396 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XVIII
GP 429 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XVI
GP 430 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XI
GP 431 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XII
GP 440 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs X

Measurements, Material and Condition
“Limestone slab, up to 17 cm thick. The obverse is quite even, with the exception of the root, the unevenness of which, however, could also be due to weathering; […] the narrow sides are rounded towards the back. The stone’s total length is 137 cm, the height above the base probably is 95 cm. The head is 68 cm wide, the neck 55 cm, and the base 70 cm” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 123). The monument is completely preserved, only the right corner of the root is broken off. Furthermore, the root is damaged by a wide vertical fissure. Another crack can be seen at the stone’s left-hand edge. The surface is dark grey, dirty, and much weathered.

Description of Ornament and Images
The stone is not painted, and Olof Sörling’s sketch-like drawing published in Lindqvist’s book (1941/42 II, fig. 513), which does not depict any carvings, is the only documentation available. An early photograph of the stone kept in ATA (Run- och bildstenssamling 594:14) does not reveal any decoration as well. Nevertheless, there are a few remains of the decoration discernable on the stone, which are described by Lindqvist as follows: “Of the decoration essentially only the remains of an 11–12 cm wide framing border (with ribbon pattern?) on the stone’s left side and of the hull (and the sail?) of a watercraft in the field below a horizontal border at the level of the stone’s neck can be discerned” (ibid. pp. 123–124). Lindqvist compares these carvings with the decoration of GP 238 Lokrume Lauks.
GP 238 Lokrume Lauks

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
Middle-type picture stone, i.e. Type B according to Lindqvist, dating between AD 500 and 700. The stone belongs to those Type B stones described by Lindqvist (1941/42 I, pp. 38–39) as ʻdwarf stonesʼ with convex head and pronounced corners protruding horizontally. He does not assign it to any subgroup. Regarding the shape, stones like GP 193 Hellvi Ire III and GP 74 Endre skog are good parallels.
GP 193 Hellvi Ire III
GP 74 Endre skog

References
Fornvännen 1909, pp. 253–354; Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 118, 123–124, fig. 513; Guber 2011, p. 147 cat. no. 75.

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