GP 378 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VIb

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 has 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 (large spherical stones) (gravklot), erected stone slabs, and picture stones in the immediate context of the (Vendel or Viking Period) graves (ibid. pp. 582–583). Lindqvist published nineteen 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 (gravklot) […]. 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 and delivered to Statens Historiska Museum by antiquarian Emil Eckhoff in 1909 (Fornvännen 1909, pp. 253–354). According to Lindqvist (ibid. 124), the monument Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VI consists of “five limestone slabs that apparently were part of the surrounding kerb of a mound of approximately 4.2 m in diameter. Before they were sent to SHM in 1909 by Emil Eckhoff, they rested in a stone enclosure in the vicinity of the large grave field.”
SO
GP 369 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs IV
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 ⓘ
Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 124) describes the slabs as follows:

“Nr. a is up to 24 cm thick. The upper side is smooth, one of the narrow sides is 175 cm long, with a chord arc of 17 cm. It has been hewn with a gouge that produced 3.5 cm wide grooves, which alternately run length- and crosswise to the side’s longitudinal direction. Those running across the side are in groups of eight or nine parallel grooves, those running along it in groups of only five. The upper side is not separated from the worked side by a clear chamfer. The maximum width of the slab is 40 cm. Both short sides are hewn at an acute angle towards the hewn side.

No. b is up to 21 cm thick and shaped and hewn as No. a. The length is 176 cm, the maximum width is 40 cm. The chord height is 17 cm.

No. c is up to 18 cm thick and shaped and hewn as Nos. a and b. The length is 154 cm, the maximum width 38 cm, the chord height 14 cm.

No. d is up to 17 cm thick and shaped and hewn as the three stones discussed above; both short sides are hewn, too, [whereby] the length of the convex narrow side is only 74 cm. The chord height is 4 cm, the maximum width of the slab is 37 cm.

No. e is up to 18 cm thick, and apart from the fact that one of the short sides was hewn to form a right angle towards the convex narrow side, it is shaped and hewn as the four stones discussed above. The convex side is 78 cm long, the chord height is 6 cm, the maximum width of the slab is 34 cm.

The worked surface of stones Nos. d and e is duller (weathered?) than that of the longer slabs.”
SO

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
The only decoration discernable is represented by the grooves on the narrow sides of the slabs described above (see V). The photo documentation by H. Faith-Ell (taken in 1933 and 1937) is kept in ATA (Run- och bildstenssamling 1715:15.b; 1719:14.b.e.d; 1719:16.b; B3:82–86; cf. Lindqvist 1941/42 I, fig. 17; II, fig. 501–505).
SO

Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
No interpretation

Type and Dating ⓘ
Lindqvist (1941/42 I, pp. 28, 31–33, 110) categorized the Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VI stones as kerbstones (Randsteine) that are included within his first grouping of picture stones, ʻAbschnittʼ A, which date to circa AD 400–600 (see also Oehrl 2019a, pp. 8–10). According to Lindqvist (1933, pp. 105, 107; 1941/1942 I, pp. 21, 31–33), the kerbstones formed an edge chain which surrounded a grave mound, possibly with an erected Type A picture stone in the center. However, no evidence has been found to confirm that any of the erected Type A picture stones were placed within a grave mound (Larkin 2023a, p. 50). The Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VI stones are assigned by Lindqvist (1941/42 I, pp. 28, 33) to his group 7 kerbstones which are described as having no decoration on their broad side and a narrow side that is grooved in often alternating directions (Randsteinplatten ohne Verzierung auf der Breitseite, die Kante in oft wechselnder Richtung gerieft). The kerbstones GP 376 Stenkyrka kyrka III and GP 382 Stenkyrka Tystebols II also belong to this group.
CJL/SO
GP 376 Stenkyrka kyrka III
GP 382 Stenkyrka Tystebols II

References ⓘ
Fornvännen 1909, pp. 253–354; Lindqvist 1941/42 I, pp. 28, 32–33, fig. 17; II, pp. 118, 124, figs. 501–505.

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