GP 8 Alskog Visnar ängar 1

Context and Discovery
The area is also known as Visne ängar today. Both denominations – Visnar ängar and Visne ängar – seem to be common.
Together with one more picture stone fragment (GP 9 Visnar ängar 2), this stone fragment has been standing in an area of Iron Age settlements with more than 20 house remains in total, which formed groups of farms. The two stones GP 8 Visne ängar 1 and GP 9 Visne ängar 2 were found standing aligned next to each other between three house remains.
The area was archaeologically investigated in 1973 in order to find out more about the connection between the picture stones and the settlement around them. The documentation at RAÄ reads as follows (translation from Swedish by MH): ‘During archaeological investigations in 1973, the area around the picture stones was excavated. In addition to the two stones standing today, a third picture stone stood on the site, at right angles and edge to edge with the picture stone RAÄ no Alskog 285, 0.9 m high, 1.2 m wide and 0.2-0.25 m thick. A broken fragment lying next to it fitted together with the stone and made the total height about 1.2 m [see GP 9 Alskog Visnar ängar 2 and GP ### Alskog Visnar ängar {number yet to be assigned}]. The stone was taken down during the investigations and was to be erected again in the following year. However, since the investigations were cancelled, the stone has not been restored. A fragment was also found that was interpreted as a fallen fourth picture stone about 1 m N of RAÄ nr Alskog 69:4, this was 0.9x0.6 m and 0.25 m wide. Around the stones, sooty layers of burnt stone, charcoal, burnt bones and abundant artefacts were found, first interpreted as graves, but which later turned out to be fire layers with pyre remains, see RAÄ nr Alskog 28.’
Among these finds are bronze pendants, beads, needles and more, especially two little gold sheets with gripping beast ornamentation, probably from a brooch, and a well-preserved bronze crest for a draught horse [selbågskrön]. These finds are from the time around 800 AD.
A prehistoric stone-paved construction, probably a road, was recorded some meters away from the picture stones.
The stones are not mentioned in Lindqvist’s “Gotlands Bildsteine”, neither in Thunmark-Nylén 1995–2006.
Anders Andrén made the observation that the farm Tjängvide owned Visnar ängar, according to the first Swedish tax assessment of Gotland in 1653, so there might be a connection. A digital alignment of GP 8 Alskog Visnar ängar and GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I (see More Media) shows that the former could very well once have been the root of the latter.

MH

Measurements, Material and Condition
Root fragment of a once large picture stone, height 0,9 m, width 1,5 m, and 0,17 m thick. The material has never been documented. Monica Wennersten recorded no traces of ornamentation in 1973. Faint lines can be observed in the 3D-model.

MH

Description of Ornament and Images
When the Visnar ängar stones were investigated in 1973, no ornamentation was recorded (Wennersten 1973). Mike Fergusson discovered faint lines when he made the 3D model, that could be waves.

MH

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation.

Type and Dating
Root of a tall mushroom-shaped late-type picture stone, i.e., Type C/D according to Lindqvistʼs typology. Those monuments can only be roughly dated to the period between the 8th century and circa 1000. See furthermore GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I.
The finds from the pyre remains around the picture stones at Visnar ängar are from the time around 800 AD.

MH

References
Wennersten 1973; Lamm/Nylén 2003, 180 Nr. 7; Oehrl 2019a, pp. 19, 34–35, 390.

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