Parish Find Location 
Alskog

Find Location 
Visnar (Visne) ängar, near prehistoric house remains and cremation pyres.

Find Context Classification 
Farmstead
Grave-field

Coordinate Find Location (lat) 
6364020

Coordinate Find Location (long) 
718961

Parish Present Location 
Alskog

Present Location 
According to the documentation at RAÄ (L1977:2987, Alskog 69:4), the stone was moved, together with GP 8 Alskog Visnar ängar 1, from the find spot to RAÄ nr Alskog 285.

Present Location Classification 
Other

Coordinate Present Location (lat) 
6364037

Coordinate Present Location (long) 
718941

Height 
65

Width 
120

Lindqvist Type 
C,D,E?

Runic Inscription or not 
No

Secondary Inscription or Not 
No

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 8 Alskog Visnar ängar 1), this stone fragment was found 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 [these two fragments are GP 9 Alskog Visnar ängar 2 A and B]. 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.

MH

Measurements, Material and Condition 
Fragment, root. Wennersten 1973: No traces of ornamentation. The material was not recorded.

Type and Dating 
The finds from the pyre remains around the picture stones at Visnar ängar are from the time around 800 AD.

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

Title
GP 9 Alskog Visnar ängar 2

Fornsök ID 
L1975:8562

RAÄ ID 
69:4b

Jan Peder Lamm ID 
8