GP 142 Halla Broa VII

Context and Discovery
Lindqvist published 20 picture stones under the name of the farmstead Broa (today Broe), all of which appear to originate from the unusually large Iron Age grave field, which is situated in the south-western part of Halla parish, close to the border to Roma parish, and which had been well known through the ages, first mentioned by Strelow in 1633. The farm belongs to the community of Högbro. Since time immemorial, two important country roads, the road Halla-Viklau and the road Roma-Sjonhem (ʻVisbyvägenʼ) intersect here, where a rise consisting of gravel (the ʻhigh bridgeʼ = Högbro) clearly emerges out of the terrain, leading across the great bog system Romamyr-Stormyr. Both roads in turn are intersected by the railway line Roma-Etelhem. The railway intersects both roads a few hundred metres to the west and southwest of the crossing, respectively. During the 19th century, the Högbro elevation was severely diminished and large parts of the Broa cemetery were destroyed by clearing and cultivation, gravel mining, house building, and railway and road construction, as well as deliberate grave robbing. Many finds from Broa were sold on the antiquities market during this time, with many acquired by ATA. Unfortunately, the large and highly important cemetery of Högbro-Broa is still not published adequately; its present documentation is incomplete and confusing. The best overview about the history and state of research is given by Lena Thunmark-Nylén (1995–2006 III:2, pp. 621–623; IV:1, pp. 324–347).

The first professional and large-scale excavation took place in 1899, conducted by Hans Hansson, who unearthed 14 graves in a small area next to the intersection, just south of the road Roma-Sjonhem and east of the road to Viklau. One further large-scale excavation was carried out in 1981–82 by Ann-Marie Pettersson, who investigated 120 graves (9 inhumation, 102 cremation, 9 without bones) in a small area (circa 700 m2) about 50 m north of the road Roma–Sjonhem and about 40 m east of the road to Halla (Broe 1:71; see the report compiled by Daniel Langhammer from 2012, RAGU dnr 13/82, 789/84). Apart from that, several minor and poorly documented investigations took place in the beginning of the 20th century and, in particular, during the 1930s and the early 1940s.

Two larger areas are registered by ATA, a burial ground north of the road Roma-Sjonhem (ATA Halla 46:1) and a burial ground south of the road (ATA Halla 48:1). The first one (46:1) covers an area of circa 120 x 110 m (E–W) and contains 66 circular stone settings and 120 investigated flat graves. The other one (48:1) is about 300 x 120 m (N-S) and features 202 circular stone settings. Several other registered monuments, about 15 stone settings, 2 stone kists and 1 gravklot (large spherical stone) seem to belong to the Broa grave field as well (ATA Halla 1:1, 1:2, 74:1, 78:1, 79:1; Roma 31:1, 31:2, 32:1). Thunmark-Nylén (1995–2006 III:2, p. 622) estimates the number of investigated graves alone at about 300 to 400. The actual size and extent of the cemetery, however, remains uncertain.

The oldest investigated burials can be dated to the Roman Iron Age although some unexcavated stone settings are typical for the Pre-Roman Iron Age. Most of the graves, however, date to the Migration, Vendel and Viking Periods. First and foremost, the grave field is well-known and frequently cited for some particularly important finds such as the decorated horse harness from the equestrian burial discovered in 1899, after which the Broa Style is named (Salin 1922; Thunmark-Nylén 1992; 1995–2006 IV:1, pp. 325–326), the lyre bridge of amber from the same grave (Reimers 1980), and many remarkable finds of glass vessels from all periods (Nylén 1969). Furthermore, there are several elite warriors’ graves containing fragments of ring-swords as well as a Vendel helmet (Nerman 1969–1975 I:1, p. 29; II, fig. 601).

Regarding the picture stones, the exact location of the find spots is difficult to determine in most cases, and their contexts and relation to the known parts of the cemetery remain unclear. Most of them originate from the railway line and the area west of it (called ʻBrandenʼ), and the rest from the area east of the road to Halla, between the road and the border to Roma (ʻKlosterängenʼ). Lindqvist (1941/42 II, fig. 378) provides a map, which was primarily composed at the National Heritage Board (RAÄ) based on the information kept in ATA. It identifies the location of the find places of the stones as carefully as they could be determined at the time of Lindqvist.

“Found by the butcher Petterson during construction of his new house on the so-called ʻBrandenʼ, together with [Halla Broa] VIII and IX as well as 24 limestone balls [gravklot] (GF 1679–1702) and several other antiquities (GF 1704–1710)” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 62). The find spot is situated, according to the map provided by Lindqvist (1941/42 I, fig. 378), west of the road to Viklau, south of the railway line, in an area belonging to the farmstead Möllbos gård (not Broa/Broe). Information about the find year is not available.

Measurements, Material and Condition
“Limestone slab, 4 to 6 cm thick above the root, which is up to 9 cm thick. Both broad sides are hewn, partially convex; the root is considerably rougher and less worked than indicated by the drawing. The narrow sides are hewn at right angles towards the broad sides, with chamfers of about 1 cm width in between. Height 77 cm, 54 cm of which above the base. Width 44 cm between the upper corners, 29 cm at the base” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 62–63). The stone is completely preserved, including the massive, pedestal-like root, which is a typical feature of Lindqvist’s Abschnitt B. The carved obverse and reverse are in good condition, there are only minor cracks and scratches on both sides. The decoration is clearly visible.

Description of Ornament and Images
“The decoration is executed on both faces in deep and clear lines. The field is surrounded by a border with a simplified twisted cord pattern [which looks like a simple step pattern] and divided into two panels by a horizontal border. The lower panel contains a waterfowl, the upper one a vessel with steep, towering stems; basically, the imagery on both faces is identical. Only on one face, the ship appears to have had a mast (and a sail?)” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 63). The water bird has a massive body, a pointed tail, a long erect neck with a tiny head and a pair of short human-like legs and feet. Most probably, the figure represents a goose or perhaps a swan.

Interpretation of the Imagery
There are at least ten Type B picture stones with images of single aquatic birds or facing pairs of waterfowl known so far (see IX). More information about the possible origin of this motif in Christian iconography and its interpretation in a pre-Christian Scandinavian context, in particular, regarding eschatological beliefs and ideas of the afterlife journey, see GP 276 När Rikvide I. Regarding Christian influence on the imagery of ʻAbschnittʼ B see also GP 551 Väskinde Butter and GP 274 Norrlanda Bringes.
GP 276 När Rikvide (I)
GP 551 Väskinde Butter
GP 274 Norrlanda Bringes

Type and Dating
Middle-type picture stone, i.e., Type B according to Lindqvist, dating to between AD 500 and 700. The stone belongs to those Type B stones described by Lindqvist (1941/42 I, pp. 38–39) as dwarf stones with almost semi-circular head and slightly downward-pointing corner edges. According to Martin Rundkvist’s (2012, p. 159) typology, the stone’s shape represents Type dwarf3, belonging to his period 3, which he dates to the Middle Vendel Period.

Halla Broa VII is a typical representative of Lindqvist’s so-called Stenstugruppe (1941/42 I, pp. 37–38), which is characterized by a border decoration consisting of a simple step pattern (simplified twisted cord) as well as depictions of aquatic birds in the lower and a simple vessel (i.e., ships of the Rikvidetyp – ibid. I, p. 66) in the upper field of the stone. These monuments are frequently decorated on both sides. Lindqvist considers them to have been placed pairwise on graves. However, Lindqvist does not only assign stones with bird depictions to the Stenstugruppe. GP 143 Halla Broa I, for instance, belonging to this group as well, is a good parallel to Halla Broa VII regarding the outline, the border pattern and the vessel, however, with a deer- or horse-like quadruped instead of a bird. GP 24 Ardre Petsarve II and GP 160 Halla Broa X, to name two more examples, do not feature any depiction on the lower field at all, yet they are counted among the Stenstugruppe.

The currently known Type B monuments featuring single or pairs of aquatic birds are the following: GP 142 Halla Broa VII, GP 165 Halla Broa XVII, GP 129 Hablingbo Stenstu, GP 276 När Rikvide I, GP 277 När Rikvide 2, GP 10 Alva St. Ringome, GP 96 Garda Smiss I, GP 274 Norrlanda Bringes, GP 200 Hemse Lindvide, and the Type B dwarf stone found in Grobin, Latvia (Petrenko 1991; Lamm 1991; Lamm/Nylén 2003, pp. 210–211). Garda Smiss I is the best match to Halla Broa VII, featuring a very similar design.
GP 143 Halla Broa I
GP 24 Ardre Petsarve II
GP 160 Halla Broa II
GP 165 Halla Broa XVII
GP 129 Hablingbo Stenstu
GP 276 När Rikvide (I)
GP 277 När Rikvide 2
GP 10 Alva St. Ringome
GP 96 Garda Smiss I
GP 274 Norrlanda Bringes
GP 200 Hemse Lindvide

References
Lindqvist 1941/42 I, pp. 37, 66, 116, figs. 59–60; II, pp. 62–63, figs. 388–389; Böhner 1968, pp. 188–189; Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 43; Guber 2011, pp. 53, 125 cat. no. 31; Oehrl 2019a, p. 168

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