GP 149 Halla Broa IX

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. 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, 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 large 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, with some unexcavated stone settings typical of 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, several elite warrior graves contain fragments of ring-swords as well as a Vendel helmet (Nerman 1969–1975 I:1, p. 29; II, fig. 601).

The exact location of the find spots of the picture stones 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 Lindqvist’s time.

“Found by the butcher Petterson during construction of his new house on the so-called ʻBrandenʼ, together with [Halla Broa] VII and VIII 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.
GP 142 Halla Broa VII
GP 146 Halla Broa VIII

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
The limestone slab is 6 cm thick, its obverse is rather rough and uneven. The narrow sides are “[…] hewn at right angles towards the obverse and generally roughly chamfered towards the back. The reverse rough and unworked, but fairly even. Height of the stone 95 cm, 68 cm of which above the lower edge of the decoration. Width of the head 41 cm, of the neck 36 cm, of the base now 44 cm, originally possibly about 48 cm. The decoration first had been sketched out in carved lines, which only partially then were deepened with a chisel and widened to up to 2 mm width. After this, the background fields were slightly chiselled” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 63). The monument is completely preserved, only a small part of the root seems to be broken off. The surface is not much weathered; however, due to its roughness the decoration is very hard to discern.

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 63, fig. 387) only published a photo of the painted stone, which he described as follows (photos of the unpainted stone from before 1933 are kept in ATA Run- och bildstenssamling 2440:20): “At the very top, a horse is depicted, probably with a horseman armed with a spear; below, there is a 10 cm high panel with unclear remains of images, among them a ship with a sail that is covered with a rhombic grid pattern made up of bands about 0.5 cm wide that – apart from the points of intersection – were chiselled all the way. The ship appears to have had rounded stems; between the railing and the sail’s straight lower edge, there probably are crewmen and sheet ropes that split running upwards. Below the ship, there either is a row of triangles or waves that possibly break to the right, as well as a narrow horizontal border with a simplified twisted cord pattern at the very bottom.”

Lindqvist’s painted version of the carvings does not trace the horseman himself in any detail but only an undefined field above the horse and a horizontal part of the spear behind the supposed rider. A drawing by Olof Sörling from 1918 instead depicts the horseman in much more detail, including his eye, nose, and beard (ATA Run- och bildstenssamling). However, Lindqvist’s interpretation of the ship is much more detailed, while Sörling only considered the rhombic pattern of the sail and some very rudimentary remains of the mast and rigging. In Sörling’s drawing, the waves beneath the vessel are clearly described as triangles. Lindqvist traced some remains of the interlace pattern inside the stone’s outline border, while Sörling only drew certain parts of the border’s inner frame.

Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
No interpretation

Type and Dating ⓘ
Mushroom-shaped late-type ʻdwarf stoneʼ, belonging to ʻAbschnittʼ C according to Lindqvist, who dates those stones to the time around AD 700. Current research, however, tends to date them roughly to between the 8th century (or rather around AD 800) and the 10th century. Lisbeth Imer (2004, p. 104) dates Halla Boa IX to AD 750–900 (group 1C). According to Martin Rundkvist’s (2012) typology, the stone’s shape represents Type dwarf4, which occurs in his periods 4 (Late Vendel Period), 5 (Early Viking Period), and 6 (Middle Viking Period). As the ship depiction, in particular the stems, the rigging and the crew, is hardly discernable in detail, it cannot be included into typological considerations.

The stone’s decoration has some notable features. Triangular waves are depicted on a relatively small group of Type C/D stones, for instance GP 95 Garda kyrka 7, GP 170 Halla kyrka 5, GP 212 Klinte Klintebys, GP 572 Eksta kyrka, GP 563 Väte kyrka 2, and GP 280 När Smiss I. The simplified twisted cord pattern on the horizontal border beneath the waves is particularly remarkable. The pattern is typical for Type B picture stones and occurs rarely on late type monuments. A decorated border just above the root is also quite unusual. The only parallel is GP 150 Halla Broa XVI, which is comparable to Halla Broa IX in many respects. The sail’s pattern with tiny, raised rhombs at the intersections is comparable to, for instance, the C/D stones GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I; GP 21 Ardre kyrka VIII; GP 162 Halla Broa IV, GP 90 Fröjel kyrka, and GP 109 Gothem kyrka.
GP 95 Garda kyrka 7
GP 170 Halla kyrka 5
GP 212 Klinte Hunninge (IV) (Klintebys)
GP 572 Eksta kyrka
GP 563 Väte kyrka 2
GP 280 När Smiss I
GP 150 Halla Broa XVI
GP0005
GP0021
GP 162 Halla Broa IV
GP 90 Fröjel kyrka
GP 109 Gothem kyrka II

References ⓘ
Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 63, fig. 387.

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