GP 161 Halla Broa III

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 necropolis 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 right 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, 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 still uncertain.

The oldest investigated burials can be dated to the Roman Iron Age, with some unexcavated stone settings 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 warrior graves containing 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.

The picture stone Halla Broa III was found in 1876 during the construction of the railway line, together with GP 143 Halla Broa I and GP 160 Halla Broa II. “At the same time, several objects of bronze and iron from the younger Iron Age were discovered” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 59).
GP 143 Halla Broa I
GP 160 Halla Broa II

Measurements, Material and Condition
“Limestone slab, 15 cm thick. […] The narrow sides hewn at right or acute angles towards the obverse, the reverse very rough and strongly curved. Current height of the stone 74 cm; the original height above the root likely was about 70 cm. Width of the head 46 cm, of the neck 41 cm, of the base 48 cm” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 60). The stone’s face is almost even but quite rough. It appears to be weathered, in particular, its upper part, wherefore parts of the finely carved images and border decoration are lost. The mushroom shape of the slab is clearly discernible, both corners of the head are preserved. However, the top part of the arched head is broken off. The short root is preserved as well.

Description of Ornament and Images
“The lines of the decoration appear partly to have been chiselled, though they are narrow and irregular, partly to have been merely scratched in with a pointed object. The background field has been chiselled 1–2 mm deep. The border contains a twisted cord pattern that was given a realistic effect by Kerbschnitt-like chiselling of small areas. The field thus defined contains at the very top – probably below a [lost] top panel that cannot be interpreted – the image of a horseman with shield and spear on a horse, the feet of which rest on the upper part of the border-like frame of a sail with rhombic pattern on a watercraft with upwards-curved stems. The stems appear to be rounded. The ship has a rudder. Below the ship, a row of waves that are breaking to the left. Above the vessel’s railing, the torsos of five crewmen can be seen as well as many Y-shaped sheet ropes attached to the sail’s lower edge” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 60–61).

The picture of the stone with paint published by Lindqvist (ibid. I, fig. 108; cf. ATA Run- och bildstenssamlingen B3:59 [Faith-Ell 1937]) differs in some details from Olof Sörling’s drawing (ibid. II, fig. 380; cf. ATA Run- och bildstenssamlingen 2425:24), in particular regarding the horseman. In the drawing, the horse’s forepart and the equestrian’s lance are incomplete. The horseman’s head, however, is much more detailed, featuring his long hair, eye, and nose. Unlike Lindqvist’s painting, Sörling’s drawing depicts a shield boss, and the outline of the shield crosses the outline of the horse’s back. The second crewman from the right, however, is more detailed in Lindqvist’s interpretation, featuring an eye as well as details of hair and dress. In both interpretations, the outlines of the rudder cross the keel line of the ship. Those intersections are remarkable, as they possibly indicate a kind of preliminary sketch (cf. ibid. I, pp. 42–43; repeatedly Hauck, in particular, 1957b; Eshleman 2000; Oehrl 2019a, pp. 67–68 and passim [regarding Hauck’s research see 68–86, 169–172, 286–287, and passim]). The best examples for such preliminary carvings include GP 162 Halla Broa IV, GP 388 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs I, GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III, and GP 258 Lärbro Tängelgårda I. The much-weathered left half of the upper panel remains indiscernible, even though Lindqvist tried to trace some scattered parts of the carvings here. Nevertheless, it is probable that it featured the depiction of a woman who welcomed the horseman (cf. other Type C dwarf stones such as GP 162 Halla Broa IV and GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III).

Another painted version of the stone, a photo of which is kept in ATA (Run- och bildstenssamlingen 1718:41 [Faith-Ell 1933]), presents significantly fewer figures and details than the pictures published in Lindqvist’s book. It appears to represent an obsolete interpretation by Lindqvist.
GP 162 Halla Broa IV
GP 388 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs I
GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III
GP0258

Interpretation of the Imagery
For the interpretation of the horseman and ship motifs on late type picture stones, see especially GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I, GP 21 Ardre kyrka VIII, GP 94 Garda Bote, GP 209 Klinte Hunninge I, GP 212 Klinte Hunninge IV (Klintebys), and GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III. Both motifs, the horseman and ship, are commonly regarded as depicting the deceased’s journey and arrival in the world of the dead.
GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I
GP 21 Ardre kyrka VIII
GP0094
GP0209
GP 212 Klinte Hunninge (IV) (Klintebys)
GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III

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 the stone to circa AD 750–900. 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). According to Varenius’ ship typology (1992, pp. 69–74 and appendix 2), the rigging of the ship depiction belongs to his group III (segelskepp med skot i hanfot), which he dates to the 9th or 10th centuries. Lindqvist (1941/42 I, p. 67) assigns the vessel to his Lillbjärstypus, which occurs frequently on Type C picture stones. However, he even considers the ship to represent a Type D vessel, dating somewhat later (ibid. p. 73).

References
Lindqvist 1941/42 I, pp. 67, 73, 107, fig. 108; II, pp. 60–61, fig. 380; Helmbrecht 2011, p. 470 cat. no. 604.

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