GP 265 Lärbro Norder-Ire IV

Context and Discovery
The only brief reports about the find are given by Oscar Wennersten in the newspaper Gotlands Allehanda, Christmas issue 1913, and in the catalogue of Statens Historiska Museum in Stockholm (dnr 412/763-1913). Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 89) notes that GP 249 Norder-Ire I “was found in the summer of 1913 during foundation works for a small house at the outer edge of a mound in a former meadow. After the find was reported by the farmer Karl Andersson, the find place was examined by Wennersten, who subsequently in the autumn of the same year discovered the other stones (GP 250 Norder-Ire II, GP 251 Norder-Ire III, GP 265 Norder-Ire IV, and GP 266 Norder-Ire [V]) during his investigations along the side of the building where No. I had come to light. Whether the mound was of natural or artificial origin could not be determined.” The place where the stones were found was called ʻNorder-Ire Torgʼ by the local population. Eight further small fragments of an apparently worked limestone slab, which were uncovered during Wennersten’s investigation as well, were interpreted by Jan Peder Lamm (Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 190) as a fifth picture stone (GP 266 Norder-Ire [V]). Furthermore, two fragments of a grinding stone were discovered together with the picture stones.
GP 249 Lärbro Norder-Ire I
GP 250 Lärbro Norder-Ire II
GP 251 Lärbro Norder-Ire III
GP 266 Lärbro Norder-Ire (V)

Measurements, Material and Condition
The small fragment could be described as an irregular square, whose longest, quite irregular edge is about 25 cm long. The limestone slab is 9 cm thick, and the surface is smooth and even. Apparently, no original edge is preserved, and all four edges are broken (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 89). Lindqvist does not provide any picture of the stone in his book; however, a photo of the unpainted fragment is kept in ATA (Run- och bildstenssamling 1751:8 [H. Faith-Ell 1933]) as well as a drawing (from O. Sörling?).

Description of Ornament and Images
Two parallel horizontal lines run along the longest edge of the fragment, which is regarded by Lindqvist as representing the upper edge. There is a distance of 3 cm between both lines, and a distance of between 1 and 3 cm between the outer line and the upper edge. On the left end of the double line, it takes a 90° turn upwards, towards the upper edge. The drawing (by O. Sörling) kept in ATA (Run- och bildstenssamling) does not consider this short turning of the double line. Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 89) concludes: “These lines possibly constitute the lower left corner of the framing of the picture stone. If this indeed was the case, the fragment essentially represents its root. Of the original decoration no traces have survived. There are several modern grooves on the obverse, of which one intersects with the inner line, at the place where it makes its turn.”

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
The fragment cannot be assigned to any group (Lindqvist 1941/42 I, p. 27). Presumably, it represents the root part of a Type B ʻdwarf stoneʼ, dating to AD 500–700. However, as no original edge and no decoration is preserved, this can only be a guess.

References
Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 28, 89.

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