GP 373 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XIX

Context and Discovery
The cemetery of Lillbjärs (or Lilla Bjärs, sometimes just Bjärs, also as Bjers), in Stenkyrka parish is one of the largest and most important grave fields on Gotland (RAÄ Stenkyrka 26:1; Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 118; Thunmark-Nylén 1995–2006 III:2, p. 627). It includes more than 1000 visible stone settings (rösen and other circular or almost circular stone mounds), as well as a ship-shaped stone setting from the Bronze Age (5 x 2.25 m) and a monumental (17 m in diameter) grave mound called ʻÄuglehaugʼ (or ʻUgglehaugʼ), which probably dates to the Migration Period. An old path of about 550 m leads through the entire area in an east-west direction. Many of the graves were robbed, only a small number have been excavated, including about a dozen dating to the Viking Period. Remarkable features of the stone mounds are a surrounding dry-stone wall consisting of several layers of limestone slabs, as well as the frequent occurrence of grave orbs (gravklot), erected stone slabs, and picture stones in the immediate context of the (Vendel or Viking Period) graves (ibid. pp. 582–583). Lindqvist published 19 picture stones from this grave field – GP 369–373, 377–381, 388–396, 429–431, 440 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs I–XIX.

“In November 1908, O. V. Wennersten reported in a letter to the National Antiquarian that a local, Emil Svensson in Tune, had discovered three picture stones on the ground belonging to Lillbjärs and taken custody of them. […] On this occasion, the antiquarian Emil Eckhoff visited the find place in the following summer and sent to SHM the stones [Stenkyrka Lillbjärs I–VI] as well as three fragments of another slab, which, however, did not clearly represent a picture stone. He also collected numerous grave orbs […]. In 1911, [Fredrik Nordin] visited the site and was given more information by Svensson about the find place and the circumstances of the discovery of the stones […]. When [Fredrik Nordin] returned in 1913 to conduct excavations, Svensson in the meantime had moved away, and unfortunately, it turned out to be impossible to locate all the find places described by him” (ibid.). Nordin excavated a number of stone settings in 1913 as well as in the following summer and discovered eight more picture stones in situ (Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VII–XIV). Between 1910 and 1912, three more picture stones were reported to Gotlands Museum by Svensson and moved to Visby where they are still kept today (Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XV–XVIII). Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XIX was found later, in 1927.

Most of the picture stones from Stenkyrka church presumably came from the Lillbjärs cemetery as well. Nevertheless, the stock of picture stones from this site can by no means have been recorded completely, and there is good reason to believe that this grave field in the future will provide even more discoveries (cf. Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 118).

There is hardly any information about the find circumstances of stone no. XIX. Lindqvist (1942/42 II, p. 128) only notes that it “[…] first was observed by Ms. Ada Gardell, Vallstena, ‘on a grave near the path through the grave field not far from Äuglehaug’ (reported in 1927 by B. Bergman). In 1940, it was rediscovered in the garden of the of Mr. Harry Andersson belonging to Tuna farm. M. Stenberger very kindly provided the information below as well as a photograph.” There are some more stone monuments kept in Harry Andersson’s garden. He also discovered GP 399 Stenkyrka Tystebols III and took it home to his farmstead Tune/Stenstugu (RAÄ 18:2). According to the 1976 inventory it was incorporated into a rock garden, together with Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XIX (RAÄ 18:1) a gravklot (18:3), and a stone with grinding grooves (svärdslipningssten). Interestingly, the brief description of the find spot “on a grave near the path through the grave field not far from Äuglehaug” is almost the same as noted for †GP 393 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XIV.
GP 369 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs IV
GP 370 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VII
GP 371 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs IX
GP 372 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XIII
GP 377 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VIa
GP 378 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VIb
GP 379 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VIc
GP 380 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VId
GP 381 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VIe
GP 388 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs I
GP 389 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs II
GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III
GP 391 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs V
GP 392 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VIII
GP 393 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XIV
GP 394 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XV
GP 395 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XVII
GP 396 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XVIII
GP 429 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XVI
GP 430 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XI
GP 431 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XII
GP 440 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs X
GP 399 Stenkyrka Tystebols III

Measurements, Material and Condition
The slab represents a small picture stone with convex, axe-shaped upper edge, completely preserved, including its root. The upper right corner is damaged and thus the convex edge seems a bit asymmetric. “Limestone slab, 11 cm thick. The obverse and the narrow sides are hewn above the root. The reverse is rough and unworked. The height is 80.5 cm, of which 44 cm are accounted for by the distance between the base and the upper right corner. At the base, the width is 39 cm, about half-way up, it is 32.5 cm, and between the upper corners, it is now 38.5 cm.” The surface of the obverse appears relatively rough.

Description of Ornament and Images
No remains of carvings discernable.

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
Early Type ʻdwarf stoneʼ, which means ʻAbschnittʼ A according to Lindqvist, dating to between AD 400 and 600. Lindqvist assigns the stone to his ʻBurstypusʼ (1941/42 I, p. 28). This type represents the group of Type A ʻdwarf stonesʼ with convex upper edge and decoration corresponding to the large Type A monuments (ibid. 31).

References
Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 121, 128, fig. 526; Oehrl 2019a, p. 32.

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