GP 424 Stenkyrka kyrka 34

Context and Discovery
There is no information about the find circumstances of this fragment available. All that can be said is that it may have been found in Stenkyrka church after Lindqvist’s book was published. In “Gotlands Bildsteine”, Sune Lindqvist (1941/42 II, pp. 115–118) lists nine picture stones from Stenkyrka church. By contrast, the list put together by Jan Peder Lamm in 2003 contains no fewer than 40 new discoveries (Lamm/Nylén 2003, nos. 238–276, 425, 426). The unusually large number of stones found not only in the church, but in the entire parish, is an indicator of the political and religious position that Stenkyrka probably already held even before the first church was built (see Roosval 1914, p. 5). Many of the new finds from the church were discovered during a large-scale restoration, which was carried out in 1954/55 according to plans by the architect Rolf Bergh. This is probably also the case with stone no. 34.

The earliest church at this place was probably a wooden building that was replaced by a stone church in the first half of the twelfth century. The foundations of the first stone church were discovered beneath the flooring of the current church, built during the thirteenth century. The tower with its portal was erected between 1280 and 1310 (on the building’s architectural history, see Roosval 1911, pp. 84–86; 1914, pp. 1–52, esp. 21–24; Lagerlöf/Svahnström 1991, pp. 239–243).

Measurements, Material and Condition
The small fragment of a limestone slab up to 20 cm thick is approximately rectangular and measures only about 28 x 30 cm. One of the short sides preserves the original lateral edge of the picture stone. It is slightly concave. The narrow side is not completely straight, but slightly convex and slightly slanted towards the face. There is no chamfer, the edge is rounded. The surface is absolutely even, but the stone structure and surface texture are rough.

Description of Ornament and Images
A small section of the border decoration can be seen along the preserved edge. Due to weathering or abrasion, however, the pattern is difficult to determine. The border is framed by two raised stripes. This rectangular framing ends with an acute angle at one end. The pattern within the framing features rounded elements which, depending on the applied illumination, sometimes resembles interlace, sometimes a series of circles.

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
Jan Peder Lamm lists the fragment as belonging to a Type A stone, ʻAbschnittʼ A according to Lindqvist’s typology, dating to circa AD 400–600. However, the assignment is difficult. There are borders framed by raised stripes in ʻAbschnittʼ A, especially in the Martebo group. The angular end of the border could be interpreted as part of a geometric tendril pattern typical of the stones in the Martebo group. The roundish elements could also be understood as parts of the tendril. In the case of Stenkyrka kyrka 34, however, the outer stripe of the framing also forms the edge of the stone. This is not the case with the monuments of the Martebo group but with later stones, type C/D and especially B. The roundish elements could thus also represent an interlace pattern of a later picture stone. In addition, the cross-section of the stone, as far as it can be determined from the tiny fragment, is typical for later stones, less so for type A stones. The typological assignment and dating of the stone must therefore remain open.

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