Parish Find Location 
Träkumla

Find Location 
On a field in Gottskalks, Träkumla parish (RAÄ Träkumla 41:1), which is located circa 40 m south-west of the road between Visby and Väte. For some reason, the stone has been registered twice under two different property names, its find place in Gottskalks (L/N 467) and its present location at Tjängdarve gård (GP 530, L/N 393). Therefore, there are two different entries with two different catalogue numbers in Lamm’s list. Nevertheless, it is one and the same stone.

Find Context Classification 
Agricultural Field
Grave

Coordinate Find Location (lat) 
6384454

Coordinate Find Location (long) 
698354

Parish Present Location 
Träkumla

Present Location 
Circa 100–110 m north-east of the finding place, on the other side (i.e., north) of the road, re-erected on the property of the finder’s (Staffan Danielsson) farm, which is called Tjängdarve (RAÄ Träkumla 42:1).

Present Location Classification 
Private Property

Coordinate Present Location (lat) 
6384477

Coordinate Present Location (long) 
698420

Material 
Limestone

Height 
100

Width 
70

Lindqvist Type 
C/D (ca. 700-1000)
E (ca. 1000-1150)

Lindqvist Shape 
Tall stone
Dwarf stone

Runic Inscription or not 
No

Context and Discovery 
All information about the find circumstances, location, and excavation of the find place are taken from a report by Inger Hammar (Visby) to RAÄ dating to 1979-09-06 (dnr 5267/85) and the relevant entry in the inventory book (1976-09-08). In April 1968, the completely preserved picture stone was discovered by ploughing on a field in Gottskalks, circa 40 m south-west of the country road between Visby and Väte. Immediately afterwards, the monument was moved to the property of the finder’s farm (RAÄ Träkumla 42:1), Tjängdarve gård, which is on the other side (i.e., north) of the road, circa 70 m north-east of the find place. There, it was re-erected and fixed with an iron rod and iron cramps. Today, however, the stone stands approximately 30–40 m nearer to the farm. It must have been moved sometime after 1979.

In September 1968, the same year as the stone had been discovered, a trial trench investigation was carried out at the find spot. This small excavation, conducted by Hans-Åke Nordström, uncovered an undisturbed inhumation burial. It contained a human skeleton in a lateral and slightly crouched position, lying on its left side, with the cranium pointing east-northeast and the feet west-southwest. The right arm was bent close in front of the body with the fingers touching the jawbone, and the skull was slightly bent backwards. In the filling of the grave, cremated bones were found scattered in a layer only 0.05 m over the skeleton. The only grave goods discovered in the burial were a glass bead at the right hand and a flint chip at the chest of the buried person.

In 1958 there was an excavation in the close area of the find spot, carried out by Erik Nylén and Peter Manneke. Two chest-like stone constructions were unearthed and taken away during these investigations; Further investigations were conducted in 1973, which according to verbal information by the landowner, Staffan Danielsson, exposed six cremation graves as well as six more stone chests (Tjängdarve 1:100 and Gottskalk 1:3; RAÄ Träkumla 39:1; SHM 32455; GF dnr 4889/59).

Measurements, Material and Condition 
The erected slab has a height of about 1.23 meters from the base to the top of the head. The root part of the monument can be seen on a photo taken right after its discovery and can be estimated at approximately 0.40 m (ATA, dnr 5267/85, photo A920:152). At the base, the stone is 0.72 m wide. The head of the stone is about 0.64 m wide and 0.48 m high. The entire limestone slab is approximately 0.15 m thick. Its surface is heavily weathered and overgrown with moss and lichens. The mushroom-shaped monument is completely preserved.

Description of Ornament and Images 
No discernable remains of ornament and images have been recorded so far. The monument’s surface seems to be completely weathered and obliterated.

Interpretation of the Imagery 
No interpretation

Type and Dating 
The small mushroom-shaped picture stone belongs to Lindqvist’s ʻAbschnittʼ C/D or E. Its head is semi-circular with well pronounced corners. Contrary to Lindqvist’s definition, Martin Rundkvist (2012, p. 154) terms it dwarf stone. As no images and no ornaments or runic characters are left on the surface, the monument can only be roughly dated to the period between the 8th century (or rather around 800) and the 11th century. The relation between the picture stone and the burial(s) remain(s) unclear. Rundkvist (ibid) considers the small monument part of the grave construction excavated in 1968. This grave cannot be dated; however, Rundkvist (ibid.) assumes “[…] probably Viking Period”.

References 
Lamm/Nylén 2003, pp. 202 and 206, cat. nos. 393 and 467; Rundkvist 2012, p. 151 tab. 2, 154.

 
Fyndplats
Bildstenen påträffades 1968 vid plöjning av en åker tillhörande gården Gottskalks, cirka 40 m sydväst om vägen mellan Visby och Väte.

Nuvarande lokalisering
Rest cirka 100 meter från fyndplatsen på den andra norra sidan av vägen. Nuvarande platsen tillhör gården Tjängdvare. Av misstag har bildstenen registrerats två gånger på grund av de olika egendomsförhållandena.

Beskrivning
En liten svampformig bildsten (typ C-D), 123 x 40 cm, saknar synliga spår av bilder.

Datering
Dateringen kan inte anges närmare, men den tillhör perioden 700-900-talen.

Tolkning
Ingen tolkning.

AA

Title
GP 530 Träkumla Gottskalks/Tjängdarve

Fornsök ID 
L1976:8243 & L1976:8244

RAÄ ID 
Träkumla 41:1 & Träkumla 42:1

Jan Peder Lamm ID 
393/467

ATA
K-Samsök
K-Samsök