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Gotlandic Picture Stones - The Online Edition

GP 569 Hellvi Ire II:4









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Parish Find Location ⓘ
Hellvi

Find Location ⓘ
The burial ground of Ire (old spelling ʻIhreʼ) in Hellvi parish.

Find Context Classification ⓘ
Grave

Coordinate Find Location (lat) ⓘ
6411574

Coordinate Find Location (long) ⓘ
729880

Parish Present Location ⓘ
Hellvi

Present Location ⓘ
In loco

Present Location Classification ⓘ
Grave
In-Loco

Coordinate Present Location (lat) ⓘ
6411574

Coordinate Present Location (long) ⓘ
729880

Material
Limestone

Height ⓘ
160

Width ⓘ
40

Thickness ⓘ
15

Lindqvist Type 

Lindqvist Shape 

Runic Inscription or not ⓘ
No

Context and Discovery ⓘ
The cemetery of Ire is one of Gotland’s largest and most important Iron Age burial grounds. It lies directly south of Lilla Ire farm, on a narrow, elongated elevation in the terrain, an area of about 385 x 40–70 m (NNV-SSÖ) immediately along, which means east of, the road between Lilla Ire and Stora Ire. An estimated 400 (according to RAÄ, while Stenberger mentioned about 600) stone settings (rösen (cists) and other circular stone settings) are still visible today. The burial ground was used continuously from the Roman Iron Age to the late Viking Period, is rich in finds and almost not robbed. During the straightening of the road, the first graves, dating to different periods, were archaeologically investigated in 1933–34. This was followed by isolated investigations of graves in various areas of the cemetery. In 1941–43 and 1945, the southern, Viking Age part of the burial ground was completely excavated under the direction of Mårten Stenberger (1936; 1942a–b; 1961; Thunmark-Nylén 1995–2006 IV:1, pp. 390–437).

The four kerbstones GP 566–569 Hellvi Ire II:1–4 were discovered by Stenberger in 1935 during the examination of the stone setting no. 394. Together, the four slabs formed more than half of the framing of a circular stone setting of 3.5 m diameter (Stenberger 1935, pp. 9–10; 1936, pp. 80–82, fig. 2–4; Lindqvist 1941/42 I, pp. 32–33; II, p. 74). The burial contained only a few finds, which can be dated to the Migration Period, a stamp-decorated pottery vessel and the following bronze objects: a dress pin with a bird-shaped head, parts of a crossbow fibula and a small rectangular two-part strap fitting (Stenberger 1936, pp. 82–84, 90, fig. 5–6).

Stenberger (1936, p. 96) and Lindqvist (1942/42 I, pp. 32–33, fig. 1; cf. ATA run- och bildstenssamling A216:158) consider that GP 196 Hellvi Ire I may have originally been erected on top of stone mound no. 394, which was framed by the kerbstones. However, this is pure speculation. Lindqvist includes the kerbstones in his catalogue as “Hellvi Ire II”, although they have no decoration at all and therefore do not represent a kind of picture stone. Therefore, they are not registered in Jan Peder Lamm’s list. Nevertheless, as Lindqvist includes them, the stones GP 566–569 Hellvi Ire II:1–4 are included in the present edition.
SO
GP 566 Hellvi Ire II:1
GP 567 Hellvi Ire II:2
GP 568 Hellvi Ire II:3
GP 196 Hellvi Ire I

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
The four Hellvi Ire II stones are made of limestone and described as being 12–15 cm thick and having an approximate width of 40 cm (Stenberger 1935, pp. 9–10; Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 74). Hellvi Ire II:4 measures 160 cm in length and is the north stone as described by Stenberger (1935, p. 10; 1936, fig. 2) in his excavation report and included in his later diagram of grave no. 394. The broad side of the stone is hewn flat across its upper half and is without decoration (Stenberger 1936, p. 82; Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 74). The back side of the stone and the lower narrow edge are raw and unprocessed (ibid.). The upper narrow side is convex and smoothly hewn. This narrow side is connected to the broad side by a chamfered edge (ibid.). The short ends are described by Lindqvist (ibid.) as being “trimmed in order to make them fit together better.”
CJL

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
The slabs have never been decorated.
SO

Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
No interpretation

Type and Dating ⓘ
Lindqvist (1941/42 I, pp. 28, 31–33, 110) categorized the stones of Hellvi Ire II as kerbstones (Randsteine) that are included within his first grouping of picture stones, ʻAbschnittʼ A, which date to circa AD 400–600 (see also Oehrl 2019a, pp. 8–10). Based on the few grave goods, the stamp-decorated vessel, the dress pin and the brooch, the stone setting can be dated to the 5th century or around AD 500 (Stenberger 1936, pp. 83–84, 90). The Hellvi Ire II stones are included within Lindqvist’s (1941/42 I, pp. 28, 33) group 8 kerbstones that are described as having no decoration on the broad side and simpler edge trimming. Hellvi Ire II was also included in Jan Peder Lamm’s 1988 catalogue (p. 187), in which the stones were described as undecorated kerbstones, however, it was excluded from the 2003 edition.

According to Lindqvist (1933, pp. 105, 107; 1941/1942 I, pp. 21, 31–33), the kerbstones and erected Type A picture stones were possibly connected and could have created a singular monument with the erected picture stones placed within the grave mound encircled by an edge chain of carved kerbstones. The GP 196 Hellvi Ire I and Hellvi Ire II stones are treated by Lindqvist as a principal witness for this view. It should be pointed out that no evidence has been found to confirm that any of the erected Type A picture stones were placed within a grave mound (Larkin 2023a, p. 50). While the lack of any decoration on the Hellvi Ire II stones does not qualify them as picture stones, there is evidence to suggest that they are still part of the picture stone tradition. According to Cherie Larkin (2023a), the Hellvi Ire II, GP 190 Hejnum Bjärs 6, GP 377–381 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs VI and GP 382 Stenkyrka Tystebols II kerbstones share a common arciform shape and acutely angled short ends that places them within a shared tradition of forming long, narrow kerbstones to create tight circular formations. Furthermore, the stones within this tradition that have a pattern of alternating grooves on their outer narrow sides can be connected to the wider picture stone tradition via the GP 401 Stenkyrka kyrka 12 stone which displays the same pattern of alternating grooves on its outer narrow side as well as a decorative border panel with a compressed bands design that has strong parallels on the GP 554 Väskinde kyrka 5 and GP 537 Vallstena Vallstenarum (I) picture stones.
CJL/SO
GP 566 Hellvi Ire II:1
GP 567 Hellvi Ire II:2
GP 568 Hellvi Ire II:3
GP 196 Hellvi Ire I
GP 190 Hejnum Bjärs 6
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 382 Stenkyrka Tystebols II
GP 401 Stenkyrka kyrka 12
GP0554
GP 537 Vallstena Vallstenarum (I)

References ⓘ
Stenberger 1935, pp. 9–10; 1936, pp. 80–82, figs. 2–4; Lindqvist 1941/42 I, pp. 32–33, fig. 1; II, p. 74; Lamm/Nylén 1988, p. 187; Larkin 2023a, p.50.

 ⓘ
Fyndplats
Påträffades 1935, som en av fyra kantstenar (GP 566-569, Hellvi Ire II:1-4), som tillsammans inramade en stensättning på gravfältet Ire. Graven är daterad till folkvandringstiden.

Nuvarande lokalisering
På fyndplatsen.

Beskrivning
En av fyra kantstenar (period A), 160 cm lång och 40 cm bred. Odekorerad.

Inskrift
Ingen inskrift

Datering
Graven kan dateras till cirka 500.

Tolkning
Ingen tolkning.

AA
GP 566 Hellvi Ire II:1
GP 567 Hellvi Ire II:2
GP 568 Hellvi Ire II:3

Title
GP 569 Hellvi Ire II:4

Lindqvist Title ⓘ
Hellvi, Ire II


Last modifed Jun 25, 2024

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Developer Data
Identifier: GP0569-3D
ID: 5100
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