Tuesday 13 May 2014

Ancient History

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Another bus stop where I may choose to get off the bus on my way out to The House is right next to this old iron age grave field. (On the panorama view below you can see how close to the road it is.)

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Observant readers might wonder if this is the same field as in my “Landscape” post above. No, it’s not. That field is another 500 m or so down the road (and across the river).

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The sign at the site says:

This archaeological site consists of two stone circles (“judgement rings”), three raised and two lying stones. The circle of widely spaced stones derive their popular Swedish name (a fairly recent invention) from the belief that they were meeting points of the Thing – a mixture of law court and parliament – but excavations have shown them to be burial places.

The grave-field was the burial ground of a neighbouring farm in the Iron Age. The dead were usually cremated and the bones placed in earthen vessels or wooden boxes along with ornaments and tools.

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10 comments:

  1. Fascinating piece of history.

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  2. So they are an ancient grave site! These may be some of the first tombstones ever? And they are large, perhaps important people were buried there. I do like them better than the whitely manicured ones of today!!

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    1. I'm not sure these were individual tombstones, Ginny.

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  3. I love history, and I love knowing something about the history of whatever area I happen to be in, although the history of my hometown and the area it is built on is of course of special interest to me, simply because it is my home.

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    1. Meike, knowing now that my family roots in this neighbourhood go back generations, I'm getting all the more fascinated by local history, too.

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  4. You are very lucky to be living in the midst of such well recorded history. Visible evidence like this is wonderful.
    Where I live it is a little different. People have lived here for about 60 000 years, but they left very little evidence behind. Until the last 100 years they had no written language, only oral stories and paintings, songs and dances. No buildings. No documents. No ceremonial clothing or decorations. Because it is the tropics, things decay or are eaten by termites. So there are no old weapons, boats, or household goods. Many of the indigenous people still have a nomadic lifestyle, but achieve it through planes and cars rather than walking. There are sites which hold evidence, and rock art, and anthropologists study these.
    I feel sorry for people who do not know anything of the history of the land where they live. It certainly enriches the way I see the world.

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    1. I can see how archaeology must be more difficult in your part of the world, Louise.

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  5. How weird is that? I picked up a postcard this morning to write to you. My objective was to ask if you were interested in stone circles and the like. I guess that question is answered now...

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    1. I'm fascinated by all ancient remains from the past, John. Not that I manage to keep the details in memory for long, but still. When on holiday, if there is an ancient monument or ruin of some kind along the road, I always want to stop and get out and stare at it for a while! :) Looking forward to your card as always!

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  6. I love historical sites like these...your world is full of interesting artifacts and I love that you share them with us...thanks.

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