Författare: JANZON, Gunborg O.
ISBN: 978-91-7402-387-9
ISSN: 0083-6761
Antal sidor: 156
Utgivningsår: 2009
Serie: HANDLINGAR Antikvariska serien 47

Beställningsinformation: eddy.se

With contributions by M. AHLBECK, T. AHLSTRÖM, G. SKOG & H. WILHELMSON.In 1916 three stone blocks were blown up in a field on Mount Omberg. The blast exposed a large number of human bones. The event called to mind a folk tradition about the murder of King Sverker the Elder. The king was killed by his stable boy in 1156, and the assassin is said to have been executed at this very spot. Otto Frödin, who investigated the site after the explosion, was influenced by the tradition and interpreted the place as “Galgbacken“ (Gallows Hill). Ture J. Arne believed that it was a Stone Age tomb. The differing opinions provoked an intense debate during the 1920s, and since then the interpretation has been an open question.In 1980–1983 a new archaeological excavation was conducted, yielding evidence of a megalithic tomb, dated to c. 3200 BC. The analyses showed that among the bones there were remains of an old man, dated to c. 6300 BC. Presumably he had been buried where the tomb was built 3 000 years later.GUNBORG O. JANZON sums up the early excavations and gives an account of more recent investigations using new nethods of analysis. She describes the cultural landscape of the Alvasta district as it looked around 3500–3000 BC.