""The locations are exciting, but the whole is the most interesting thing," says Larsson. "We have a long cross-section through several villages at the same time, which gives us the opportunity to understand how society and the landscape have changed over generations.""
""It is probably a special armed group in society that was buried here," explains Larsson. "It could also be about kinship-that we are seeing part of a dynasty. There are only a handful of places like this in Sweden, so it is very unusual.""
Archaeological excavations along the E18 highway in Västmanland between Köping and Västerås (2021–2022) uncovered Viking Age graves, standing swords, ornate horse equipment, cremation pyres, and layered burial monuments. A reshaped mountain at Rallsta produced two large pyres visible from afar, likely used for high-status cremations such as a chieftain. At Viby/Norrtuna, stone settings were built into an older Vendel-period mound, forming a rare multi-period monument containing weapons and high-status goods. The assemblage indicates an elite or armed social group, possible kinship or dynasty connections, and provides a long cross-section for understanding societal and landscape change across generations.
Read at Medievalists.net
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