<< Our Photo Pages >> Ottarshögen - Artificial Mound in Sweden in Uppland
Submitted by ilsignorstano on Tuesday, 24 August 2021 Page Views: 580
Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Ottarshögen Alternative Name: Ottar's moundCountry: Sweden
NOTE: This site is 122.5 km away from the location you searched for.
Landskap: Uppland Type: Artificial Mound
Nearest Town: Tierp Nearest Village: Husby
Latitude: 60.141563N Longitude: 17.575469E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Artificial Mound in Uppland
Ottar's mound was constructed in the first half of the 6th century and is the oldest known large mound in the Mälaren valley. The name of the grave is ancient and has been linked to King Ottar Vendelkråka, mentioned in the icelandic Ynglinga Saga from the 10th century. We do not know whom the grave was made for, but it was for a powerful man - he ruled the Venden community.
In 1910s, the mound was partially excavated and farthest down in a pit under a cairn, the remains of the pyre were found. Numerous cleaned, burnt bones were placed in a bronze hooped wooden vessel bearing traces of gilding. The bones were from sacrificed animals, a man and a woman. There were no women's items in the grave, so she was probably a sacrificed serf. The finds indicate a prominent man. Round his neck he wore a gold coin, struck from emperor Basiliscus of Costantinople, AD 476-477. The glass vessel with oval engravings was also from a distant land.
Considerably more people have been buried here, and at the same time as Ottar's mound, eleven graves were excavated on the other side of the road. They were dated to AD 400-700 and they too were the crematory graves of powerful men and women. The burial ground was probably in use until the 11th century.
Source: Local information panel
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