Ole Worm, a Danish doctor and antiquarian, conducted the first ever survey of the Kalvestene, a Viking cremation burial ground. Worm created a map showing the locations of all "ship setting"stones, which were arranged in the form of vessels marking the graves. A team of archaeologists compared Worm's original illustrations and has found two new ship settings. According to a paper published in Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology,Vikings buried their dead along with any material possessions in a wooden ship. The grave was then covered with dirt to form a raised earthen mound. One of the 25 sites like this is Kalvestene on Hjarn Island. The Kalvestene, which literally means "the calf stone" in Danish, is a small but well-known grave site. It is mentioned for the first time in the 12th century treatise Gesta Danorum ("The History of the Danes"/ "Deeds of the Danes"), written by Saxo Grammaticus, a Danish theologian. There are also many references throughout medieval and modern texts.Ars. reported that Erin Sebo, co-author at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia said, "It's such a fascinating site, and it's referred to in medieval sourcewhen other, larger monuments weren't," Erin Sebo, co-author, said.Worm's 1650 drawingsthe earliest recorded survey of the siteindicates that 34 stone settings once stood in Kalvestene. However, only 10 are still standing today. The other settings were likely to have been removed by residents over time for different purposes. Iron fragments believed to have been once part of a damasked-iron sword were discovered in 1935. H.C. Broholm, an archaeologist, conducted a scientific excavation at two graves for Copenhagen's National Museum. Although he meticulously numbered the 10 remaining ship settings, he found only a few burnt bones and charcoal as well as pottery shards that date back to between 600-900 AD.AdvertisementTatiana Smekalova, Horsens Museum's 2009 representative, conducted a limited magnetic survey on the Kalvestene in an effort to find additional graves that Worm had documented. Nothing was found. Sebo and her coworkers wanted to confirm Worm's 1650 survey accuracy and to learn more about the Hjarn ship setting compared to other similar sites. They wanted to know more about why Kalvestene was so popular among their contemporaries. Sebo and colleagues. Their analysis was extended to include medieval records, aerial photography, and lidar data derived from an archaeological survey by the Moesgaard Museum, 2018.E. Sebo and co., 2021Erik Christensen / CC BY -SA 3.0London/CC BY 4.0E. Sebo and co., 2021Smeklova 2009/Horsens MuseumE. Sebo and co., 2021E. Sebo and co., 2021E. Sebo and co., 2021Researchers discovered that Kalvestene is unique among Viking burials sites. Its stone settings are shaped exclusively like ships. This arrangement is thought to be a tribute the Norse god Njord (or Njrr), who's symbol was a ship. Other Danish sites dating from the same period have settings that look like ships, including triangles and ovals.Researchers also discovered two additional raised areas they believe to be burial grounds. Sebo stated that one area appears to be typical of a ship setting while the other remains ambiguous. It's impossible to determine without further excavation.According to Saxo's medieval treatise on the Kalvestene, the stone settings in the Kalvestene were made to honor Hiarni, a peasant-turned king. According to legend, he was the author of a poem about Frothi, his royal predecessor who died in battle on the Island. Hiarni's title was questioned and he was eventually killed and buried on island. According to the authors, there is no evidence that Saxo's account of Hiarni is correct or that the island was named for Hiarni, a peasant-king who probably never existed. Linguistic evidence suggests that Hiarni was created and named the island after Hiarni. It is significant that Saxo knew of a Hjarn grave monument.AdvertisementSebo stated that most monuments of this type are meant to honor an individual's power. "Our study however shows that the site was community-oriented and that Hjarn's social structure is much more egalitarian.Sebo and al. The findings of Sebo et al. suggest that there was a substantial Swedish presence on the island, as well as regular trade and contact between Sweden and Denmark. The island would have been passed by many Medieval ships on their trade routes. Artifacts found in a hoard in 2017 also suggest that the island was visited often by foreign traders. The borders between the countries changed throughout the medieval period. There were also periods when parts were under Danish control.Distance, not bordersSebo stated that the issue is not about borders but distance. Kalvestene was located near many Danish power centers, which are all easily accessible by land. However, their Swedish counterparts are further away and require water travel. She said, "Our study shows that maritime connections were strong for Hjarn communities and reflect a deeply maritime culture in which land is more of an obstacle than the sea." This suggests that close connections between communities are not based on simple proximity, but on a variety of factors.Worm's 1650 drawings are not confirmed by this study, even though two possible gravesites were found in accordance with his centuries-old survey. Jonathan Benjamin, a co-author from Flinders University, said that while this study cannot provide a definitive understanding of the Kalvestene's origins, it does demonstrate the value of combining source critic and analysis with archaeological data to help us better understand the site.DOI: Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology. 2021. 10.1080/15564894.2021.1900955 (About DoIs).
