What began as a routine excavation for a Stone Age settlement has led to the discovery of a massive Viking Age burial ground in Tvååker, in southwest Sweden. Archaeologists from the National Historical Museums in Sweden have so far uncovered 139 graves with finds including ship-shaped stone settings, brooches and ceramic vessels.
“We have only excavated six percent of the burial ground”, says Petra Nordin, Project Leader, hinting at the site’s enormous potential for further discoveries.
Unplanned Discovery
When excavation began in May 2017, the archaeological team expected to find remnants of a Stone Age settlement. The local council’s plans to build a roundabout and install water pipes prompted the preliminary excavation. However, what initially seemed like a routine dig soon revealed much more than they anticipated.
Golden bird pendant – Photo courtesy The Archaeologists, National Historical Museums (NHR)
Petra Nordin realised the significance of the site after just a year of work. “When we did the preliminary excavation in May 2017 we found 5 graves, on layers of fire waste and bone fragments from humans and dogs. Then we realised that there was a large Viking burial ground that we had to focus on.”
The burial ground, situated on a flat ridge, is located between two critical transport routes from the Viking Age. The Tvååker river (once known as Uttran) flows to the east, while the old main road, which facilitated iron transportation from Spannarp to Gamla Köpstad, crosses over the burial site. Historical sources also mention nearby place names, such as Järnmölle, Järnvirke, and Galtabäck, further linking the area to ancient times.
The Challenge of Ploughed Pastures
Despite the importance of the site, centuries of farming have taken a toll. “The problem is that the land has been ploughed and levelled to create pastures, so all the occupation levels, former above ground remains and burials have been ploughed to pieces,” Nordin explains. “This meant we have had to interpret everything from heavily truncated remains. However, we did investigate where the cremation pyres were, and amongst other things we found what we interpreted as a 50 meter long ship formed stone setting up on the ridge.”
Buckle – Photo courtesy The Archaeologists, National Historical Museums (NHR)
Nordin also noted the frequent presence of animal remains, particularly dogs, on cremation pyres. “We often found remains of dogs on small round cremation pyres and human remains on oblong cremation pyres. The dog was a companion and accompanied the person on the pyre.”
A Burial Ground Under Modern Infrastructure
The site itself has only been partially excavated, with an estimated six percent uncovered so far. Large portions of the burial ground may lie under modern buildings, but what has been found is already remarkable. Three large ship-shaped stone settings and a ship-shaped mound were identified, offering a unique glimpse into Viking burial customs.
Photo courtesy The Archaeologists, National Historical Museums (NHR)
According to Nordin, the scientific approach to this excavation sets it apart from others. “Normally when excavating, you already have an idea of how big a grave is from the beginning, but here, where the graves have been so heavily damaged the focus becomes less about the graves and more about the cremation sites. We have interpreted one area as the place where people have dug down and built a fire. In another location we found a square pit with three large fire pits and a layer of fire cracked stones. In the grave were 17 placed vessels, human and animal bones as well as woven weights and iron arrowheads. We have interpreted the square pit as a construction to help create good airflow for a pyre above ground,” she says.
Puzzling Remains
Interpreting the burial ground has not been without its difficulties. The disturbed state of the graves and layers often makes it challenging to determine what was originally there. “Looking for bones and finding pits where standing stones may have stood or bottoms of mounds where the superstructure is missing, is exciting, but incredibly difficult,” says Anders Kjellin at the Archaeologists. “Sometimes we have gone with a metal detector and found objects in a place that allow us to say that this is probably actually a grave.”
Most of the artefacts found were heavily affected by fire. Among the objects recovered were fibulae, clasp buckles, ceramics, and a clipped Arab silver coin dating from between 795 and 806 AD, aligning with the site’s oldest graves. Animal bones from birds, dogs, cattle, and pigs were also uncovered, along with human remains. The practice of burning the dead on a pyre, a common Viking tradition, is well-evidenced at the site.
“After the dead have been burned, unburnt animals have been placed on top, before the graves are finally closed. The most common animal bones were cattle such as cows, and it is probably about food sacrifices,” Nordin explains.
Buckle with gold overlay – Photo courtesy The Archaeologists, National Historical Museums (NHR)
A Missing Village?
One of the enduring mysteries surrounding the burial ground is where the people who were interred there once lived. While the Tvååker area likely housed a Viking village during the period, no definitive settlement has been identified yet. The burial ground, however, has become an essential piece of the puzzle for understanding Iron Age habitation in the region.
“There has been talk, amongst other things, that there may have been a Viking era trading post at Gamla Köpstad south of the town of Varberg, or at Galtabäck harbour. Is the village located at the mouth of Tvååker or is it near the burial ground? We don’t know,” Nordin says. The potential for further discoveries remains high, as more of the burial ground may still lie hidden.
Buckle of horse that bites his own tail. Photo courtesy The Archaeologists, National Historical Museums (NHR)
What began as a routine excavation for a Stone Age settlement has led to the discovery of a massive Viking Age burial ground in Tvååker, in southwest Sweden. Archaeologists from the National Historical Museums in Sweden have so far uncovered 139 graves with finds including ship-shaped stone settings, brooches and ceramic vessels.
“We have only excavated six percent of the burial ground”, says Petra Nordin, Project Leader, hinting at the site’s enormous potential for further discoveries.
Unplanned Discovery
When excavation began in May 2017, the archaeological team expected to find remnants of a Stone Age settlement. The local council’s plans to build a roundabout and install water pipes prompted the preliminary excavation. However, what initially seemed like a routine dig soon revealed much more than they anticipated.
Petra Nordin realised the significance of the site after just a year of work. “When we did the preliminary excavation in May 2017 we found 5 graves, on layers of fire waste and bone fragments from humans and dogs. Then we realised that there was a large Viking burial ground that we had to focus on.”
The burial ground, situated on a flat ridge, is located between two critical transport routes from the Viking Age. The Tvååker river (once known as Uttran) flows to the east, while the old main road, which facilitated iron transportation from Spannarp to Gamla Köpstad, crosses over the burial site. Historical sources also mention nearby place names, such as Järnmölle, Järnvirke, and Galtabäck, further linking the area to ancient times.
The Challenge of Ploughed Pastures
Despite the importance of the site, centuries of farming have taken a toll. “The problem is that the land has been ploughed and levelled to create pastures, so all the occupation levels, former above ground remains and burials have been ploughed to pieces,” Nordin explains. “This meant we have had to interpret everything from heavily truncated remains. However, we did investigate where the cremation pyres were, and amongst other things we found what we interpreted as a 50 meter long ship formed stone setting up on the ridge.”
Nordin also noted the frequent presence of animal remains, particularly dogs, on cremation pyres. “We often found remains of dogs on small round cremation pyres and human remains on oblong cremation pyres. The dog was a companion and accompanied the person on the pyre.”
A Burial Ground Under Modern Infrastructure
The site itself has only been partially excavated, with an estimated six percent uncovered so far. Large portions of the burial ground may lie under modern buildings, but what has been found is already remarkable. Three large ship-shaped stone settings and a ship-shaped mound were identified, offering a unique glimpse into Viking burial customs.
According to Nordin, the scientific approach to this excavation sets it apart from others. “Normally when excavating, you already have an idea of how big a grave is from the beginning, but here, where the graves have been so heavily damaged the focus becomes less about the graves and more about the cremation sites. We have interpreted one area as the place where people have dug down and built a fire. In another location we found a square pit with three large fire pits and a layer of fire cracked stones. In the grave were 17 placed vessels, human and animal bones as well as woven weights and iron arrowheads. We have interpreted the square pit as a construction to help create good airflow for a pyre above ground,” she says.
Puzzling Remains
Interpreting the burial ground has not been without its difficulties. The disturbed state of the graves and layers often makes it challenging to determine what was originally there. “Looking for bones and finding pits where standing stones may have stood or bottoms of mounds where the superstructure is missing, is exciting, but incredibly difficult,” says Anders Kjellin at the Archaeologists. “Sometimes we have gone with a metal detector and found objects in a place that allow us to say that this is probably actually a grave.”
Most of the artefacts found were heavily affected by fire. Among the objects recovered were fibulae, clasp buckles, ceramics, and a clipped Arab silver coin dating from between 795 and 806 AD, aligning with the site’s oldest graves. Animal bones from birds, dogs, cattle, and pigs were also uncovered, along with human remains. The practice of burning the dead on a pyre, a common Viking tradition, is well-evidenced at the site.
“After the dead have been burned, unburnt animals have been placed on top, before the graves are finally closed. The most common animal bones were cattle such as cows, and it is probably about food sacrifices,” Nordin explains.
A Missing Village?
One of the enduring mysteries surrounding the burial ground is where the people who were interred there once lived. While the Tvååker area likely housed a Viking village during the period, no definitive settlement has been identified yet. The burial ground, however, has become an essential piece of the puzzle for understanding Iron Age habitation in the region.
“There has been talk, amongst other things, that there may have been a Viking era trading post at Gamla Köpstad south of the town of Varberg, or at Galtabäck harbour. Is the village located at the mouth of Tvååker or is it near the burial ground? We don’t know,” Nordin says. The potential for further discoveries remains high, as more of the burial ground may still lie hidden.
For those interested in the details, the full report, Ett vikingatida gravfält och förhistoriska boplatslämning (“A Viking Age burial ground and prehistoric settlement remains”), is available in Swedish.
Top Image: Photo courtesy The Archaeologists, National Historical Museums (NHR)
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