Årbakkavollen
Coordinates: 59 ° 59 ′ 19.7 " N , 5 ° 41 ′ 13.2" E
The Iron Age (0 to 500 AD) burial ground of Årbakkavollen (also called Meland) is located south of Hovland on the island of Tysnesøya (municipality of Tysnes ) south of Bergen in Fylke Vestland in Norway . For about 350 years, the burial ground in the Årbakkasands with its building stones ( menhirs ) and stone graves have been visited and examined by researchers. Årbakka is an Old Norse name that means “farm by the river”.
There were probably 6 or 7 menhirs and at least 25 burial mounds, roos or stone circles . Clay jugs and weapons are said to have been found in the burial mounds, but most of them were lost. The Bergen Museum houses artifacts from AD 300 to 400, including some bear claws, broken glass, remains of combs, needles, ornate pieces of bones and burned human bones. Some of the fallen stones were erected, and today the area consists of 10 smaller, round burial mounds and five building stones.
The building blocks
- Stone 1 near the fence that surrounds the square is the tallest at 3.5 m. It is about 30 cm wide and thick. It has a rough surface and ends in a sharp point.
- Stone 2 is about 40 cm high and wide and 10 cm thick.
- Stone 3 is about 1.8 meters high, 50 cm wide and 10 cm thick. There is a patch of coarser sand around its base.
- Stone 4 is about 1.5 meters high, 30 cm wide and 20 cm thick, and has an almost oval cross-section. It has a rough surface and ends in a sharp point.
- Stone 5 is in the forest, on the edge of the cemetery. It is about 1.7 meters high, 30 cm wide and 20 cm thick. It has a rough surface and ends in a point.
There are 10 small round burial mounds. They are only 0.5 to 1.0 meters high and have a diameter between 5.0 and 10.0 meters. Studies suggest that there were more menhirs and stone graves than those that are visible or detectable.