Avaldsnes burial mound
The grave mound of Avaldsnes , the Flagghaugen, the cow's eyes and Kongshaugen three, formerly much larger grave hill near the church of Avaldsnes at Haugesund in the Fylke Rogaland in Norway . The latter two have never been excavated archaeologically.
The flag eye
The original diameter of the flag eye was about 43.0 meters. The burial mound was over five meters high, was excavated by the parish priest in 1835, but not documented. One central and two secondary burials were found in the mound. The "Avaldsnes Fund" was in the central burial place. It is one of the richest finds in Northern Europe from the Iron Age .
A ring of stones surrounded the round hill. In the hill there was a central stone ring surrounding a cairn . Inside this cairn was a chamber with a male body burial, which was dated to 200-400 AD. The burial included a large number of grave goods , including a sword in a wooden scabbard with carved gold inlays, a shield covered with silver inlays , a spear , arrows , a gold arm ring, four gold handles, a gold brooch, a bronze mirror, 31 glass game pieces Bronze weight, several bronze kettles as well as eating utensils and drinking cups. The largest piece was a neck ring made of almost pure gold weighing around 600 grams. The ring and other grave goods can be seen in the Bergen Museum. Some of the grave goods have been lost in recent years.
The two secondary graves were cremation graves . Burned bones were found in a bronze cauldron. These burials date from AD 400 to AD 600.
The remains of the Flagghaugen now only consist of a ring that marks the edge of the original hill.
Ku- and Kongshaugen
The Kongshaugen is called like many large burial mounds in Norway. It is about 35 m in diameter and 2.0 meters high.
To the southwest of the church, near a farmhouse, is the "Kuhaugen". It is about 25 m in diameter and one meter high.
Sewing needle of Mary
Mary's sewing needle is a building stone about 7.1 meters high and 80 cm wide , which is one of the tallest in Norway. It leans a little against the church wall. The distance from the top of the stone to the wall is only about 10 cm. A myth has it that the world ends when the stone hits the wall of the church.
It is said that a 9.0 meter high stone used to stand north of the church.
In the cemetery, near Avaldsnes Church, there is another building stone between large trees. It is about 1.5 meters high, 20 cm wide and has a smooth surface.
These objects, along with the royal court, confirm Avaldsne's position as an important center of the Iron Age .
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Coordinates: 59 ° 21 ′ 18.5 ″ N , 5 ° 17 ′ 24.8 ″ E