Gryet
In Gryet (from Old Norse Griut - stone group), in Bodilsker , at Bjergegårdsvejen, north of Rønnevej - four kilometers west of Nexø , on the Danish island of Bornholm , next to Louisenlund near Østermarie , there is the second largest collection of building stones in Denmark.
history
Of the stone group - located in a forest - 67 of around 100 menhirs have been preserved. The stones were already in use in the Iron Age around 1000 BC. Used as grave markers, most frequently around 400 to 900 AD, i.e. still in the Viking Age .
Compared to - up to five meters high - specimens in other places in Scandinavia , the local building stones are of smaller size. It is unknown whether the forest was used as a burial ground or whether it grew up later.
The arrangement of the stones in groups indicates families or graves of villages. The different arrangements of the grave fields in the same areas show that the graves were used for generations. In the case of newly created graves, the markings of the old graves were apparently respected by leaving them in their position.
Archaeological investigations in 2011 discovered even more burial fields that had been significantly destroyed by modern agriculture. The remains of a person were found in a grave with a comb made of bone as a grave goods. The time of burial was determined to be 375 to 550 AD. Another grave was dated from 750 to 900 AD. This type of burial continued for many centuries.
In the southwest of the Gryet field there is a row of rocks of unknown significance and some burial mounds.
Traces of settlement from the same period have been found near the forest. Two old roads through the forest have also been discovered that cannot be dated. The construction field is on the Øle Å, the longest and most water-rich river on Bornholm.
The building blocks in Gryet would not have survived without a rescue operation in 1870. Emil Vedel (1824–1909), the Prefect of Bornholm, was interested in archeology and researched the prehistory of the island. Vedel saw that the monoliths were destroyed and used as material for road construction. He personally guaranteed the property owners that they would be compensated for the maintenance. In 1875 the Gryet was protected as well as the other building stones on Bornholm.
Building stones were used to mark grave sites, mostly cremations. But they also served as memorials for the deceased (empty graves or cenotaphs ).
There are three boulders in the vicinity: Døvrestenen, Svenskestenen and Troldestenen .
literature
- Ingrid Falktoft Anderson: Vejviser til Danmarks oldtid . 1994, ISBN 87-89531-10-8 , p. 344
- PV Glob : prehistoric monuments of Denmark . Wachholtz, Neumünster 1968, p. 196 .
- Karsten Kjer Michaelsen: Politics bog om Danmarks oldtid . Copenhagen 2002, ISBN 87-567-6458-8 , p. 221.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kulturarv i Danmark: four information boards at the Gryet field
- ↑ [1] ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Kulturstyrelsen, GRYET - BAUTASTEN OG GRAVE (description and pictures).
- ↑ [2] , Den Store Danske, Øle Å.
- ↑ [3] , DanskKulturArv, Gryet Sten for de døde.
Web links
Coordinates: 55 ° 4 '17.4 " N , 15 ° 4' 5.6" E