Søndre Hella
Søndre Hella is a burial ground on the west side of the island of Nøtterøy in the municipality of Færder in the province of Vestfold og Telemark . It is considered to be one of the largest burial grounds in Vestfold. The mounds are believed to date from the early or late Iron Age (400 BC to 800 AD)
There are 25 registered graves. Three are on the plateau, while the rest are near the beach. Some of the burial mounds are closely spaced round mounds, with a diameter of up to 15.0 meters at a height of about 2.0 meters and large stones as a border. Others are lower and have large boulders in the middle. There are also some very low ones.
Fandens spillebord
On the plateau there is a stone formation called Fandens spillebord ( the devil's gaming table ). An approximately 3.0 meter long, 2.0 meter wide and 1.0 meter thick boulder lies, approximately 0.3–0.5 meters above the ground, on four approximately 1.0 meter thick and high boulders. It is surrounded by five smaller boulders. It is unknown whether this is a natural arrangement or whether the stone block was positioned by humans. The rock formation has never been excavated. The rock on the smaller boulders is reminiscent of the Fröböke-type dolmens that are common in Sweden . Fandens spillebord probably had a specific function in connection with the surrounding burial ground. Another case is known from Sweden in which an identical rock formation is located in the middle of a burial ground.
Web links
- Description (Norwegian)
- Søndre Hella , description and dates of the burial ground (Norwegian)
- Description
Coordinates: 59 ° 12 ′ 50.6 ″ N , 10 ° 22 ′ 40.6 ″ E