Ancient monuments
Vara kommun

Three standing stones

These three stones probably marked graves. The stones have been re-erected after lying on the ground for some time. Some of the stones that are now lying may have been erected earlier. The reason the stones are raised on this hill may be that there is a view toward other ancient sites in this heritage-rich area.

The Legend of the Ättestupa

From here, you can also see Prästlunda-berget. There are stories that this cliff was once used as a ”ättestupa” a place where elderly people were said to throw themselves to their death, but also that the only person ever to have ridden down the cliff was a priest, hence the name.

An area rich in ancient monuments

The surrounding area is rich in ancient history. According to local tales, battles
once took place here. The number of ancient remains suggests that the area served as a gathering place. Here you can find more standing stones, stone circles, ancient roads, ancient castles, burial chambers and a sword dating back to the 14th century has been found.

Österbitterna deserted cementry and runestone

The church that once stood here probably existed as early as the 12th century. The church was built of stone, had no tower and the shape of the building was square. Two churchbells hung in a wooden belltower next to the church.

The church burned down

On Palm Sunday 1781, the Sunday before Easter, the church burned down. The fire was caused by the carelessness of a farmer. Österbitterna and Västerbitterna parishes were then united and became Bitterna Church.
The memorial stone in the center was erected in 1918, and the stone wall surrounding the site was built in 1930.

The runestone

The stone stands in a pasture at Per-Jonsgården. Old sources show that the stone has stood in the same place since at least the 17th century. The rune carving reads: ”Håkan and Torgöt erected this stone in memory of ... their father, a good farmer”.
Next to the stone lay the old village of Uppebyn. From here, a cattle path still leads to the outlying areas. It is still possible to walk on it today.

Lockebacke

Here at Lockebacke there are seven distinct stone circles and a large number of stones that may have been part of more stone circles. The largest circle measures an impressive 19 meters in diameter and consists of nine stones, one of which is erected, and the others are lying down. Some of the stone sets are visible as weak, round elevations with a diameter of between four and seven meters.

Cremation graves

Excavations have shown that most stone circles are cremation graves, and not, as the name in Swedish suggests: ”judges rings”, a gathering place for a judicial system. 
Cremation was the most common method during the Iron Age. The burnt bones were then placed in a vessel made of clay or wood that was placed in the grave itself. Sometimes the remains of the pyre were also scattered in the grave.

Given grave goods

The deceased was sometimes buried with grave goods for the journey to the underworld. The grave itself was then built over the burial deposit.

Larva bäsing

In front of you is a burial ground from the Iron Age. Here is a large mound called Larva bäsing and seven smaller, round stone settings. The stone settings appear as raised areas in the ground.

Burial mounds from Iron Age

There are several large burial mounds in the area around Larv, and they probably date from the Iron Age, 1 000-2 500 years ago. 
The large burial mounds indicate that Iron Age society was organized, which was necessary to be able to build such large monuments. 
The varying sizes of the graves and the grave goods found within them suggest that people of different social status lived here. 
Large graves often contain objects of high status, while smaller ones more commonly hold everyday items.

Not excavated

No large mound at this site has been excavated, but when the churchyard was expanded, remains of graves were discovered. Many had been destroyed by farming, but a few ancient finds were recovered. Traces of iron production were also found.

Väderkullen

The grave mound in front of you is called Väderkullen. It is a large mound from the Iron Age, a time when the dead were burned and then buried with a grave gift. The gifts were likely chosen because they were believed to be useful in the afterlife.

Three social classes

This type of grave was meant to be visible from a great distance and tells us a lot about how Iron Age society was structured.
In the early medieval Icelandic edda poem ”Song of Rig” it is described how the god Heimdal (Rig) becomes the father of three sons through visits to three married couples: Thrál, Karl and Jarl. These sons became the ancestors of the three social classes: thralls (slaves), farmers and chieftains.
The simpler graves and grave gifts likely belonged to farmers, while the thralls may not have been buried in individual graves at all.

Belt details in gilded bronze

In 1866, belt details in gilded bronze were submitted to the Västergötlands
Fornminnesförening. They were said to come from Väderkullen and were made during the Vendel period, around the 7th century after the birth of Christ.

Afzelius’ grave and hill

Arvid Afzelius was buried here in 1789 and his wife Catharina in 1806. Afzelius studied in Uppsala where he was also ordained. From 1748 he was a priest in Larv parish and he also worked as a farmer. 

Returned to Larv

There are several possible explanations for why the grave is located here. One story says that Arvid Afzelius, who was active in the parliament in Stockholm, hastily ended his political involvement and returned to Larv without any explanation. According to legend, he had fallen out with the king and was therefore denied burial within the churchyard.
Since there are many large burial mounds in the area, significantly older than this burial site, Afzelius may also have been inspired by these. It was said about Afzelius that he was both a wise and enterprising man, and that he had undaunted courage in danger. A certain pride and haughty attitude may have led him to choose this hill as the site for his grave.
Perhaps he saw Larva bäsing from the pulpit during Sunday services and was impressed by this monumental grave.

Burial site outside the cemeteries

It was also popular among landowners at the time to choose their burial site outside the cemeteries, preferably on the estate’s land. This new custom was frowned upon as it required permission, which many ignored.

The gravefield Småkulla

At this burial ground there are 21 burial mounds and 1 raised stone. The mounds probably consist of sand and are relatively small: 4-11 meters in diameter.
The standing stone may not actually be an ancient monument. According to a former neighbor of the site, it might instead mark a dog’s grave.
The burial grounds in Larv date from the middle and later part of the Iron Age.

Stenbacken and Hedalund

Within this archaeological site, which is divided by the road, there are five stone circles, four mounds and two standing stones. North of the road there are four stone circles and the remains of a smaller mound. South of the road, among other things, a larger mound.

Grave from Iron Age

These stone circles are graves from the Iron Age where large stones are placed in a ring with equal distances between each other. Often the number of stones is odd, seven or nine stones being the most common. In Swedish the stone circles have been called domarring (judge rings) and comes from the idea that the rings were a gathering place when legal decisions were to be made. A judge would then have sat on each stone and, since the stones were odd, a verdict could never be undecided. There is however nothing to indicate that this was how the stone circles were ever used when they were formed in the Iron Age. Archaeological excavations have usually shown that they were in fact cremation graves.

Burial place during Bronze or Iron Age

This place was a burial place for the population of the area during the Bronze or Iron Age. In a cremation burial, the dead were burned on a pyre and then the remains were scattered in the grave. Sometimes the burnt bones were placed in a wooden or clay vessel. The vessel was placed in the ground together with grave goods and the grave itself was built on top.

Monumental burials

The burial ground located here at Valeberg Ryd has been known for a long time.
There are many different types of graves at this site. The deceased were buried with a few grave goods, which today tell us what tools, weapons and jewelry looked like during this period. The grave itself was built on top of the burial ground and its appearance varied over different periods.

One of the largest stone circles

One of the county’s largest stone circles is located here and consists of nine large stone blocks placed in a ring. There are also both larger and smaller burials here, as well as ”treuddar” which is a stone setting with three sides and marked inward-curving sides.

Sign of well organized society

Building large graves required a great deal of work and is a sign that society was organized in a way that made it possible to carry out joint work efforts. It also shows that there were people in society who wanted future generations to know that they were special. 
The graves located here are from the later part of the Iron Age, 5th-11th centuries. Some are more visible than others.

Visit the ancient fields too

Follow the path across the field towards the burial ground and the large mound.
At the far end of the burial ground are ancient fields. There you will find an information panel about them.

Daily life at Valeberg

Here you can see ancient fields that tell the story of everyday labor up until around the year 1000. When the remnants of fields appear almost square in shape, it shows that the people who lived here used a wooden plough. The wooden plough came before the iron plough and was used by driving it crosswise over the field, first in one direction and then perpendicular to the first lines. This caused the soil to pile up at the edges of the field, which is why this type of field is called ”basin-shaped”. Wheat, barley, rye and oats were grown during the Iron Age just like today.

Animals at the farm

The meadow was larger than the field because what grew there became fodder for the animals, allowing them to stay indoors during the winter. The animals lived in one end of a longhouse, helping to keep the building warm during the cold months. Having the animals indoors also made it possible to obtain manure that could then be spread on the fields and thereby produce larger harvests. In the summer months, meadows and fields were fenced off so that the animals did not eat the important winter feed. Instead, the animals were allowed to graze in the outlying lands, that is the forest.

Iron plough changed the fields shape

When the iron plough arrived in the 11th century, people worked in only one direction, and this changed the shape of the field. An elongated, flat shape means that the field is more modern than the square one.

Ballstorps church ruin

Ballstorps church was probably built at the end of 11th century. It was one of the smallest churches in Västergötland. The church was built of natural stone using a double-shell technique and was constructed in two stages, first the chancel and then the nave. The church had no tower, a packed-earth floor and an entrance on the south side.

Investigated

In 1960, the ruins where investigated. Remains of long benches along the walls, a piece of the foot of the baptismal font and graves both inside and outside the church were found. According to reports, fragmentary lily stones, a type of decorated gravestone, from the 13th century was also found.

Was abandoned in 16th century

The church was abandoned in the 16th century. It is possible that this was due to a fire, as both charred wooden pieces and stones cracked by intense heat have been found. In the 16th century Ballstorps parish was merged with Edsvära parish, which may also have been a reason for the church being abandoned.

Runestone in the cemetery

Here in the cemetery is a rune stone that probably is from the 11th century. The inscription reads: ”Utlage erected this stone in memory of Öjvind, a very good warrior.”

Memorial text was carved

The runestone previously served as a footbridge over the stream. Johan på Stommen discovered the stone and the runic inscription. He carved a commemorative text with runes on the back of the stone. 
”tina:stin:ar:hita:ok:rist:or:MDCCCCI:af:ioan:fron:stomin:”

Ancient monuments such as these are protected by law, which means that those who carved their own inscriptions into the stone a hundred years ago broke the law, possibly without knowing it. The above-mentioned Johan på Stommen has made similar carvings on several stones in the area.

Borga church ruin

Borga church was used at least until 1552, when that parish ceased to exist. It is a small church, only half a meter longer than the Ballstorp church ruin, which was one of the smallest churches in Västergötland. 
In addition to the foundation wall, the remains of the altar are still standing, as well as a millstone-like foundation for a baptismal font.

Pre-Christian burial ground

The hill on which Borga church ruin is located was previously a pre-Christian burial ground. There are at least four burial mounds within the ancient cemetery. 
Just outside there is also a stone circle and a larger mound.
There is also a remaining memorial stone from 1963.

Two mounds

The two mounds located here, on either side of a modern forestry road, may be burial mounds. The mounds are probaly made of sand.
Not all mounds that were built were burial mounds. They may for exemple have been monuments or been places for religious or ritual significance.

Bronze Age

The tradition of burial mounds came to Sweden from Europe and became common during the Bronze Age around 3 000 years ago. 
Burial mounds usually contain a central grave where one person was buried. Sometimes the mounds were enlarged and additional people were later buried in them.
When cremation became widespread, mounds sometimes contained several graves, such as urn burials or cremation pits.

Different landscape

Most burial mounds were constructed during the Bronze Age, a time when the landscape was generally more open than it is today. Sea levels were also higher, which may mean that the graves were once located on a beach.

Runestones similiar purpose

The graves also had an important function in demonstrating ownership of the land by showing that generations had lived on the same land.
In later times, runestones served a similiar purpose, both as memorial stones and as proof of ancestral ties to the place.

The runestone at Larvs hed

Runestones are the only preserved texts we have from the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. This runestone dates from the 11th century and is probably still in its original location.

Christian cross

Bands in the form of elongated animals winding across the surface of the stone often form the basis for the runic inscriptions on runestones. This stone also has a Christian cross carved into it. This shows that the people had been Christianised, which became more common at the end of the Viking Age when more people converted from paganism to Christianity.

The text on this stone is a memorial text:
”Ölver and Åskatla erected this stone in memory of Gunnar, son of Sigtrygg, a good young man. May the Lord God rest his soul.”

Uprising on the heath

About 500 years after the stone was carved, Gustav Vasa ruled Sweden in a way that stirred resistance in the old independent provinces.
Ture Jönsson gathered the farmers of Västergötland to Larvs hed in 1529 and argued that the king should be deposed. The runestone is said to have been used as a speaker’s chair on that occasion. 
The uprising, which had little support among the farmers, subsided and became known in history as the ”Västgötabullret” (the Västergötland uprising).