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A grave orb is a
petrosphere Petrosphere (from Greek πέτρα (''petra''), "stone", and σφαῖρα (''sphaira''), "ball") may refer to: * Stone balls, a diverse class of archaeological artefact ** Particularly carved stone balls Carved stone balls are petrospheres d ...
that was put on a person's tomb. Grave orbs were made throughout
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
from the
Pre-Roman Iron Age The archaeology of Northern Europe studies the prehistory of Scandinavia and the adjacent North European Plain, roughly corresponding to the territories of modern Sweden, Norway, Denmark, northern Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. The regio ...
until the
Vendel era In Swedish prehistory, the Vendel Period ( sv, Vendeltiden; 540–790 AD) appears between the Migration Period and the Viking Age. The name is taken from the rich boat inhumation cemetery at Vendel parish church, Uppland. This is a period wit ...
. The grave orb could have been selected for its round shape or shaped by hand. They were then put in the centre of a burial site.
Tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...
,
stone circle A stone circle is a ring of standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built from 3000 BC. The be ...
s and
stone ship The stone ship or ship setting was an early burial custom in Scandinavia, Northern Germany, and the Baltic states. The grave or cremation burial was surrounded by slabs or stones in the shape of a boat or ship. The ships vary in size and were e ...
s often have a reclined or raised central stone, and grave orbs derive from this practice. They were of ritual or symbolic significance. Some grave orbs are engraved with ornaments, such as the orb at ''Inglinge hög'' or Barrow of Inglinge near Ingelstad in
Småland Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized fo ...
, Sweden. ''Hög'' is from the
Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
word ''haugr'' meaning mound or barrow.


See also

*
Stone balls In archaeology, a stone ball or petrosphere (from Greek πέτρα (''petra''), "stone", and σφαῖρα (''sphaira''), "ball") is the name for any spherical man-made object of any size that is composed of stone. These mainly prehistoric artif ...
*
Stone spheres of Costa Rica The stone spheres of Costa Rica are an assortment of over 300 petrospheres in Costa Rica, on the Diquís Delta and on Isla del Caño. Locally, they are also known as bolas de piedra (literally stone balls). The spheres are commonly attributed t ...
*
Carved stone balls Carved stone balls are petrospheres dated from the late Neolithic, to possibly as late as the Iron Age, mainly found in Scotland, but also elsewhere in Britain and Ireland. They are usually round and rarely oval, and of fairly uniform size at ...
of
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...


Sources

*The article '' 'Gravklot' '' in ''
Nationalencyklopedin ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia, initiated by a favourable loan from the Government of Sweden of 17 million Swedish kronor in 19 ...
'' (1992). Rock art in Europe Archaeological artefact types Prehistoric art Prehistoric Scandinavia Germanic archaeological artifacts Migration Period Stones