The Vätteryd grave field (Swedish: ''Vätteryds gravfält''), also known as Vätterydshed, is an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

grave field A grave field is a prehistoric cemetery, typically of Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe. Grave fields are distinguished from necropoleis by the former's lack of remaining above-ground structures, buildings, or grave markers. Types Grave fields can b ...

Hässleholm Municipality Hässleholm Municipality (''Hässleholms kommun'') is a municipality in Scania County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Hässleholm. The present municipality was created in 1974 when the former ''City of Hässleholm,'' itself i ...

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

, Sweden. The site is located in a heathfield between the localities of Tjörnarp and Sösdala. The grave field consists of 183

menhir A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be foun ...

s, 15

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 - the largest 25 m long and 8 m wide - and 2

circles A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is const ...

. Many of the stone ships are so damaged that all that remains are parts smaller than half the original size. Vätteryd, with about 600

, has been considered one of the largest grave field in

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, ...

. Between 1955 and 1957, an archaeological survey was made of part of the burial ground. Research indicated the solitary stones constituted fire pits that were built between about the year 400 and 900 AD. The

grave goods Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body. They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods may be classed as a ...

found -including bronze jewelry, glass and bronze pearls, and bronze wire - were taken to various museums in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vatteryd Archaeological sites in Sweden Scania Germanic archaeological sites Iron Age Europe Burial monuments and structures Buildings and structures in Skåne County