Anundshög

 

Anundshög is the biggest burialmound in Sweden. It’s located close to Västerås in Västmanland, Sweden. The mound, hög, is situated next to two very prominent ship-settings, a runestone and a gravefield.  The site has historically been used as a ‘thing’ site, a place where people came together to speak law & justice and generally hold social events of importance. The area was a crossroads for trade between settlements.

 

The site where Anundshög stands today already saw activity in the Bronze Age. Remnants from this period are still visible in the shape of rock carvings. The Bronze Age was a period of flourishing trade and Anundshög remained a place of human activity since. This is likely the reason it stayed a place of importance into later periods.

The main burial mound, Anunds hög, which the site was later named after, was constructed around the 5th century. This is right at the time of the Migration Period, at the eve of the Vendel Period. The many other archaeological elements the site is know for today were added in later periods. Anundshög in its entirety consists of the main burialmound, a Late Viking Age runestone, 5 ship settings, 14 standing stones, 10 stone circles and 12 burialmounds. 

Who is buried at Anundshög is unknown, though legend has it the name comes from King Anund; this is however not confirmed. The stone (Vs13) reads:

‘’+ fulkuiþr + raisti + stainn + þasi + ala + at + sun + + sin + hiþin + bruþur + anutaʀ + uraiþr hik + runaʀ’’

‘’Folkviðr raised all of these stones in memory of his son Heðinn, Anund’s brother. Vreiðr cut the runes…’’