Harbours, royal manors, and early church sites. The rune stones of Viking Age Östra Aros, Uppland, Sweden

Many might be aware that the town of Sigtuna has the most runestones in all of medieval Sweden. However, the fact that Uppsala, or Östra Aros, comes second with 36 rune stones is less well known. This might be due to the stones not previously having been regarded as a phenomenon related to early urbanism. According to older scholarly works, none of the runestones in Uppsala stand in their original place and according to the 1980’s interpretation by runologist Helmer Gustavson the runestones in the county of Uppland predate the urban community at Aros. Since then, however, new research has shed light on the chronology of the runestones, especially with the help of their ornamentation typology. By re-analysing placement, material and character, in this talk I will discuss the runestones’ potential for providing new and exciting information about the oldest history of Östra Aros.

The attached photo shows Swedish runologist and professor Otto von Friesen inspecting runestone U 939 when it was first discovered in 1940. The runestone had been toppled over when a medieval monastery was built at the brink of the river Fyrisån. 

Dr. Torun Zachrisson is Associate professor in Archaeology at Stockholm University and at present Head of Research at the County Museum of Uppland. Her thesis from 1998 analyses the Viking Age silver- and gold hoards from Uppland and Gästrikland from a settlement- and landscape perspective. Research interests are societal change in the Scandinavian Iron Age, i.e. 500 BC-1050AD, such as property rights and bondage, the material remains of the Pre-Christian religion, mobility and identity of individuals in Iron Age Sweden, as for instance for the early town-dwellers of Sigtuna and the Late Viking Age rune stone tradition.