Valsgärde

Valsgärde is a farm at the Fyris river, ca 3 km north of Gamla Uppsala, the ancient centre of the Swedish kings and of the pagan faith in Sweden. The present farm is from the 16th century.

The Burial site

It contains a burial site from the Iron age which was used for more than 300 years. The first ship burial is from the 6th century and the last graves are from the 11th century.

A warrior grave contained a helmet and a sparrow hawk (a royal attribute). The round circle behind the helmet shows the probable size of the shield.

The site was found and excavated by archaeologists in the 1920s and before this similar graves had only been found at Vendel, which gave its name to this period of the Scandinavian Iron age. The graves are princely and are almost identical to the ones found later at Sutton Hoo in East Anglia. There a several theories about whom is buried ranging from the Ynglings (Scylfings) to powerful warriors within the Leidang institution and to local strongmen who had enriched themselves on trade due to the strategical position between the fjord of Mälaren (yes, at the time it was a fjord) and the important region of Tiundaland.

Hilt with cloisonné decoration from Valsgärde.

There are so many rich graves that it is unlikely that most of them were royalty.

External links

• Archeological information Gamla Uppsala, by the Swedish National Heritage Board.
• Uppsala official site.