Meeting for Transformation: A Locality for Ritual Activities During the Early Neolithic Funnel Beaker Culture in Central Sweden

Abstract

The former island of Södertörn, just south of Stock- holm, was intensively settled during the Early Neo- lithic. For more than twenty years a field at Stensborg, Grödinge parish, was surveyed for surface finds. Most numerous among the various artefact categories were axes, with stone axes of different shapes showing that they had been intentionally fragmented. Fragments of pointed-butted and thin-butted flint axes were also found, all of them changed by intensive heat. Just as the flint axes indicate contact with southern Scandi- navia, slate objects demonstrate the existence of net- works extending to northern Sweden. During the Early Neolithic the site was a slope situ- ated in the innermost part of a bay, delimited by the shoreline on one side and a ridge on the opposite side. Two small but pronounced ravines of streams also form part of the natural boundary of the site. During excavation of the field several small pits were found that were filled with fragments of axes, pottery and other objects, along with a considerable amount of carbonized seed. Most of the finds have in- dications of destruction, either directly or by the use of fire. The field seems to have been used as a place for assemblies, where rituals were an important part of the activities. The Stensborg site seems to represent yet another kind of natural enclosure involving ritual activities during the Early Neolithic. This presenta- tion is part of a project in progress.

Keywords

• stone and flint axes
• ritual deposition
• destruction of objects
• fire