Bronze age Håga and the Viking King Björn : a history of interpretation and documentation from AD 818 to 2018

Famous yet forgotten, the monumental site of Håga just outside Uppsala is mainly associated with the Viking King Björn, though it is in fact the richest Bronze-Age grave in Sweden. The deceased was cremated and buried in an oak-log coffin, together with almost a third of all of Sweden's Bronze Age gold and gold fragments. This book presents 1200 years of interpretation and documentation of Håga, a site that will continue to fascinate and inspire archaeologists and the public at large for many years to come. Contents 11 Preface 13 Chapter 1: An Introduction to the History of Håga 15 Chapter 2: King Björn’s Mound and Other Archaeological Remains at Håga: Oscar Almgren’s 1905 Excavation Report 29 Chapter 3: Original documentation from the 1902–1903 excavation 77 Chapter 4: The Ritual Stratigraphy of the Håga Monument 93 Chapter 5: Håga in the Province of Uppland: Documentations, Excavation sand Interpretations 111 Chapter 6: Håga in Europe: Culture, Cosmology and Contacts 127 Chapter 7: Funerals and Sacrificial Lower Jaws 143 Chapter 8: Human and Animal Sacrifices in Håga – A Comparative Perspective 157 Chapter 9: The Hervarar Saga or the Saga of King Heidrek the Wise – Texts and Contexts 179 References 199 Preface 11 Chapter 1: An Introduction to the History of Håga 13 Chapter 2: King Björn's Mound and Other Archaeological Remains at Håga: Oscar Almgren's 1905 Excavation Report 27 Chapter 3: Original Documentation from the 1902–1903 Excavation 75 Chapter 4: The Ritual Stratigraphy of the Håga Monument 91 Chapter 5: Håga in the Province of Uppland: Documentations, Excavations and Interpretations 109 Chapter 6: Håga in Europe: Culture, Cosmology and Contacts 125 Chapter 7: Funerals and Sacrificial Lower Jaws 141 Chapter 8: Human and Animal Sacrifices in Håga – A Comparative Perspective 155 Chapter 9: The "Hervarar Saga" or the "Saga of King Heidrek the Wise" – Texts and Contexts 177 References 197