Om äldre gravskick i det norrländska kustområdet

The article presents some new radiocarbon dates of burnt bones found in cairns and stone-settings in Northern Sweden. The author also describes the earliest known graves in the north. The low and discreet Late Mesolithic stone-settings, with red ochre and inhumations, seem to be elements of a northern burial tradition that continued into the Neolithic Period. The latest hitherto known of these descreet stone-settings was excavated west of Umeå in Västerbotten, and was radiocarbon dated to 1750-1520 BC. However, this grave lacked the typical red ochre. During approximately the same time monumental cairns were erected along the coast of Norrland. The oldest of these were traditionally believed to have been introduced during the Early Bronze Age and contain inhumations in long stone cists, which were replaced by cremations during the Late Bronze Age. However, new radiocarbon dates from five cremations in cairns and stone-settings strongly challenge that belief, placing all in the Early Bronze Age. The cremations in cairns are not necessarily the oldest monumental stratum. The author suggests that the cairns were linked to the introduction of agricultural activities along the coast during the end of the 3rd Millennium BC.