Rare Funnelbeaker Ritual Burial Site Found in Sweden

A unique prehistoric ceremonial site from southern Sweden dating back to the Neolithic period, or what the archaeologists are calling ‘the peasant stone age’, has been found in Hammar in Skåne. A site for ritual gathering, the objects found here date between 5,500 and 5,000 years ago. They are all within the vicinity of a causewayed enclosure, sacrificed near a wetland – a type of large, prehistoric earthwork.

A Causewayed Enclosure: A Rather Unusual Burial Structure

“The remains and artifacts are very well preserved, which is extremely unusual for a site from this period,” Magnus Artursson, project manager at Arkeologerna (The Archaeologists), National Historical Museums, said in a press release. He’s referring to well-preserved Funnelbeaker ceramic vessels, large quantities of flint tools, bone and horn tools, all well-worked.

A semicircular Neolithic stone structure in the eastern part of the excavation area has been cleared. (Arkeologerna)

The causewayed enclosure is situated right at the edge of the aforementioned ancient wetland, with rows of elongated wetlands, 5 feet (1.52 m) deep, laid out in semicircles. The overall diameter is a whopping 165 feet (50.2 m), all encompassing. This is similar to other structures found outside Sweden, particularly a famous one in Sarup, Denmark. Other finds include an antler billet for knapping flint, a fishing hook, and a leatherworking stylus – all adding to the rarity of this find!

“These are unique for the Neolithic period in this country. We have discovered a ceremonial complex where people gathered at certain times during the year to celebrate religious festivals. The finds suggest feasts with ritual butchering and deposition of offerings both in the wetland and in the open pits of the enclosure”, says Magnus Artursson.

The animal bone material is composed of slaughter and food waste, deliberately fractured to get to the marrow. Findings from a large number of flint scrapers indicate that people were engaged in leather preparation on site, reports Newsweek.

“In several places on the wetland edge, whole ceramic vessels of the so-called funnel beaker type have been put on stones, but also the skull of a dog has been found, which shows that the area is probably used both in everyday contexts and as a sacrificial site. Organic material, such as bone, is very well preserved, which makes the place special”, provides Artursson.

Owing to the unique nature of the site, and the finding of material so labor intensive, the archaeology team is seeking funding from the National Antiquities Office to have the opportunity to continue their investigation.

“The stone plant was completely unknown to us when we started. The area has probably been a local gathering place, where you have been engaged in crafts, rituals and partying. We also have traces of a wooden structure that goes into the wetland, which we believe may have been a footpath or jetty. Collecting in this way to party and maintain social networks during the peasantry is a common phenomenon but finding such traces after it is quite unique”, concludes Magnus Artursson.

Flint tools and arrowheads found at the site. (Arkeologerna)

The Funnelbeaker Culture: A Ceramic Style Eponymously Named

In fact, the Funnelbeaker culture (4300-2800 BC), is named after its characteristic ceramics, beakers, and amphorae with funnel-shaped tops; developing as a technological merger of local Neolithic and Mesolithic complex, situated between the lower Elbe and Vistula rivers. It flourished in Central and Northern Europe – what is today Denmark, northern Germany, the Netherlands and parts of Poland and Sweden.

Discovering preserved horn and bone objects from this era is exceptionally rare, especially within the broader context of Funnelbeaker Culture sites in Sweden. (Arkeologerna)

It’s one of the earliest farming societies in these parts of Europe, marking the transition from nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyles, to settled, domesticated agrarian lifestyle. In fact, the culture represents the first farmers who came to Scandinavia. The people of this culture practiced mixed farming, cultivated wheat and barley, domesticated cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and continued hunting, fishing and foraging (in smaller measure), reports The Heritage Daily.

The culture is renowned for its unusual burial practices (certainly, the current finding can fit into this category) – this is mainly megalithic tombs and monuments, primarily burial mounds called dolmens, and passage graves constructed from large stones. These burial sites served as centers of ritual significance and ceremony.

Top image: Archaeologists have cleared a Neolithic stone structure on the western edge of the wetland.       Source: Arkeologerna

By Sahir Pandey