Skärvstenshögar med människoben i norra Mälarområdet
Mounds of fire-cracked stones; human bones; burials; Bronze Age; Uppland; Västmanland; MälarenSkärvsten; skärvstenshögar; bronsålder; begravningar; människoben; Uppland; Västmanland; Mälaren
Mounds of fire-cracked stones is a typical Bronze Age monument for the region around lake Mälaren. They are usually, because of their content, interpreted as piles of rubbish. But as they often have kerbs, are situated on cemeteries and sometimes contain human bones, the traditional interpretation is not fully satisfactory.The main focus of this essay is on the mounds of fire-cracked stones which contain human bones in the region north of lake Mälaren. With a detailed study of these, and a comparison with those without human bones, my aim is to get closer to an explanation why the human bones were deposited. The essay consist of a compilation of 98 excavated mounds and a database with various information gathered from excavation reports and archive documents.With different kinds of osteological aspects taken in consideration, the study shows that human bones have been found in about a third of the mounds. The mounds with human bones more often have kerbs. The same types of artefacts are found both in mounds with and without human bones. A significant difference is that the mounds with human bones contain more categories of artefacts and sometimes even bronze. The study also shows that there is nothing that indicates that the bones were deposited after the primary use of the mound. The human bones could therefore had been deposited contemporary to the ?rubbish?. To understand this phenomenon I strongly believe that the mounds no longer only can be interpreted as heaps of garbage.