A knife was stuck in the grave: a woman's gruesome grave discovered in Sweden

In an Iron Age cemetery in Sweden, archaeologists discovered the gruesome burial of a woman. An iron folding knife was stuck right into her grave, and there was also a small needle.

The grave with a female skeleton was found during new excavations of an area already explored in the past in Prissgården near Norrkoping. According to Live Science, the cemetery, which dates back to 500 BC and 400 AD, contained at least 50 burials, but this was particularly unusual.

"The people who buried the woman many centuries ago stuck a knife in her grave. We don't know why, but it's clear that it was meant for her," commented Moa Gillberg, an archaeologist at the National Historical Museum of Sweden.

Some of the graves were covered with small, symmetrically placed stones, but most were pits where cremated remains were placed, which was a common burial practice at the time, Arkeo News reports.

Two graves close to each other were investigated simultaneously. One contained no grave goods, was less smoked, and also contained animal bones. The other grave was heavily smoked and had a thick layer of soot.

"When we were digging, we saw that an iron curved knife was stuck directly into the ground with its point. It was probably used to prepare skins. They gathered everything from the fire and then stuck the knife in the ground. It is very well preserved. A small needle was also found in the grave. Similar women's graves were found at the Fiskeby cemetery, where the dead were also buried with needles and knives of the same type," says Moa Gillberg.

Last spring, during preliminary research, archaeologists from the National Historical Museum found some jewelry using metal detectors. During the excavations, in addition to dozens of graves, they discovered ancient dwellings, a barn, and a well. Most of the graves were pits where cremated remains were placed – a common burial rite of the time – but some were covered with small, symmetrically laid stones.

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