Ekornavallen, burial ground
Falköping

The oldest grave was built during the Neolithic Period, approximately 3300 BC, while the most recent ones date back to the so called Viking Age, ca 800-1050 AD. This means that humans have used Ekornavallen as a burial ground for more than 4,000 years! It also means that the area has been inhabited and farmed for just as long.

Girommen and the Bronze Age Mound

Perhaps the most noticeable structure at Ekornavallen is the large passage grave to the far north, known as Girommen. This grave was built during the Neolithic Period and a number of people are buried here. When it was restored in 1946, the archaeologists found a flint chisel, shards of pottery, and parts of amber beads. This shows that the dead were buried with grave gifts, which suggests that the humans of the time believed their lives would continue in another dimension.

At the top of the hill is a big mound, originally built as a grave for a single person in the early Bronze Age. The mound has not been excavated, but digs at similar graves have found objects such as weapons and precious personal belongings. The fact that elaborate graves were built for certain individuals has often been interpreted as an indication that society had become more hierarchical by the Bronze Age.