Archaeologists have uncovered a knife stuck into an Iron Age woman’s grave in Sweden dating back 2,500 years.
The crooked blade was stuck in a grave in Pryssgården about 100 miles southwest of Stockholm, where experts believe up to 50 ancient resting places are located.
Archaeologist Moa Gillberg said in a statement translated from Swedish that the grave was extremely sooty “and a thick layer of fire”.
She described how dig team members delved into the ground and spotted an iron folding knife stuck in the earth along its edge.
Ms Gillberg said it was probably used to prepare leather, adding: “They have collected everything from the trunk and then stuck the knife in. We don’t know why, but it is clear it is meant for the woman.
“It is also very well preserved and may have been on the pyre before it was staked.”
Archaeologists started excavating the site in the spring after a human bone was found. They then found a pin and buckles for clothing, along with two fibulas.
This led them to believe the site could be an ancient burial ground mentioned in 1667 by a local priest, Ericus Hemengius, who catalogued ancient cemeteries in his parish as part of a nationwide effort to document such places.
Ms Gillberg said the burial ground dates back to the Iron Age, from about 500 BC to 400 AD, though some of the graves may be from either period.
At the time, it was common practice to burn the dead on funeral pyres. The grave where the knife was found also included part of a toe bone, which showed the woman probably had arthritis in one of her big toes, according to Ms Gillberg.
The burial graves were completely flattened after years of the site’s use as arable land.
Early finds included a knife with a curved blade which experts say was used to work leather. A needle for sewing was also discovered, with the two items common in women’s graves at the time.
Archaeologists have since left Pryssgården, with their findings undergoing further analysis after completion of fieldwork.
Pryssgården itself is one of Sweden’s most famous Bronze Age settlements, with experts observing that 6,000 years ago people landed their canoes, lit fires to keep warm and cooked in the area.
Common finds include pieces of flint used with iron to light fires and objects that defy a single explanation, such as a rounded stone that experts believe may have been used to weigh down nets.
