Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - Beneath the quiet earth of eastern Norway, a prehistoric puzzle is expanding. Archaeologists working at the historic Hunn burial ground (Hunnfeltet) near Fredrikstad have unearthed a series of hidden stone circles, shedding new light on a site that has long fascinated researchers.
Some of the stone circles at the South Field. Credit: Lasse Biørnstad / Science Norway
The discovery unfolded near the West Field, an area defined by large burial mounds but lacking any visible surface markers. When excavators gently stripped away the topsoil, distinct circular structures materialized from the dirt.
A 2,000-Year-Old Mystery
“One of the circles shows traces of 15 stones that have been removed,” says Anne Lene Melheim, an archaeologist and professor at the Museum of Cultural History who has studied the Hunn site for decades.
The Hunn plateau has long been recognized as one of Norway's most spectacular archaeological landscapes. On the well-known South Field, massive standing stones—weighing hundreds of kilograms each—have marked the landscape for more than two millennia.
Yet, these monuments follow rules that still baffle modern science. The stones are routinely arranged in strict, odd-numbered groupings—frequently 9, 11, 13, or 15 stones per circle. Spanning diameters between 10 and 20 meters, their exact cultural or ritual purpose remains elusive.
Anne Lene Melheim on her way out to the South Field at Hunn. Credit: Lasse Biørnstad / Science Norway
"They may have made the circle first in order to plan the construction of the burial monument, or it may have formed because people walked in a circle around it," Melheim suggests regarding the newly revealed rings.
Historically, these circles were seen as assembly sites where people gathered to pass judgments and make important decisions.
However, many of these circles are concentrated in one area, and human remains have been found in some, but not all, of them.
Melheim explains that archaeologist Helge Gjessing, who helped excavate parts of this site around a hundred years ago, made no mention of any burial mounds in the area currently being excavated.
However, Melheim says he recorded traces of fire and large stones in the field. These observations may refer to the stone circles currently being uncovered.
This suggests there may never have been burial mounds here, and that the standing stones were removed long ago.
Traces Of Ancient Lives
In addition to the stone alignments, the team—which includes researcher Jakob Jan Edvin Kile-Vesik—has identified several potential graves tucked within the newly exposed structures. While these features have yet to undergo full scientific analysis, past digs at Hunn have revealed a mix of cremated human remains and bone fragments resting quietly between the stone perimeters.
An example of some of the finds from the site. These are spurs that a rider could have worn on their feet. They date from the Early Iron Age and were documented in the 1950s. (Photo: Mårten Teigen / Museum of Cultural History)
The wider landscape bears the marks of continuous human presence stretching back roughly 3,500 to 1,000 years, bridging the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.
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Although parts of the area later became burial grounds, the site had been in use for several thousand years prior.
The latest excavation uncovered numerous cooking pits and building remains, demonstrating extensive human activity at the site over a long period.
Long after the first circles were raised, generations returned to the same soil to bury their dead and perform rituals now lost to time.
Source: Science in Norway
Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer
