Archaeologists investigating a Late Bronze Age site near Marby, east of Norrköping, have uncovered two exceptionally rare bronze neck rings dating back more than 2,500 years.

The discovery was made during excavations conducted ahead of a planned housing development. Although the wooded hillside appeared unremarkable at first glance, archaeological work has revealed a landscape rich in prehistoric activity, including graves, settlement remains and rock carvings associated with the Late Bronze Age.

The neck rings were found within a stone-built grave monument containing cremated human remains. Archaeologists identified several burial practices within the monument: some of the cremated bones had been placed in an urn, while others were deposited in small pits. Additional fragments were scattered throughout the structure.

What makes the discovery particularly significant is the position of the rings. Rather than being associated directly with the cremated remains, they were carefully placed between stones near the edge of the monument. Researchers believe they may have been deposited as part of a ritual act.

The objects belong to a rare type of ornament known as wendel rings. Characterized by alternating twists in the cast bronze, such rings are uncommon finds in Sweden and are more often recovered from hoards or wetland deposits than from burial monuments.

According to the excavation team, only a limited number of similar rings have previously been recorded in the Östergötland region. The placement of two rings together within a grave context may represent an exceptionally unusual example of Bronze Age ritual practice.

The wider excavation has also produced evidence of houses and burnt stone mounds. One of these mounds appears to have been converted into a grave monument during the Bronze Age, while another contained pottery fragments, fire-cracked stones and traces of a structure damaged by fire. Archaeologists also identified concentric stone circles, features commonly linked to funerary monuments of the period.

Further analysis of the human remains is expected to provide additional insight into the individuals buried at the site and the ceremonial traditions practiced by the communities that lived along Sweden’s eastern coast during the Late Bronze Age.