Why was an Iron Age woman buried with a folding knife driven into the ground?

Archaeologists in Pryssgården, southern Sweden, uncovered an Iron Age burial site with around 50 graves, one of which has drawn attention due to a mysterious iron folding knife found driven into the ground within a woman's grave.

The woman's grave stood out because of an iron folding knife deliberately inserted into the ground. "The people who buried the woman centuries ago stuck the knife in; we don't know why, but it is clear that it is meant for the woman," said Moa Gillberg, an archaeologist at Sweden's National Historical Museums involved in the dig, as reported by Live Science.

Further examination of the grave revealed that the woman had been cremated, evidenced by a thick, sooty layer and fragments of bone. Among the remains, researchers found part of a toe bone indicating she may have suffered from osteoarthritis in her big toe.

The purpose of the knife and its unusual placement remain a mystery. Vice News reported that the knife may have been on the funeral pyre before it was driven into the ground. Similar women's graves with knives and needles from the late Iron Age and early Viking Age have been found in southern Sweden, including at the Fiskeby burial ground, suggesting a possible ritual or symbolic significance.

During preliminary investigations last spring, archaeologists from the National Historical Museums of Sweden discovered jewelry, including fibulas, costume buckles, and a costume pin, using metal detectors. These findings led them to believe they had located the burial ground mentioned in 1667 by Ericus Hemengius, a priest who catalogued ancient cemeteries in his parish. Hemengius described the piles and mounds he saw, writing: "Below the priest's property, west of Prästegården, there are some ancestral burial mounds, seemingly large, on which, for the most part, fires are seen burning every autumn night."

As the excavation progressed, archaeologists uncovered signs of ancient dwellings, including two houses, a large warehouse, and a well, indicating that Pryssgården was not only a burial site but also an area of significant human activity. Live Science noted that some pits thought to be graves turned out to be large post holes, suggesting the presence of wooden structures.

"One pit turned out to be a fairly large post hole, so it may have been part of some kind of superstructure or boundary for the burial ground. We want to see if we find more such pits," said Gillberg, according to The Independent.

Variations in the graves suggest different burial practices and rituals during the Iron Age. While many graves contained cremated human remains, some had fewer bones or even animal bones, hinting at symbolic or alternative ritual purposes. Ancient Origins reported that one grave contained no grave goods and only animal bones.

The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.