The graves from Nygårds : a spatial analysis of an Iron Age burial ground at the parish of Västerhejde.

Throughout Scandinavia the funeral practices of the Iron Age were, in general, inhumation or cremation. The Iron Age society held many overarching beliefs but with a great ritual flexibility where practices could vary between communities. This study examines the Iron Age burial ground at Nygårds in the parish of Västerhejde, Gotland. The graves consist of both cremated and skeletal remains dating to the period of 400–600 AD. Thus, two different funeral customs were practiced at the burial ground during the same time period. Although excavated in the 1970s, no detailed analyses have been carried out on the Iron Age remains from Nygårds or their grave goods. This study aim is consequently to contribute with new information about the burial ground at Nygårds and the individuals who were interred there. By examining the spatial composition of the two burial customs, their demographic and grave goods, differences and similarities emerge. With the burial grounds spatial structure as a framework, this study discusses the different aspects of the Iron Age life and what the actions of the living can tell us about their dead.