Late Neolithic burial practice on the island of Öland, SE Sweden

This paper deals with Late Neolithic burials found on the Swedish Island of Öland in the Baltic Sea. A brief review of the hitherto known burials from this period on the Island is followed by the presentation of a recent find at Björnhovda, southwest Öland. Here at least one, and possibly as many as five, Late Neolithic traces of burials were found and excavated during autumn 2008. The site is presented in some detail, and these burials are compared to the evidence presented in the brief review of Late Neolithic burial practices on Öland. In conclusion it is shown that burial customs during the Late Neolithic were greatly varied in this area, although a number of features can be identified which appear in the majority of the burials and thus possibly indicate some form of common customs.