The Kallerup Stone

Facts

Denmark's oldest runic stone

By Maria Panum Baastrup, Mag.art. i forhistorisk arkæologi, København Universitet (17 stories)

A stonemason was splitting stones on a field in Kallerup outside Copenhagen one day in 1827, when he suddenly saw: a stone lying almost one inch above the ground … on one side facing the ground, some letters had been carved in it". The stonemason had found one of Denmark's oldest runic stones, the "Kallerup Stone" or "Høje Tåstrup Stone". It dates back to the 700s and is therefore considerably older than the large and celebrated runic stone from Jelling, for example, (circa 965-970 AD). The Kallerup Stone now stands near Ansgar's Church in Hedehusene. "

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What can the Kallerup Stone tell us?

Story written by Maria Panum Baastrup

Time / Periode 700 800

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The runic inscription on the stone says Hornbores, Svides ætlings, sten". This means "The Sviding Hornbore's stone" in other words, the stone was erected for a man named Hornbore, a descendent of someone called Svide. The inscriptions on many runic stones suggest that it was important for people of that time to highlight various family relations or connections – the Kallerup Stone is a kind of "family monument". Some of the runic stones were probably erected to ensure inheritance via family ties. But long before the 700s, Bronze Age man had got hold of the stone and engraved small cup-shaped indentations in it. Danes were recycling even back then! "