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Founded: 3500 BC - 900ADCategory: Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in Sweden
Historical period: Neolithic Age (Sweden)
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There are three so-called passage graves lying only a couple of hundred meters from the hamlet Mysinge. A passage grave is a grave that is built of enormous stone blocks and surrounded by a cairn. The passage graves in Mysinge lie on the land ridge with openings facing southwest. The grave that has been described here has been excavated several times. It has been established that at least 30-40 persons were buried in the tomb, possibly as many as 70 persons.
Within the tomb there were remains from the greater part of the late Stone Age. It was found that the tomb was used in three different periods, the latest of which being the early Bronze Age. The oldest burial to have taken place is thought to have been in circa 3500 B.C., which makes the tomb the oldest passage grave to have been found in Scandinavia. The other two passage graves have not been excavated, but it would not be surprising if they were from the same period. The passage has 5 stones on each side and opens up to a chamber of 9 stone blocks. The roof of the chamber is made of 3 larger stone blocks with the flat side of the stones always turned inward toward the tomb.
References:The Broch of Clickimin is a large and well preserved, though somewhat restored broch near Lerwick. Originally built on an island in Clickimin Loch (now increased in size by silting and drainage), it was approached by a stone causeway. The water-level in the loch was reduced in 1874, leaving the broch high and dry. The broch is situated within a walled enclosure and, unusually for brochs, features a large 'blockhouse' between the opening in the enclosure and the broch itself. Another unusual feature is a stone slab featuring sculptured footprints, located in the causeway which approached the site. Situated across the loch is the Clickimin Leisure Centre.