For close to 1,500 years, the large burial mound has been there as a memory of an important person at Hunn in Trøndelag. In an area with many burial mounds – probably from the Iron Age. When Overhalla municipality rebuilt the school in Hunn, digging was done in the remains of the mound. Neighbor Brynjar Mørkved thinks it is sad that the municipality did not take the pile into account when they started the work. – Poor planning – I am critical of the poor planning of the work. I have no reason to believe that it was a deliberate act, but clearly believe that there has been a failure in the municipality’s planning of the work, says Mørkved to Namdalsavisa. As a result, Overhalla municipality stopped work on the site. Three field workers from the NTNU Science Museum in Trondheim have this autumn examined the remains of the giant mound, which once measured 30 meters in diameter. In Overhalla it is known as Olamohaugen. – It is a shame that the pile has been destroyed, and over the years there have been many interventions. It has been destroyed by road construction, and by other activity, says excavation manager, Hanne Bryn, to news. Archaeologist Hanne Bryn thinks it is a shame that the once large burial mound at Hunn has been destroyed. Photo: NTNU Science Museum – But why is the mound so important when it is so destroyed from before? – Because it shows traces of lived lives and a landscape that has changed throughout history. So even though it has been demolished, it is also part of the history of an important ancient monument, the archaeologists believe. The time periods The Stone Age (approx. 10,000–1800 BC) is the time before metals were used. Objects were made from flint and other rocks, but also from bone, antlers, wood, other organic material and ceramics. The introduction of agriculture, c. 4000 BC, marks the dividing line between the older and younger Stone Age. In the Bronze Age (1700–500 BC), the rare objects of bronze became objects of status. A divide is seen between the older and younger Bronze Age (1100 BC), largely due to changes in burial customs from unburnt to burnt burials. In the Iron Age (500 BC–1050 AD), iron became an important utility metal. Major societal changes occurred in the transition between the older and younger Iron Age, around 550 AD. The Older Iron Age is divided into the pre-Roman Iron Age, the Roman period and the migration period. The Younger Iron Age is divided into the Merovingian Age and the Viking Age. Viking times lie at the crossroads between prehistoric and historical times. The largest burial mound The so-called Olamo mound is the largest burial mound in the area of Hunn. Bryn says they have now taken C14 samples from coal in the pile. In this way, they hope to be able to find out when the burial mound was once built in memory of an important person in the local community. – 38 mounds from the Iron Age have been uncovered in the same area. From around 600-800 years after Christ. That is, just before the Viking Age. Olamohaugen can thus be from the same time period. – All the mounds bear witness to people with resources in the area. In Namdalen there are many examples of this. So this was probably an important place, close to the big river Namsen, the archaeologist believes. The burial mound at Hunn school is registered as a cultural monument, and is well known among the local population in Overhalla. Photo: Cultural Heritage Search A rare opportunity It is rare for archaeologists to have the opportunity to examine such burial mounds today. It mostly happens in connection with development projects. – We didn’t find anything special in the pile, but we discovered how it is built. It is interesting for us. In addition, we found four cooking pits under it, which date from before the mound was built, Bryn believes. Larger fields with cooking pits can be interpreted as special gathering places, courthouses or places of worship. – We have excavated approximately 300 square metres, and I estimate that to be about a third of the original burial mound, says Hanne Bryn. Now the archaeologists have finished on site, and the municipality can complete the development of the school at Hunn. Must rebuild the mound In addition, Trøndelag County Council has decided that the municipality must do something with the once large burial mound. – We have to put back masses, so that the original shape of the pile is restored. We are now in dialogue with a contractor, so that the work will be done fairly quickly. We feel that we have had a good dialogue with the county council throughout the process in this case, technical manager Hanne Marthe Breivik in Overhalla municipality tells news.
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Municipality damaged burial mound during school construction – must rebuild it – news Trøndelag
