Eketorp
Eketorp is an
medieval battles. Eketorp is the only one of the 19 known prehistoric fortifications on Öland that has been completely excavated, yielding a total of over 24,000 individual artifacts. The entirety of southern Öland has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
. The Eketorp fortification is often referred to as Eketorp Castle.
History
The
indigenous peoples of the Iron Age constructed the original fortification about 400 AD, a period known to have engendered contact between Öland natives with Romans and other Europeans. The ringfort in that era is thought to have been a gathering place for religious ceremonies and also a place of refuge for the local agricultural community when an outside enemy appeared. The circular design was believed to be chosen because the terrain is so level that attack from any side was equally likely. The original diameter of this circular stone fortification was about 57 metres (187 ft). In the next century the stone was moved outward to construct a new circular structure of about 80 metres (260 ft) in diameter.[3]
At this juncture there were known to be about fifty individual cells or small structures within the fort as a whole. Some of these cells were in the center of the fortified ring, and some were actually built into the wall itself.
In the mid 600s AD, the ringfort was mysteriously abandoned, and it remained unused until the early 11th century. This 11th century work generally built upon the earlier
timber
structures, and a second outer defensive wall was erected.
Modern day situation
Presently the fort is used as a tourist site for visitors to Öland to experience a fortification for this region. A
Guided tours are also available then. There is also a gift shop on site. Besides use as a tourist attraction, the site has been used for experimental archaeology
.
Eketorp lies a few kilometers west of
route 136. There is an ample unpaved parking area situated approximately two kilometers west of the paved Öland perimeter highway
.
In 2005 the exhibition was the centre of a controversy when the staff recreated Iron Age
Kvällsposten and Expressen having focused on the sensationalism (handling of animal byproducts) of the case rather than the actual legal concerns (improper handling of remains).[6]
Since 2019, the municipality of Mörbylånga is responsible for Eketorps borg. The first season was a great success with almost 39 000 visitors. In 2020 the fortress will open at Easter and will be open until late September and the Öland Harvest Festival.
See also
- Alby People
- Alvar
- Dry-stone wall
- Ringfort
- Stora Alvaret
References
- ISBN 978-0-19-023199-6.
- ^ K. Borg, U. Näsman, E. Wegraeus, The Excavation of the Eketorp Ring-fort 1964–74. In Eketorp Fortifikation and Settlement on Öland, Sweden, 1976
- ^ Eketorp Fortification and Settlement on Öland/Sweden: The Monument, Royal Academy of Letters History and Antiquities, 1976, 215pp
- ^ Lars Johansson (14 November 2005). "Barnen fick se avhuggna hästhuvuden".
- ^ "Kalmar – Frias från brott med djurhuvuden". 29 December 2006.
- ^ Egil Josefson, Jan Olofsson (15 November 2006). "To Reconstruct a Sacrificial Site".
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eketorps fornborg.
External links
56°17′44″N 16°29′10″E / 56.29556°N 16.48611°E
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