Flat White or With A Round Character? New light on stone funerary slabs and orbs from south Sweden

Stone funerary orbs with carved ornamentation, along with similarly decorated
stones, but in the form of slabs, are a distinctive yet underexplored category of
archaeological objects from Late Iron Age Sweden. These carved stones are
originally found in burial contexts from the Migration Period (c. 400–550 CE)
and at times early Vendel Period (c. 550–800 CE). In later centuries, they are
known to have been removed from their original context, and re-used for other
purposes. This paper discusses stone funerary orbs and slabs from the Mälar
Valley, south Sweden, and sheds light on their different object itineraries
throughout time. In doing so, it focusses on the making of their ornamentation,
and its (desired) affects and effects, as well as the possible qualities that were
associated with the stone itself (e.g. form, colour, descent) and how these
aspects may have played pivotal roles in their removal from burial contexts
to new ontological realms.