Torsburgen
The Torsburg (Swedish Torsburgen ) at Kräklingbo on the Swedish island of Gotland is the largest of the so-called prehistoric hill forts (Swedish fornborg ) in Scandinavia. Your mostly by natural cliffs formed circumference is nearly five kilometers. The additional built wall pieces are almost two kilometers long in total.
The name comes from the Germanic god Thor and Castle called in Old Norse, a ridge or a wall. The natural castle hill was created about 12,000 years ago, when the ice began to melt over Scandinavia. It was the Baltic Sea, which over time had different high water levels. Part of a former barrier beach can be seen in the southern part of the Torsburg. Then the wall was built.
Historical context
On Gotland 82 such plants are known. That is, based on the area, in each square of the size of 6.25 x 6.25 km, a. A distinction is made between:
- 44 lowland castles
- 31 hillforts (one of them the Torsburg )
- 7 bog or water plants
Most have less than 800 m² interior surface. It is remarkable for Ostgotland that ancient discoveries of all kinds are extremely rare in the immediate vicinity of the castles. Among the lowland plants there are circular and semi-circular fashion on steep crashes or to the coast (similar to Promontory Forts ) ajar systems.
Wall of Torsburg
The Torsburg
The archaeologists had initially assumed that the wall during the migration period was built ( around 500 AD ). In 1977, the excavation began under the direction of Johan Engström. They suggested a breach through the wall in order to study their structure and to determine their age by means of charcoal finds. First one came from a cold wall that was directly on the beach ridge. However, it was found that considerable amounts of gravel were placed on the wall and was bricked until it. Inside, they met on a core of baked limestone. This could be part of structural engineering or the result of a fire. Through the C14 method you could see the wall base to about 300 AD, determine the upper part to the 9th century. On top of the wall probably stood a wooden palisade.
The wall was built in the 4th century, when the Roman empire stretched even as far as Britain. It was a particularly quiet time, as can be seen also in the Danish Gudme, and trade flourished.
Gotensaga
In the Gotensaga or Getica the historian Jordanes reports ( presumably † 552), an older report Cassiodor Picking up on that in a Notperiode any third Gotlanders was forced to leave the island. However, the victims of the lot refused and barricaded themselves under the direction of Thor from the nearby Hajdby on the Torsburg. But they were driven out, first to Östergarnsholm and then to the island of Hiiumaa.
Nature
The castle level has a special flora. Carl Linnaeus was thrilled in 1741 when he visited her and found plants that are not existing in Sweden, which is why a nature reserve and Natura 2000 area has been set up here.