Figure 8. 1. 1 Birka is situated on an island in the Lake Mälaren bay, Björkfjärden, along the route
between the Baltic Sea and Uppsala, the centre of the Svear kingdom in prehistoric and medieval times.
The royal estate on Adelsö is visible in the foreground. (Photo © Björn Ambrosiani.)
Figure 8. 1. 2 Map of Birka’s town area. The black earth area is protected by a defense construction,
the hillfort Borg and the town rampart. By and outside of these lay its cemeteries, of which Hemlanden
is the largest with ca. 1600 visible barrows. Coffin- and chamber graves, today lacking visible
constructions above the ground, are concentrated to areas closest to the town.
(Map by Bernt Forsblad © The Birka Project.)
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