runestone tradition prior to the Jelling stone and after, is the number of runestones
produced. From the end of the tenth century until the beginning of the twelfth about
3 , 000 runestones were produced in Scandinavia (c. 2 , 400 in Sweden, c. 400 in Denmark
and c. 140 in Norway), gradually transforming a unique event reserved for the absolute
elite of society, into a relatively common affair practised by the upper middle classes.
STYLISTIC GROUNDS FOR A CHRONOLOGYSince there are few remaining written sources from this period, the runestones are an
invaluable historical source material, and also for the history of mission. A more precise
dating for the runestones than just to the eleventh century is therefore most desirable.
Over the years, several scholars have presented suggestions for a systematisation of the
ornamentation and layout of the runestones as a means of obtaining a more detailed
chronology. The grouping of the ornamentation on the Upplandic runestones by Otto
von Friesen ( 1913 ), based on his linguistic knowledge and the information obtained
from the so-called historical inscriptions, was generally accepted until the 1980 s. New
research then implied that the runological and linguistic variations in the material were
caused more by regional variation than chronology (Lagman 1990 : 157 ; Williams 1990 :
183 ), and this caused a sense of pessimism concerning the possibilities of a closer dating
of the material.
By this time a Southern and a Central Scandinavian style in the Swedish runestones
had already been defined through analyses of the curves and rhythm of the rune bands
(Christiansson 1959 ), largely corresponding to the Mammen–Ringerike style and the
Urnes style respectively. The former is characterised by close, hard lines and additive
elements, the latter by softly sweeping, continuous lines. The differences between the
styles were then seen as caused by regional variation, but have later been proved to
originate in the chronological development of the Mammen–Ringerike and Urnes styles
respectively. Comparisons between the runestone ornamentation and archaeologically
well-dated material have in recent years proved to be a very fruitful way of obtaining a
more detailed chronological sequence for the runestone material (Gräslund 1994 , 2003 ).
The artists/carvers of the runestones were subjected to the same stylistic ideals as those
influencing the rest of society, and consequently well-dated ornamented artefacts can
help pinpoint their time of production.
NON-ZOOMORPHIC CARVINGSFor the non-zoomorphic (or ‘unornamented’) carvings, a classification into three groups
has been suggested which does not necessarily form a chronological sequence: row
system, central loop and edge loop (Kinander 1935 : 10 – 11 ). Most of the unornamented
carvings seem to belong to the oldest phase, c. 970 – 1020 , but attention must be paid to
the fact that also later stones may be decorated in this style. Elements forming typical
parts of the Ringerike style occur rather often on the non-zoomorphic stones, giving a
means for dating such carvings to the very end of the tenth, or the first half of the
eleventh, century (Gräslund 2002 : 149 ). This is also indicated by the linear rhythm of
the carvings.
–– Anne-Sofie Gräslund and Linn Lager––