A thermoluminescence date for the Rällinge hill fort, Raä 32, Helgarö parish, Södermanland : possible evidence of Ingjald's fiery demise? Kresten, Peter Fornvännen 2001(96):4, s. [279]-280 http://kulturarvsdata.se/raa/fornvannen/html/2001_279 Ingår i: samla.raa.se

Kort meddelande
A thermoluminescence date for the Rällinge hill fort, Raä 32, Helgarö parish, Södermanland. Possible evidence ojIngjald'sfiery demise?
Rällinge borg is a bivallate hill fört with ramparts three to five metres high, situated on a hill top near lake Mälaren, north-west of Strängnäs. A remarkable feature is the occurrence of some five endosures on the western bill slope adjacent to the fort, most likely for keeping livestock. The maze found inside the hill fort is a late (early 20th century) addition. Rällinge borg has been connected to Ingjald lllrciäi, the pcnultimate king of the Ynglinga dynasty. According to Snorri Sturluson's Ynglingasaga, Ingjald was a crook, with a career highlighted by murder and arson. He seems to have stayed true to these habits until the bitter end. Realising the approach of a superior foe, Ivar Wide-rathom, be threw a party »a Rceningi" (Wessén ig52, p. 44), drinking bis daughter and warriors under the table. He then torched the fort, killing everyone. Ingjald's son Olaf fled to Värmland, whence the dynasty moved on to Norway. Ingjald's kingdom was taken över by Ivar Wide-lätbom. The location of the fort Rceningi has been a subject of debate. It has been suggested that it might be a misspelling of Rällinge (Schröder 1820; adopted by Lindqvist 1 g21, p. 84; Noreen 19,85, p. 243; Wessén ig52,p. 73),although other alternatives are at option. Having a keen interest in »vitrified» hill forts (Kresten & Ambrosiani igg2; Kresten, Kero & Chyssler igg3; Kresten 2000), I paid a visit to Rällinge borg early in J u n e 2001. No apparent evidence of extensive liring, SIK b as fire-cracked or molten rock, was found. As great heat changes the magnetic properties of rocks (Kresten, Kero & Chyssler 1993), measurements of the magnetic susceptibility were carried out at various parts of the hill fort In addition, background measurements on gneiss and amphibolite at some distance from the bill fort were recorded. A fourfold increase in the magnetic susceptibility was noted for the gneiss outcrop at the centre of the hill fort (the site of the maze), possibly indicating the elfects of heating. Most of the inner rampart showed a slight increase in magnetic susceptibility only, except for a location about ten metres north of the entrance, where it was increased by a factor of 400. At that spöt, a small cavity, most likely dug by an animal, pennitted measurements d o s e r to the core of the ram part. Also, fire-cracked piéces of gneiss were collected. Investigation of the sample revealed that it had been heated to about 6oo-650°( 1 and therefore was suitable (Kresten 2000, p. 40) for therniolinninescence (TL) dating. The measurements (fiiie-grain method) were carried out by Ana Manzano, Berlin, with the following results: K.fi 7,14%, a-counting 37.77 cps, a-value 0.134, dose-rate 21.05 Gy, TL date j\D 59 ( ) ± 1 35How does this date agree with available data 011 Ingjald Jllrtuli? The problem is that the only source is iheYnglingn.saga. written several centuries after Ingjald's demise. In fact, we do not know whether Ingjald was a nuirdcrous villain or not, nor even whether he is actually a histork figure or just a ficlional character (Norr 1995). Nerman (1 g 17, p. 250), in bis discussion of the Ynglingasaga from an archaeological perspective, placed the flight of Ingjald *s son Olaf to Värmland »shortly after AD 650». Accordingly, Ingjald would have died at about this date, or shortly before, which is covered by the timespan of the TL date. Did Ingjald really meet his fäte at Rällinge borg? So far that question can only be answeted wilh »he just migbl have d o n e so«. The rampart was obviously b u r n t The TL dale is right, but most dates from Swedish hill forts with vitrified ramparta are similar, though commonly a bit earlier. What is important is thal the
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Kort meddelande Nerman, B., 1917. Ynglingasagan i arkeologisk belysning. Fornvännen 12. Noreen, A.G., 1925. Ynglingcilal. Text, översättning och kommentarer. KVHAA Handlingar 28, ny följd 8. Stockholm. Norr, S., 1995, Ingjald Illrådi - nice chap or false, niurderous Swede. Tor 27. Uppsala. Schröder, J.H., 1820. Om Renninge borg på Fogdön i Mälaren. Iduna. En skrift för den nordiska järnålderns älskare S.Göliska förbundet.Slockholm. Wessén, E., 1952. Nordisk filologi. Texter och läroböcker för universitetsstudier. Serie A: Texter 6. Snorri Sturluson, Ynglingasaga. Stockholm, Gopenhagen, Oslo. Financial support from Berit Wallenbergs Stiftelse is gratefully acknowledged. Peter Kresten Geoarkeologiskt Laboratorium Portalgatan 2A SE-754 23 Uppsala peter.kresten@raa.se

TL date does not contradict the assumption t h a t Ingjald may h a v e d i e d at R ä l l i n g e b o r g a t t h e m i d - 7 t h c e n t u r y A D . By c o n t r a s t , it h a s b e e n d e m o n s t r a t e d t h a t a n o t h e r i n f a m o u s villain ( o r at least o n e so d e p i c t e d in S h a k e s p e a r e ^ p l a y ) , M a c b e t h , c o u l d n e v e r h a v e fallen at D u n s i n a n e , as t h e p l a c e h a d b e e n b u r n t d o w n s o m e 6 0 0 years b e f o r e his day ( K r e s t e n & Goedicke igg6).

References Kresten, P., 2000. Geothermometry of archaeological materials. Final report of lhe research project »Geothermometry». Activity Report ICJOH. Geoarchaeological Laboratory. Uppsala. Kresten, P. & Ambrosiani, B., 1992. Swedish vitrified forts. A reconnaissance sludy. Fornvännen 87. Kresten, P. & Goedicke, C , 1996. TL-clating of vitrified ramparts: Did Birnam Wood go to Dunsinane Hill in A.D. 455? Iskos 1 1. Helsinki. Kresten, P., Kero, L. & Chyssler,J., 1993. Geology of the vitrified hill-fort Broborg, Uppland, Sweden. Geologiska Föreningens i Stockholm Förhandlingar 115. Lindqvist, S., 1921. Ynglingaättens gravskick. Fornvännen 16.

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