Egg

An unburnt birds egg were found under cremated remains and charred earth in the ceramic sepulchral urn. The procedure is the same as for the hair braid in the pail and both rituals probably had a similar, life-generating purpose since the egg is a universal symbol for rebirth. Eggs and egg shells have also been found in other cremation graves, but they are rather unusual finds. The egg from Skopintull is, however, the only one known to have been placed at the bottom of a sepulchral urn. The somewhat mottled appearance of the egg meant that it was at first thought to be a raven’s egg, but a DNA analysis of a small fragment of shell showed a hundred percent match with a chicken. Grave find, Skopintull, Adelsö Parish, Uppland.

Image rights 1: Ola Myrin, Historiska museet/SHM (CC BY 4.0)
Image rights 2: Helena Bonnevier, Historiska museet/SHM (CC BY 4.0)

Object number: 1142147_HST

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