Priediens Burial Mound Site

Consisting of some hundred burial mounds, the Priediens burial ground is the largest of the Scandinavian burial grounds in Grobiņa. At present most of these are visible as slight elevations on the ground but a few mounds are more conspicuous. It is approved that there are at least 2000 burial mounds of different sizes, now researchers say that we can multiply this number with 3!

A picture stone of the type commonly found in Eastern Scandinavia (Gotland) was found in a Priediens burial mound site in 1987. It has been dated to the 7th century AD, and is the only such stone to have been found outside Scandinavia.

Grobiņa archaelogical ensemble consists of several archaelogical monuments of the same period: Grobiņa castle hill (Skābarža hill) and the ancient town, Grobiņa Medieval castle with bastions, Priediens ancient burial site, Porāni (Pūrāni) burial mound site, Smukumi flat-grave burial site, and Atklani flat-grave burial site, which are located compactly in Grobiņa and its surroundings. These monuments mostly date back to the 7th - 9th centuries and they are related to the impressive Scandinavian settlement, which under the name Seeburg was mentioned in the 9th century written sources.

Grobiņa archaelogical ensemble is an authentic and very well preserved set of archaeological sites and structures, mainly from the Viking age. The amount and diversity of materials, gained in archaeological excavations, show that at that time Grobiņa was one of the most important spots of the Viking world in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. Therefore the sites of Grobiņa archaelogical ensemble are included in the transnational serial nomination "Viking age sites in northern Europe" to UNESCO`S world heritage list.