Mapping human mobility during the third and second millennia BC in present-day Denmark

We present results of the largest multidisciplinary human mobility investigation to date of skeletal remains from present-day Denmark encompassing the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. Through a multi-analytical approach based on 88 individuals from 37 different archaeological localities in which we combine strontium isotope and radiocarbon analyses together with anthropological investigations, we explore whether there are significant changes in human mobility patterns during this period. Overall, our data suggest that mobility of people seems to have been continuous throughout the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. However, our data also indicate a clear shift in mobility patterns from around 1600 BC onwards, with a larger variation in the geographical origin of the migrants, and potentially including more distant regions. This shift occurred during a transition period at the beginning of the Nordic Bronze Age at a time when society flourished, expanded and experienced an unprecedented economic growth, suggesting that these aspects were closely related.

The find material was sparse and consisted of a flint dagger of type VA [7,9], two slate pendants of type A, one bone pin, one bone awl and four dog teeth. Outside the gallery grave was a small stone cairn which contained another slate pendant [7].
The gallery grave contained at least 17 individuals, of which eight were males, three were females and three were subadults [7,10]. One skeleton, RISE 38 (PMD 96), was articulated, lying extended on its back with the head towards the west. It has been suggested that this individual was the last person to be buried at the site. This is contradicted by the radiocarbon date, according to which this individual should be in the middle of the burial sequence (Table   1 main text). The other individuals were all disarticulated [10].

Gallery grave
David Liversage excavated this grave in 1963 [7,12]. The tomb was a gallery grave of Zealand type, partly covered by a mound containing Bronze Age burials. The cist was dug ca 0.8 m into the ground and was c. 2.5 by 0.8 m large [7].
At least 16 individuals were buried in the grave, of which 11 were adults and 5 were subadults represented by minimum eight males and three females [13]. One skeleton was almost intact, and lay extended on his back with the head to the NW. Liversage suggested that this individual was the last person buried. A flint dagger of Lomborg type V was found by his right hand [12].
Inside the entrance, and on top of the feet and lower legs of the articulated skeleton, was a concentration of disarticulated human remains from several individuals. Stratigraphically below the articulated skeleton were remains of earlier burials. Apart from an articulated foot and a skull with mandible, these remains were all fragmentary and disarticulated. Scattered human bones were also found outside the entrance. In a few cases, these could be shown to belong to the same individuals as bones found in the chamber. Finally, bones of a child were found outside the SW chamber wall [12].
In front of the entrance, a young female had been buried in a flat grave, probably in a coffin.
No artefacts were found in this grave [12]. Objects found in the cist included a dagger Lomborg type VB, a bone pin Ebbesen type 7, a bone awl, a bone bead, a bronze finger ring and fragments of two other bronze rings [7,12].

Gallery graves and barrow
Christian Leif Vedbaek excavated the mound in Karlslunde parish in 1965-66. During the excavation four gallery graves and twelve inhumations were found. In total at least 31 individuals were buried in the mound [7,14,15]. The skeletal material was sent to the Antropologiske Samling before the final numbering of the graves were made. Therefore, the grave numbers in AS's catalogue and the report are not correlated. There is a key to the renumbering in their archive. The key and the archaeological report (text and photographs) were used to identify the skeletons that were analysed. The grave number for each grave are also different in catalogue of Aner and Kersten [14] than in the archaeological report. In Aner and Kersten [14] all graves are numbered from A and onwards.
In this project the double grave XVI (Aner & Kersten grave Q) was analysed. It contained the remains of two individuals: Skeleton A (RISE 20) and Skeleton B (RISE 21). Skeleton A was found with the head in SSE. With it were a sword, two fibulas, three double buttons (one with an inlaid amber disc), a razor, a bronze knife, two bronze fish hooks, a tweezer, a small gold piece and a flint-strike-a-light associated [15]. Skeleton B was found with the head in NNV with a razor, an awl, a small piece of bronze, a flint-strike-a-light and a piece of pyrite associated with the deceased [15]. A previous aDNA analysis determined the skeleton (RISE 21) to be that of a male, with a: HG N1a1a1a2 [11].
In addition, there was a mandible (RISE 19) of a child in the grave. There is no information of where this was found. Therefore, it is difficult to say if this is part of the grave attire, like the remains of a cremated child in Egtved [16], or just part of the fill. A radiocarbon date demonstrates that the mandible from the child predates the two adult burials (1510-1420 cal BC The objects in the grave are all of Nordic style, possibly indicating that the deceased is from another area of the Nordic region. There is one similar bronze double button in Billegravsgård, Bornholm [17], which could indicate a connection to Bornholm, although there are many other possibilities. If the mandible of the child was placed deliberately in the grave, it is possible that one of the two adults had brought the remains with them. It has been argued that in the case of the Egtved the discrepancy between the dendrochronological age of the coffin and the radiocarbon dates of the cremated bone relates to the old wood effect in cremations [18]. This might suggest the possibility that remains of a child could be a part of the living individual's life long after the child had died, as indicated by these two graves.

Double passage grave
This grave was excavated in 1938 by Knud Thorvildsen. He only published a short account [19], but the site was extensively published by Ebbesen [20]. A mound, c. 18 m in diameter and 4 m high, contained two passage grave chambers, called the northern passage grave and the southern passage grave. Both tombs had clear stratigraphies with an upper and a lower layer, separated by layers of sand and crushed flint [20]. By their content of artefacts, the layers were suggested to be Late Neolithic and Middle Neolithic in date, respectively.
Large numbers of artefacts were found in both passage graves. The finds are described in detail in Ebbesen [20]. The upper layers had relatively few artefacts, among which flint daggers, fragments of pressure-flaked implements, and a Late Neolithic vessel may be noted.
The flint daggers were eight in total and range typologically from Lomborg type I to type VI, covering the period from early Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age [20].
The lower layers were much more abundant in finds. Pottery from >75 vessels were found in the chambers and passages of both tombs, typologically ranging from Middle Neolithic A I to Middle Neolithic A V but with an emphasis on Middle Neolithic A IV pottery. In addition, large numbers of flint artefacts, bone and tooth pearls, and amber beads were found. Among the flint artefacts were 14 thick-butted axes of which two hollow-edged, 8 thin-bladed thickbutted axes, 57 transverse arrowheads, 85 blades and 11 blade arrowheads of Pitted Ware type. Most of these artefacts can be dated to the Middle Neolithic A, but blade arrowheads and hollow-edged axes also indicate burials in the Middle Neolithic B period. The area in front of the passages had been disturbed, and almost no finds were made there [20].
A large amount of bone material was recovered at the excavation, but most of it was later discarded. Brøste et al. [10]

Gallery grave
The gallery grave was excavated in 1958, and was found to be built on an older kitchen midden (020611-112 [2]). The chamber was 2.75 m long and up to 0.75 m wide, and was covered by a partly destroyed mound. The human remains were disturbed and mostly disarticulated, as the western part of the cist had been disturbed [23]. Only one partly articulated individual was found in the cist (skeleton 1), of which only the lower part of the body remained. This was interpreted as the last individual buried. Human remains were also found outside the cist, from a probable clearance in prehistory [23]. In all, at least eight individuals had been buried in the cist. Of these, 4 individuals were sampled for this project (RISE [14][15][16][17]. The sampled individuals have been dated to the Late Neolithic II (Table 1 main   text).

Bog find
In 1940, two skeletons were found in a bog c. 3 km north of the Trundholm wagon (030405-586 [2]). They were found while ploughing. One of the skeletons, Trundholm mose II (RISE 276), was analysed for the project. The radiocarbon date indicated that the skeleton dates to the Late Bronze Age (800-540 cal BC). A previous aDNA analysis on RISE 276 showed that the deceased belonged to MtDNA haplogroup T2b and was male [11]. Other human remains have been found as close as c. 750 m from the Trundholm wagon (030405-331, 322 [2]).
Part of the mound had fallen into the sea. Remains of two inhumations and four cremations were found during the excavation [24,25]. No artefacts were found in any of the graves, although a number of flint objects were found in the fill (Vedbaek 1963).
In the project the two inhumations were analysed. The central grave [24,25] contained the remains of a child (RISE 18), and produced a radiocarbon date (1650-1510 cal BC) that places the burial in Period I. The second inhumation may have been an earlier flat grave [24,25], and contained the remains of an adult (RISE 26). As expected, it is older than the central grave with its radiocarbon date of 1740-1560 cal BC.
The central grave (A38) held some animal bones and the remains of an adult individual (RISE 166) who measured 170 cm in the grave [26]. Grave A37 (RISE 168) was placed just above grave A38, and contained the remains of an adult who measured c. 170 cm in situ. It held a Bronze Age Period II tutulus and a bronze fragment [26]. Grave A35 (RISE 167) contained an adult [26]. Grave A34 contained a bronze double button dating to Bronze Age Period III, the handle of a flint dagger possibly of type VI, and previously, just above the grave, the tip of a bronze sword had been found. The skeletal remains of an adult were badly preserved [26].
The skeletal material in grave A32 was badly preserved but probably held the remains of an adult. Parts of two additional adults were found in the mound fill. In 1997 a further grave was found and dated to Bronze Age Period III [26].
In the report grave A38 was regarded as the oldest and grave A35 and A37 were seen as more or less contemporary [26]. The radiocarbon dates show that grave A38 (RISE 166) is probably the oldest, dating to Bronze Age Period I (1620-1500 cal BC). While A35 (RISE 167) and A37 (RISE 168) are more or less contemporary (1610-1420 cal BC and 1600-1410 cal BC) both belonging to Bronze Age Period I/II. Confirming the excavators' interpretation. A Bronze Age Period II date for A37 is more in with the style of the tutulus.

Flat graves
Four flat graves containing five individuals were found during the excavation of a shell midden in 1899-1900 by Hans Kjaer [2,10,27,28]. All five individuals were sampled.
Grave A (RISE 57, PMD 121/IV) was a flat grave below an almost oval stone pavement [9].
It contained the remains one adult individual, lying in hocker position. Under the left forearm was a flint dagger type II A and by the left upper arm was a fragmented bone Ringkopfnadel (ring-headed pin; Ebbesen type 3; [9,29]. Grave B (RISE 53) contained an adult individual lying extended in supine position, below a stone pavement. No artefacts were found [9].
Grave E was a flat grave below a low stone cairn. It contained two individuals, RISE 54 (PMD118/I) and RISE055 (PMD119/II), lying extended on their backs in opposite directions [27]. The grave contained two flint daggers of Lomborg type IB and one of type Ix [9,27].
Grave F (RISE 56, PMD120/III) was a flat grave below an oval stone pavement [27]. It held an adult individual, lying in hocker position. The grave contained one fragmented bone pin [29].
All the graves date to the Late Neolithic I, with radiocarbon dates spanning from 2296 to 1985 cal BC. There are 96 BP years between the males in the double burial.
The ring-headed pin in grave A is of a common type for the Únĕtice culture [9,29]. Lomborg [9] connects both grave A and E with the Únĕtice culture; in the case of grave E, this is due to the double burial in hocker position. This is not supported by Müllers account, however, as he describes them as lying in extended positions [27].

Barrow
The mound was excavated by Henrik Thrane 1965Thrane -1966. The ploughed out mound contained an unusually large number of graves. The preservation of the bones was poor and not all of the graves contained human remains. The mound was probably built in two stages [30]. The RISE samples (RISE 13, 78 and 79) all came from the first mound stage.
Grave 15 [24] probably contained two individuals [30], one of which is likely to have been an adult based on the length of the skeleton drawn in the plan, and one child (RISE 13) [24].
Grave 15 is stratigraphically older than grave 13 (RISE 78), which is placed above grave 15 [30]. RISE 78 (grave 13, [24]) contained bronze fragments, a flint-strike-a-light and pyrite with organic remains around the finds, probably from a small bag placed to the west of the torso [24,30]. The grave contained the remains of an adult. RISE 79 (grave 7, [24]) held no artefacts [24,30], and the remains were of an adult.
The second mound phase contained three graves. Grave 1 (Ke 1357IA) contained artefacts belonging to Bronze Age Period II; a gold spiral, a bronze double button, an axe, a razor, a tweezer, an awl, a probable bronze belt hook, a fibula and flint strike-a-light and a flint arrowhead [24,30].
None of the samples produced radiocarbon dates, but based on the artefacts in grave 1 and 5 the mound was built within a short time frame within Bronze Age Period II [30]. The flint strike-a-light has a probable Early Bronze Age date as most likely did all three analysed graves belong to the Early Bronze Age, Period I or II.

Barrow
In 1949 Erling Albrectsen excavated sb no 36 and found a burial containing human remains, a dagger, two tutuli, a fibula, remains of a probable ring, a razor, a flint scraper, a fire strike-alight, pyrite and remains of a ceramic vessel [17,31]. The artefacts date the burial to MPII [17]. The analysis (RISE 170) showed a probable male aged 20-25 years.

Horne, Kimesbjerggårde, Horne lands parish Sb no 134, Salling District, Svendborg
County Barrow Skeletal material, including teeth from a child, was found in a partly eroded mound (090412-134 [2,32]). RISE 433 comprises human remains found in a grave when the mound was excavated. A flint dagger of Lomborg type VI was found with the remains (090412-134 [2,32]), Mikkelsen (1989) writes that the flint dagger is Lomborg type III, but the later determination to Lomborg type VI which we find in Fund og Fortidsminder [2] is more accordance with the radiocarbon date. The grave contained an adult and a radiocarbon date  [7]. Remains of at least five individuals were found in the cist, one of which was articulated and lay extended on its back [10,29]. Outside the east end was a heap of bones from several individuals (~10) [10]. This heap was interpreted as resulting from a clearing of the chamber. Of the buried there were nine children and eight adults [7]. Seven crania were described by Brøste et al. [10], PMD 62-68. All these were determined as males.
The chamber contained a flint dagger type I [9], two flint arrow heads, an undecorated straight-walled beaker, a bone awl and two bone pins (one Ebbesen type 7 and one of indeterminable type) [7]. One of the arrowheads is a barbed and tanged arrowhead of west European Bell Beaker type [9,33]. The flint dagger is of an early type [9], and the decorated pin seems to belong to the same phase. Bone pins of Ebbesen type 7 are mainly found in eastern Denmark, Scania and Västergötland, Sweden [9,29].
Eight samples were taken from the grave (RISE 25, RISE 27 to RISE 33). Seven of the eight radiocarbon dates fall into the Late Neolithic I, and one in the Late Neolithic II (RISE 31).
The dates from the bone heap are slightly older than the datings from the chamber, supporting the idea of clearing.

Gallery grave
This gallery grave was excavated in 1925 by G. Hatt. The cist was 2.5 by 0.9 m large and dug into the ground. It contained some human remains as well as a flint dagger type Ix and a fragmentary bone pin [7]. Grave B, also a gallery grave, contained two broken flint daggers, a flint sickle, some flint splinters as well as some scattered and disarticulated human bones. Grave C, another gallery grave, contained a complete skeleton in extended position, measuring 165 cm in situ without the feet, disarticulated human bones, two parts of a flint dagger, some ceramic sherds and a bundle of six flint arrowheads [34].
Outside and to the west of grave B, some disarticulated skeletal remains from an adult were found. These were interpreted by the excavator as cleared out from grave B, which was supported by the find of the tip of a flint dagger (Lomborg type I) fitting with another fragment found in grave B [34]. He also suggested that the cranium and articulated arm found in grave A belonged to this individual. However, as the bones have not been studied in detail, this suggestion is not possible to substantiate.

Barrow
The remains of an adult individual (RISE 104) were found in a stone cist in a mound. The grave contained a Rixheim type sword [35], a type that is mainly found in southwest Europe.
A fibula and a bronze double button were also found in the burial [36,37]. The sword is a non-local object, however the fibula and double button are Nordic types.
The radiocarbon analyses performed for the RISE project produced an earlier date than that indicated by the artefacts. The artefacts belong to Period III [36,37] [38], this is more in line with the typological date.
It is suggested that this individual may have had the sword with him when he arrived in present-day Denmark, and acquired the fibula and the double button locally [36,37].

Sønderhå, Sønderhå parish, Hassing district, Thisted Amt stone cist/barrow
A small stone cist was found by a farmer. It contained a skeleton of an adult with the head to the west end and no objects. On the roof slab there were four urns with cremations. One of the urns contained some small bone objects [36]. The skeletal material from the cist was analysed for the project (RISE 12) and the radiocarbon date placed the find in the Early Iron Age (1-130 cal AD).

Barrow
This mound containing four graves was excavated in 1973 by Jørgen Christoffersen. Two graves contained no finds, grave 2 [36] contained a small ceramic cup and grave 4 [36] held a sword, bronze double button and a fibula, which dated the burial a date to the transition between Bronze Age Period III and Period IV [36].
The grave analysed within the Rise project is grave no 2 (in the AS registered as grave 1; RISE 107) and contains the remains of child and a small cup. The graves were renumbered after the remains were sent to the AS, therefore the numbers in the AS do not correlate to the number in the report. Grave number 3 (RISE 107) in AS is grave number 4 in the report and grave number 1 in AS is grave number 2 in the report [39]. The radiocarbon date failed, and therefore we have no date for this grave, but based on the stratigraphy of the grave [36] the placement under grave D makes it likely to be a Bronze Age Period III grave, or at least belonging to the Early Bronze Age.

Barrow
Mound sb no 78 was excavated in 1982 by Ann-Louise Haak. The barrow contained four graves. Grave N3 [36] contained the remains of an inhumation and a cremation. Grave N4 [36] and grave N5 [36] held burnt bones from cremations and the grave N9 [36] was an urn burial [18]. Within the project grave N3 (RISE 106) was analysed. The radiocarbon date on the inhumation dated the burial to 1260-1040 cal BC, late Bronze Age MPIII. The deceased was a probable male aged 25-35 years old.

Barrow
The ploughed out mound Høghs høj was partly excavated by Hans Andersen Kjaer in 1912, and in 1978 completely excavated by Jens-Henrik Bech [36]. The mound contained five burials. Grave A (N2 in the report) contained a fibula, a bronze knife dating to Bronze Age Period III, and a flint scraper. Grave B (N3 in report) contained the cremated remains of an individual with a dagger and a pommel, a belt box, two arm-rings, a tutulus, a bracelet, four to five small bronze spirals, a pin, a double button, a sickle, a golden spiral-ring, 11 glass beads and part of a ceramic vessel. Grave C (N5) contained cremated bones and a bone pin, Grave D (N6) an inhumation dated to the Roman Iron Age and grave E (N26) a cremation dating to the pre-Roman Iron Age [36].
The teeth found in grave A (N2) have been analysed for the project (RISE 108). The teeth age the individual to be between 13 to 15 years old.

Gallery grave
A gallery grave placed in the centre of a partly ploughed out mound was excavated by G. Hatt in 1927 (120408-14 [2,7]). The gallery grave contained disarticulated remains of at least five individuals and a flint dagger [7,40]. The site is called Harehøjgårdhøj in Panums list.
Two individuals have been sampled for the project; RISE 58 an adult, dating to Late Neolithic II (1900-1740 cal BC); and another adult RISE 59 who date to Late Neolithic I (2120-1890 cal BC).

Flat grave cemetery
Seven flat graves, containing at least eleven individuals were found during the excavation of a shell midden from the Ertebølle culture in 1908 by Rosenberg and Neergaard [28,41,42].
Ebbesen [41] argues that all the graves in the cemetery belong to Period I of the Bronze Age, based on the type VI flint dagger found with skeleton 10. It should be noted that no other graves contained artefacts, however. Six individuals were sampled for the project, RISE 47-
Below skeleton No 2 was skeleton No 5, another adult, lying in extended supine position [28,41]. This individual was not sampled. Grave 3 was covered by a stone packing, divided into two layers [41]. Between them was skeleton No 3, an adult individual. Under the lower layer were the remains from four individuals (skeletons Nos 6-8 and 10). Two of these were sampled (RISE047 and 048).
Skeleton No 8 (RISE 47) an adult, lying in extended supine position [41]. Skeleton No 10 (RISE 48) was an adult, probably in a similar position although only the upper body remained [41]. Skeleton No 10 had been disturbed by the burial of skeleton No 8 which was thus stratigraphically younger [41]. A flint dagger of Lomborg type VI was found with the former skeleton [41,42]. The last skeleton that was sampled in the project is from grave 6 (RISE 50). This grave contains the remains of a two individuals an adult and a child. The sampled individual was the adult.
Only RISE 47 yielded aDNA information and the genetic information determines the sex to male and the HG is I [11].

Barrow
Only one grave is known from the mound, placed centrally in the barrow. The grave contained the remains of an individual that in the grave measured 171 cm. On the left shoulder were 47 amber pieces and by the right hip a belt hook was placed. In the foot end of the grave were burnt bones which probably had been wrapped in textiles as some textile fragments were found with them [43]. The majority of the bones were removed from their box in Panum and could therefore not be analysed within the project. The radiocarbon date 1530-1420 cal BC (RISE 76) places the burial in Period PII.

Barrow
Five burials were excavated in 1931 by Johannes Brøndsted. Grave A was a disturbed stone cist that held a stone with rock-art, a number of cup-marks, a cross-shaped form and some other shapes, and skeletal remains of an adult in extended position on his back. No artefacts were found [37,[43][44][45]. Grave B, a small stone cist, contained a few bones of a child, without grave goods [43]. Grave C was also a small stone cist, which held the remains of a child and an amber bead [43]. Grave D and E were in the form of small circular stone settings that contained no objects [43]. Grave F held the remains of an inhumation and a double button that is now lost; based on a drawing it probably belonged to Period III [43]. This is called Sb no 25 in Aner et al. [43], but in Fund og Fortidsminder is Sb. 24. In AS's archive the site is called Bakkehøiene, The grave numbers in AS and Aner et al. are also different, i.e. what is numbered in the AS's list as grave C is grave A in Aner et al. [43].
Only grave A was sampled (RISE 23). The skeleton is of a male aged 20 to 25 years, who was a minimum of 176 cm tall. The radiocarbon date is 1450-1290 cal BC, placing the burial in late Bronze Age Period II.

Flat graves
While digging on a stretch of beach in a heap of stones among seashells south of Hverrehus a worker unearthed a large number of bronzes [2,46]. The site was later excavated and contained five flat graves [43].
Grave A was a rich adult female burial, who had worn a corded skirt ( [37,43,[46][47][48]. Grave B, another likely female burial, contained a neck collar and small ceramic beaker ( [37,43,46]. Grave C was discovered in 1919 and there is no detailed information about the find other than that it was found in the same shell bank as grave A [46], and that it contained a small belt-plate. Grave D contained the remains of a sword, a fibula and a bracelet [43]. Broholm [46] argued that Grave C and D are just one grave, containing the remains of another female burial. Grave E (RISE 282) was found 10 m south of grave C and contained the remains of a child and a tutulus [43].
The graves can be typologically dated to MPII [43]. This date is confirmed by the radiocarbon date conducted for the project on the remains from grave E (RISE 282), which calibrated with 2 sigma produced the year 1500-1380. The individual buried in grave E is a child. The tutulus is of the same type that was found in the rich female grave A.

Barrow
This small mound with a small stone cist was excavated by Mette Iversen in 1974. The cist contained a partly preserved skeleton, which, based on the coffin, was dated to the Early Bronze Age [49]. In Fund og Fortidsminder 131005 Sb no 124 no information is provided about this excavation location, but based on the report and the map in the report it must be the same mound, as part of the information is correct.  [43,50]. The central grave (grave A; RISE 281) was rich, containing a bronze neck ring, belt-plate, metal-hilted dagger and chase, numerous bronze tubes, four beads made of animal teeth (one wild boar and three dog), two ceramic beakers and some textile remains [37,43,51]. The textile remains are from a blouse or a blanket and a corded skirt [51]. The technique used in the starting border of the corded skirt is similar to the found in Ølby, Zealand [52]. The second grave in the mound (grave B) contained a sword blade and a pommel, a dagger, a flanged axe, a fibula, a tweezer and a flint strike-a-light [37,43]. Both graves belong to Period II [37,43]. Grave A (RISE 281) is dated to 1440-1280 cal BC.

Flat grave
This grave containing human remains of an adult and a bronze fibula was excavated by Neergaard in a shell midden in 1917 [37]. The grave has been analysed within the project (RISE 22). The fibula is a cruciform fibula [37], which dates the grave to MPIII, and is consistent with the radiocarbon date (1410-1230 cal BC), which places the burial in the late Bronze Age MPII and early MPIII.

Falshøj, Mariager parish Sb no 172, Omsil District, Randers County
Dolmen/gallery grave Chance find reported by the farmacist Mikkelsen in 1880 [10,53]. A chamber of uncertain form was discovered, c. 2.35 m long and 1.55 m wide (E-W), surrounded by a mound. The chamber had 6 uprights and a single large capstone. A kind of entrance was noted in the eastern end. The description of the chamber is vague and could fit a dolmen or a gallery grave. The remains of at least 11 people were noted in the chamber [10]. Few artefacts were recovered; a flint dagger of "late type" and an undecorated clay cup.
A further individual, PMD58, was dated by Fibiger et al. [21], also to the Late Neolithic. This individual showed cranial trauma in the form of ante-mortem fracture to the zygomatic (cheek bone) [21]. RISE 71 has previously [11] been analysed for aDNA, the result showed a female with haplogroup H3b.

Gallery grave of Bøstrup type
The grave was excavated in 1956 by C. L. Vedbaek, and is still the grave with the most substantial human bones dating to the Danish Single Grave Culture [54][55][56]. The grave chamber had been disturbed but the outline could be reconstructed. It was 2.8-3 m long and 1.6-1.7 m wide in the broader northern end, while it was only ca 1 m wide in the southern gable, where the entrance was found.
The artefacts in the chamber were of SGC types and included two SGC vessels, three blade arrowheads of D-type, a thin-bladed flint axe and two amber beads. Some artefacts could be associated with specific individuals, see below. In spite of partial destruction of the chamber, burials and artefacts on the chamber floor were largely undisturbed.
Osteological analyses were carried out by Balslev Jørgensen and complemented by Bennike [7,55], and teeth have been analysed by Alexandersen [57]. The grave contained at least ten individuals: six adults, one juvenile and three children. Several of the skeletons were articulated, but some were also more or less disturbed and disarticulated. Two skeletons were in extended supine positions, while two were in hocker positions. According to Ebbesen [55] Balslev Jørgensen has identified several individuals, numbered 1-9: while demolishing a large mound situated on his land [58]. A substantial number of textile remains were found in the oak-log coffin. Two non-textile artefacts were also discovered: a horn comb and a razor, placed at the right hand [58,59]. The skeleton (RISE 326) has previously been claimed to be that of a male, c. 175 cm tall [10]. The deceased has also been claimed to be 30 years old and 170 cm based on information published straight after the oaklog coffin was found [60]. Both the razor and the horn comb seem to have been heavily used [61]. The razor with a horse head is a common type of razor in Scandinavia [62]. Only one similar comb is known to the authors in the Scandinavian material, a horn comb found in