Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
23
Tzatziki
B2
Drinking & Nightlife
O'Connor's
B2
Entertainment
24
Katalin & All That Jazz
D2
Sights
Gamla Uppsala
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
One of Sweden's largest and most important burial sites, Gamla Uppsala (4km north of
Uppsala) contains 300 mounds from the 6th to 12th centuries. The earliest are also the
three most impressive. Legend has it they contain the pre-Viking kings Aun, Egil and
Adils, who appear in
Beowulf
and Icelandic historian Snorre Sturlason's
Ynglingsaga
.
More recent evidence suggests the occupant of Östhögen (East Mound) was a woman,
probably a female regent in her 20s or 30s.
According to Olof Rudbeck's 1679 book
Atlantica
, Gamla Uppsala was the seat of
Western culture. Rudbeck (1630-1702), a scientist, writer and all-around colourful charac-
ter, amassed copious evidence proving that Old Uppsala was, in fact, the mythical lost city
of Atlantis. In retrospect, this seems unlikely. But the area is a fascinating attraction never-
Speculation has surrounded the burial site from the beginning. Early press reports in-
clude that of medieval chronicler Adam of Bremen - who never actually visited - describ-
