Runestone styles#Pr (profile styles)

{{Short description|Overview of runestone design}}

File:Urnesportalen.jpg. This is a part of the decoration of the Urnes stave church which is in the same as the later runestone styles.]]

:The term "runestone style" in the singular may refer to the Urnes style.

The style or design of runestones varied during the Viking Age. The early runestones were simple in design, but towards the end of the runestone era they became increasingly complex and made by travelling runemasters such as Öpir and Visäte.

A categorization of the styles was developed by Anne-Sophie Gräslund in the 1990s.{{citation |first=Anne-Sophie |last=Gräslund |contribution=Dating the Swedish Viking-Age Rune Stones on Stylistic Grounds | title=Runes and Their Secrets: Studies in Runology| publisher=Museum Tusculanum Press| location=Copenhagen |pages=117–140 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=USIpSluLe10C |isbn=87-635-0428-6 |year=2006}} Her systematization is considered to have been a break-through and is today a standard. The styles are RAK, Fp, Pr1, Pr2, Pr3, Pr4 and Pr5, and they cover the period 980-1130, which was the period during which most runestones were made.

The styles Pr1 and Pr2 correspond to the Ringerike style, whereas Pr3, Pr4 and Pr5 belong to what is more widely known as the Urnes style.Sawyer 2000:32

Below follows a brief presentation of the various styles by showing sample runestones according to Rundata's annotation.

RAK

RAK is the oldest style and covers the period 980-1015 AD, but the Rundata project also includes the older runestones in this group, as well as younger ones. This style has no dragon heads and the ends of the runic bands are straight.

Image:Rökstenen2.JPG|Rök runestone

Image:U 336, Orkesta.JPG|U 336

Image:Öl1, karlevi.JPG|Karlevi Runestone

Image:Ög165 Runsten vid Vårfrukyrkan, Skänninge.jpg|Ög 165

Fp

This style is from the period c. 1010/1015 to c. 1040/1050, when Pr3 appeared. It is characterized by runic bands that end with animal heads seen from above.

Image:U 778, Svinnegarn.jpg|U 778

Image:SÖ179 Gripsholm Runestone.jpg|Gripsholm Runestone

Image:Rune stone exhibited in the Terminal 2 of the Arlanda Airport (Stockhoml, Sweden).jpg|U FV 1992;157

Image:So194 Brosicke 06.gif|Sö 194

Pr (profile styles)

In the styles called Pr1, Pr2, Pr3, Pr4 and Pr5, the runic bands end with animal heads seen in profile.

=Pr1 (Ringerike style)=

This style is contemporary with FP dated to c. 1010- c. 1050 when it was succeeded by Pr3.

Image:U 324, Tjusta.JPG|U 324

Image:U 335, Orkesta.jpg|U 335

Image:U 201, Angarn.JPG|U 201

Image:U 161, Risbyle.JPG|U 161

=Pr2 (Ringerike style)=

This style is only somewhat younger than the previous style and it is dated to c. 1020- c. 1050, and it was also succeeded by Pr3.

Image:Sö279 strängnäs dom.jpg|Sö 279

Image:U 212 (side A), Vallentuna.JPG|U 212

Image:U 137, Broby bro.jpg|U 137

Image:U 165, Vallentuna.jpg|U 165

=Pr3 (Urnes style)=

This style succeeded FP, Pr1 and Pr2 and is dated to c. 1050- c. 1080.

Image:U 194, Väsby.JPG|U 194

Image:U 240, Lingsberg.JPG|U 240

Image:U 256, Fresta.jpg|U 256

Image:U 148, Hagby.JPG|U 148

=Pr4 (Urnes style)=

This style appeared somewhat later c. 1060/1070 and lasted until c. 1100.

Image:Runestone Uppland 1975 II.jpg|U Fv1976;107

Image:U 647, Övergran.JPG|U 647

Image:U 152, Hagby.JPG|U 152

Image:Upplands Runinskrift 871.jpg|U 871

=Pr5 (Urnes style)=

This style was the last one before runestones stopped being raised. It appeared c. 1080/1100 and lasted until c. 1130.

Image:U 104, Ed.jpg|U 104

Image:U 1014, Ärentuna.JPG|U 1014

Image:U 216, Vallentuna.jpg|U 216

Image:U541 Husby-Sjuhundra kyrka runestone.jpg|U 541

KB

This style is used by the Rundata project, although it does not attribute it to Gräslund's model. The style is common in western Södermanland and it is characterized by bordered crosses.

Image:Sö 84, Tumbo.JPG|Sö 84

Image:Sö 362, Tumbo.JPG|Sö 362

Image:Sö 363, Tumbo.JPG|Sö 363

Image:Sö 85, Västerby.JPG|Sö 85

See also

Footnotes

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