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Rune stones are somewhat flat stones with runic stone carvings from the Iron Age (Viking Age) and early middle ages found in most parts of Scandinavia. The inscriptions are made in different dialectal variants of the Old Norse language.
The majority of these stones are post-christian, often include the christian cross and use the younger futhark, but older stones are pagan Norse and use the older futhark. Their inscriptions are the oldest written source texts created in the nordic countries and some give a few clues about the society in Scandinavia at this time.
Most stones are put up as memorials for a dead person: in many cases death caused by sudden and unexpected events. Other stones are put up as landmarks. Several stones have obviously been erected by women.
Several inscriptions include works of art, for example the runes may be inscribed inside a serpent-like creature, and some stones found on Gotland contain artistic imagery without any runes. (Image stones.)
When the stones were carved, the runic letters were also painted with some color, so they would be easily visible. Newly discovered stones often lack this color because of erosion, but caretakers nowadays make sure they are repainted and readable.