Image: Wikimedia Commons

runestone

Raised stone with a runic inscription

EntityQ815241

Also known as rune stone · rune-stone · runic stone

Subclass of: runic inscription
, raised stone
, memorial
+1 more

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, but the majority of the extant runestones date from the late Viking Age. While most of these are located in Scandinavia, particularly Sweden, there are also scattered runestones in locations that were visited by Norsemen. Runestones were usually brightly coloured when erected, though this is no longer evident as the colour has worn off.

Overview

All data

23 statements · 13% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Script: Runic script
OpenStreetMap tag: historic=rune_stone
Made from material: stone
Has characteristic: runic inscription
Different from: picture stone
rune stone

On other databases

14 identifiers linking runestone across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

13%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 7, 2026. AIDb refreshes this page daily.

Suggest a fact or correction

Links

Use this data

curl https://aidb.si/api/v1/entities/Q815241

API docs, limits & keys

Cite this page

AIDb. (2026). runestone (Q815241). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/runestone-Q815241