Uppåkra is a village located five kilometres south of Lund in Scania in southernmost Sweden. Archeological diggings of a 100 acres (0.40 km²) large field, intensified in 1996, shows Uppåkra to be the richest and largest Iron Age–Viking Age town of the Scandinavian Peninsula. For centuries, maybe for most of the first millenium, Uppåkra was a place of religious and political power.

After having been burned down, possibly by "Norwegians" in connection with power struggles between different magnates during the process of unification of Denmark, the town of Uppåkra was relocated to Lund in the 990s. Hence Uppåkra is held to be the direct predecessor of the city of Lund.

Uppåkra was situated on the ancient main road between Trelleborg and Helsingborg. The original foundation of Uppåkra is dated to the first century BC, although its importance appear increased in the fifth century AD. It seems likely that the rulers of Uppåkra by then yielded influence over most or all of West Scania, ie. the land along the Trelleborg–Helsingborg main road, known for extraordinarily fertile plains.

External link

• Uppåkra — dep. of archeology, Lund University