The historic site of Old Uppsala

Located outside Uppsala in Sweden, Gamla Uppsala served as a significant religious, economic, and political center from the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD. Gamla Uppsala is the Swedish name for Old Uppsala. During the Middle Ages, it was the largest village of Uppland and the location of the Thing of all Swedes, a general assembly held from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages, typically at the end of February or early March.

Gamla Uppsala is situated on Fyris Wolds, a cultivated plain in the valley of the River Fyris. According to the oldest Scandinavian sources like Ynglingatal, the Westrogothic law, and the Gutasaga, the King of the Swedes was the "King at Uppsala." In the 16th century, Johannes Magnus asserted the city was founded by a king named Ubbo, though this lacks corroborating evidence. The site later became Sweden's first archbishopric in 1164.

The Royal Mounds (Kungshögarna) are three large barrows in the village dated to the 5th and 6th centuries. According to folklore, the gods Thor, Odin, and Freyr would be at rest here, while in the 19th and 20th centuries, they were speculated to hold the remains of kings from the House of Ynglings and were known as Aun's Mound, Adils's Mound and Egil's Mound. Excavations in the eastern mound revealed decorated bronze panels with a dancing warrior, likely from a Vendel Age helmet, and gold fragments that may have adorned a scramasax or belt.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons