The burial cairns at Botnane are among Norway's most significant and best-preserved cultural monuments from the Bronze Age, dating to roughly 1800-1000 BC. Eight cairns survive here, some clearly visible from the road, and between Botnane and nearby Årebrot, a total of forty Bronze and Iron Age burial mounds were registered in the 1950s.
Unlike Danish burial mounds which were typically covered with soil and became overgrown, these coastal cairns were built as bare rock mounds, a regional tradition along the Norwegian coast. After 3,000 years, they remain as visible and imposing as when they were first constructed, tonnage upon tonnage of hand-carried stone piled over stone-slab coffins containing chieftains laid to rest with their weapons and tools.
A cultural heritage trail with five information signs was opened in 2021 by the county mayor of Vestland. The trail makes the site accessible and well-explained for visitors.
Unlike Danish burial mounds which were typically covered with soil and became overgrown, these coastal cairns were built as bare rock mounds, a regional tradition along the Norwegian coast. After 3,000 years, they remain as visible and imposing as when they were first constructed, tonnage upon tonnage of hand-carried stone piled over stone-slab coffins containing chieftains laid to rest with their weapons and tools.
A cultural heritage trail with five information signs was opened in 2021 by the county mayor of Vestland. The trail makes the site accessible and well-explained for visitors.
