Introduction

Introduction to the exhibition Relics of Cairn B

In 2007, a Tulawese farmer digging post-holes on his property above the Gror River happened upon one of the most significant finds in all of Varreian archaeology: a group of royal burial mounds dating from the 80th to 79th century BCE. Although most of the mounds were looted in antiquity, the tomb of Lajlat, the heroine of the great epic the Errustul, remained undisturbed.

Within the earth-covered cairn were the remains of a woman, wrapped in what appear to have been robes of state, and a collection of artifacts surrounding the body in a precise circle. These objects correlate closely with the descriptions of Lajlat’s implements in the Errustul, as well as in the account of her life and achievements inscribed on the walls of the burial chamber itself. (Click on "The Inscription" tab above for a condensed prose translation of the Varreian runic verses.)

This exhibition provides the first opportunity for the public to view a selection of these lost artifacts, and offers an unprecedented glimpse into the world of Varrei and the life of a figure who is widely considered to be the founder and greatest ruler of the Varreian city-state.

– Gabriel Mo