The Greece runestones are about 30 runestones containing information related to voyages made by Norsemen to the Byzantine Empire. They were made during the Viking Age until about 1100 and were engraved in the Old Norse language with Scandinavian runes. All the stones have been found in modern-day Sweden, the majority in Uppland and Södermanland. Most were inscribed in memory of members of the Varangian Guard who never returned home, but a few inscriptions mention men who returned with wealth, and a boulder in Ed was engraved on the orders of a former officer of the Guard.
The Piraeus Lion with a runic inscription, now in Venice
Runic graffiti in Hagia Sophia
U 104 in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
Öpir or Öper was a runemaster who flourished during the late 11th century and early 12th century in Uppland, Sweden. He was the most productive of all the old runemasters and his art is classified as being in the highly refined Urnes style.
The cast copy of U 104, one of the Greece Runestones
Runestone U 142 is one of the Jarlabanke Runestones and is signed by Öpir.
The Vaksala Runestone (U 961) is signed by Öpir.