Ale's Stones, the Stone Ship of Sweden
On a cliff above the Baltic, 59 standing stones are arranged in the shape of a huge ship, 67 metres long, pointing out to sea.
What was reported
Ale's Stones, Ales stenar, is a monument on a grassy cliff near the fishing village of Kåseberga in southern Sweden. Fifty-nine large boulders are set in the outline of a ship, about 67 metres long, with taller stones at the bow and stern.
Legend says it marks the grave of a king named Ale. Some researchers have argued that it works as a solar calendar, with the stones pointing to sunset at midsummer and sunrise at midwinter.
Explanations offered
Archaeologists think it was built around 600 AD, near the end of the Nordic Iron Age, probably as a grave monument, like other stone ships in Scandinavia. The calendar theory is popular but debated. It's the largest stone ship of its kind.
- When
- Built around 600 AD
- Where
- Kåseberga, Skåne, Sweden
- Witnesses
- Archaeologists and visitors
- Status
- Purpose debated
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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