Ale's Stones
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Ale's Stones (Ales stenar in Swedish) is a megalithic monument in Scania in southern Sweden, probably from circa 500 AD, that is, the end of the Nordic Iron Age.
Ale's Stones consist of a 67 metre long stone ship formed by 59 large boulders of sandstone, weighing up to 1.8 tons each. Ship settings date from two periods - the late Bronze Age (ca. 3,000 - 2,500 years ago) and the early Iron Age (ca. 1,600 - 1,000 years ago).[1]
Inside the monument, remains of charcoal and human bones have been found. These have been dated to ca. 1500 BP (i.e. ca. 500 CE).
[edit] Speculations
Like many other megalithic monuments, speculations have been made about the significance of Ale's Stones. One of those attributed to Ale's Stones is that the structure had an astronomical and/or astrological purpose, based on the controversial interpretation that the stones have been positioned according to the 365 days of the year and the 24 hours of the day. Bob G. Lind is the main proponent of this theory, which is considered to be pseudoscience by established scholars. Professional astronomers and archaeologists believe that this is a cremation grave dating from ca. 500 CE. Scanian folklore ascribes the stones to King Ale’s grave. This site is significant for Scandinavian heritage studies.
[edit] References
- ^ Ales stenar. The Swedish National Heritage Board, published 11 October 2006. Retrieved 5 January 2007.
[edit] External links in Swedish
- New Discoveries about Ale's Stones, published Nov. 2006 (in Swedish).
- The great guide fight at the stones
- Astronomical speculations
