Ales Stenar: Amanda and Jonathan posed for me as I approached this awesome megalith monument. During the Iron Age, the dead were often buried in stone settings such as this. (Click on photo for larger view)

In 2006, The Swedish National Heritage Board's archaeological prospection group surveyed the site with the aid of a geophysical magnetometer and georadar technology.

The magnetometer is used to measure local deviations in the Earth's magnetic field, which can be caused by archaeological structures in the ground such as the remains of iron objects, fired clay, ovens or hearths, pits, or ditches.

The georadar technology acts as a ground penetrating echo sounder. Reflections are recorded at close intervals from underground structures down to several meters depth.

The survey revealed that the ground in and around the ship has been heavily marked by military activities during World War II. Analysis also showed traces of an approximately 50 meter diameter circular structure north east of the stone ship which you see here above ground. One hypothesis is that this above ground structure may have been related to an older stone construction, such as a megalithic grave. This means that the rocks you see here may have been recycled from an older monument that is now buried.