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The Stone ship was a Gemanic burial custom, typical for Scandinavia with scattered examples in Northern Germany and along the coast of the Baltic States (where they are called ''devil ships''). They are believed to have represented the actual burning ship in which the dead was sent out to the sea. Excavations have shown that they are usually from the latter part of the Nordic Bronze Age ca. 1000 BC - 500 BC (e.g. Gotland ) or from the Germanic Iron Age , the Vendel Age and the Viking Age (e.g. Blekinge and Scania ). The stone ships are built from tighly or loosely fit slabs or stones. Sometimes they are of monumental proportions. In Sweden , the size varies from 67 metres ( Ale's Stones ) to only a few metres. The orientation varies. Inside, they can be cobbled or filled with stones, or have raised stones in the positions of masts. The illusion of being ships has often been reinforced by larger stones in the ends. Some have an oblique aft. Ship settings are often found on grave fields, but sometimes far from any other archaeological remains. PROMINENT STONE SHIPS
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