Valby stone setting
The stone setting of Valby ( Norwegian Valbysteinene or Valbyskogen) is located southeast of Valbysteinvejen in a forest between Tjølling and Valby east of Larvik in Fylke Vestfold og Telemark in Norway . The rectangular stone setting lies on a small hill overgrown with low vegetation.
The Valby stones are two-part stone setting of indefinite age, consisting of four large menhirs that form a rectangle. Only one part has large menhirs in the four corners. Between the large stones and in the adjacent part of the rectangle there are rows of small round stones.
Only three large stones are visible, the fourth stone is on the ground. The tallest is about 2.3 meters high and 80 cm wide. It has a cylindrical shape and a broken tip. The smallest stone is about 1.2 meters high and 60 cm wide, it has a flat top. The third stone is about 1.6 m high and about 70 cm wide at the base. It has a rounded cross-section with very smooth sides, perhaps polished in olden times. It is narrower at the top so that it looks like a standing egg. A special feature of Skålsten is a single large and deep bowl on the top.
Theories about stone setting are numerous. The unique arrangement of the stones and the presence of the bowl led to the fact that the place is mistaken for an ancient ritual site or a sacrificial site.
Ten round burial mounds dated to AD 200–400 lie around the stone setting . They are 0.5 to 2.0 meters high and have a diameter between 5.0 and 10.0 meters.
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Coordinates: 59 ° 3 '0.8 " N , 10 ° 5' 37.1" E