are often found on higher terrain, hilltops, slopes, and beach ridges. Second, ship burial sites are usually found in close proximity to the water, whether it be a lake, a fjord, or the sea. The Ladby Ship is thus typical of many ship burial sites, as it is located on top of a mound, near Keterminde Fjord. Presumably, the ship was dragged up from the Fjord to the top of the mound with the assistance of rollers, as was the case with the Oseberg Ship. The ship is a longship that carried 30-32 rowers. While Rosenberg gave no description of the shape of the mound, Mikkelsen described it as an oval. Rosenberg hoped to find stones in a circle-formation around the mound, but instead he discovered a collection of stones to the north and south of the ship and a small pile to the east. Since the stones lie at a higher level than the row of rivets that outline the ship's gunwale, it is unlikely that the stones were used to support the ship in the burial. Rosenberg concluded that the stones came from a previous mound on the site that was destroyed when the ship-grave was constructed. Excavation The Ship The ship was excavated between 1935 and 1937 under Rosenberg's direction. Because the ship is very old, almost all of the ship's wood had disintegrated before its initial discovery. However, the construction and shape of the ship is suggested by the arrangement of about 2,000 rivets that held the ship together that were excavated from the sand. During the excavation of the ship, Rosenberg marked a measuring-line along the central axis of the ship from stem to stern and concluded that the ship was 21.5 meters long. He calculated its greatest breadth to be approximately 2.75 meters and its depth at amidships to be 0.65 meters. Rosenberg made these estimates on the basis of the arrangement of the rivets, although the number and arrangement allow only an approximation of the ship's actual dimensions. Knud Thorvildsen, who succeeded Rosenberg as conservator in 1940, came to the same conclusions regarding the ship's dimensions. Mikkelsen and Rosenberg each made important contributions to the description of the ship. During excavation, Rosenberg kept detailed journals that are still considered the most important source of information regarding the ship and its contents. Mikkelsen also kept a journal during excavation, but its entries only cover