The site features remnants from all the prehistoric periods – the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. This region has been inhabited continuously for thousands of years. People have come here to bury their dead and to practice their religion.
The prehistoric graves are constructed mainly of sandstone blocks, quarried on site. Traces of the quarry work are still evident.
The oldest of the ancient monuments are four passage graves. The largest is called Girommen, which means The Giant Oven. There is a stone cist from the Late Stone Age. On the top of the hill is a large Bronze-Age cairn. From the Iron Age there is a trident, three rectangular and nine round stone ships, two stone circles and 15 upright stones. Many of the stones from the Stone and Iron Ages have small indentations which might have been used for magical or sacrificial purposes.
There are also traces of cultivation from various periods, for instance in the form of ridged fields. At the western edge of the site there is a well, house foundations and fields from modern-day cottages.
Well into the 19th century, Ekornavallen was grazing land for Hornborga village. During this time, very little happened to the ancient monuments. But when most of the grazing land was cultivated around 1890, many monuments were destroyed or damaged.
During the Second World War, the locals cleared Ekornavallen, which had become overgrown. At the same time a support group called Friends of Ekornavallen was formed. The group collected money, bought the entire area and handed it over to the Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities.
