"The rivers have been very important, especially before historical times. The roads on land were often bad, so it was on the water that you traveled, says marine archaeologist Jens Lindström as he steers his boat out onto Lomma Bay.
We are at the outlet of Lödde ridge into the sea, a classic fairway for Viking Age traders on their way to the large marketplace in Löddeköpinge.
Until Tuesday, the nationwide network Marine Archaeological Society is conducting a major diving effort in the area. The goal of the day is the enigmatic islet Lödde kar, a stone ruin out in the bay.
Viking Age or Middle Ages?
"Here was a transshipment point, where the ships' cargo was transferred to smaller boats for onward travel up the Lödde River. The only question is how old the facility is, says Jens Lindström.
In earlier times, the stone formation was covered with wood and the goal of today's dives is to find traces of the timber used.
The last time the site was dated, in the 80s, the construction time was stated to be around the year 1200 using the carbon 14 method.
Hope to find piece of wood with annual rings
However, the marine archaeologists' hypothesis is that Lödde kar may have been built a few hundred years earlier, and thus qualifies as Viking Age rather than medium-aged.
"If we're really lucky, we'll find a piece of wood with complete annual rings all the way out to the bark. Then the year of precipitation can be determined. This is far more accurate than a carbon 14 dating," says dive leader Sven Berglöf.
Watch the video from the divers' underwater hunt for Viking Age secrets.