In early May, a group of researchers traveling through the western Swedish province of Bohuslän spotted irregular markings on a moss-covered rock face. They appeared to be man-made, so the team carefully removed vegetation and discovered dozens of rock carvings, around 40 in total, depicting ships, animals and people.
rock carvings or petroglyphs, date back around 2,700 years and are the latest find from Bohuslän, an area known for its rock art, including the Bronze Age images at Tanum, a UNESCO site. The team believe this is Bohuslän’s greatest discovery this century.
The rock of Bohuslän on which the petroglyphs were discovered. Photo: Foundation for the Documentation of Rock Engravings in Bohuslän.
The newly discovered petroglyphs were found on a steep rock face that once formed the edge of an island before sea levels gradually dropped about 40 feet over several hundred years. This has led researchers to speculate that artists used boats, or some form of scaffolding placed on ice, to reach the surface of the rock. Indeed, researchers who were conducting fieldwork for the Foundation for the Documentation of Rock Engravings in Bohuslän built their own scaffolding to reach and document the rocks.
The designs were made through a laborious process of slamming stones against granite rock which exposed an underlay of white. This color, in addition to their size, made them highly visible both from the mainland and passing through. ships.
One of the petroglyphs discovered at the site. Photo: Foundation for the Documentation of Rock Engravings in Bohuslän.
“What makes the petroglyphs quite unique is that they are located three meters above today’s ground surface,” wrote the Foundation for the Documentation of Rock Engravings in Bohuslän. statement. “The patterns lie on a regular line that follows the height of the sea surface from around 700 to 800 BCE. The patterns are also stylistically consistent with this period.
One of the petroglyphs discovered at the site. Photo: Foundation for the Documentation of Rock Engravings in Bohuslän.
The latest group of petroglyphs discovered include a 13-foot-long ship, as well as carvings of people, chariots, carts and horses. Their meaning remains unknown. Sometimes petroglyphs were used to demarcate territory, although researchers believe the repeated patterns carved into the rocks outside the town of Kville may suggest that they were used to tell a tale.
Lennart Larsson, on whose farm the rock carvings were found, was delighted with the discovery. “I haven’t been actively looking for petroglyphs, but it’s a lot of fun,” he told SVT, the country’s national broadcaster, in an interview. “I can sit at home on the balcony and watch the stick figures and ships outside.”
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