Rock carvings by Tanum

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Rock carvings from Tanum
UNESCO world heritage UNESCO World Heritage Emblem
Tanumshede 2005 rock carvings 4.jpg
The rock carvings from Tanumshede
National territory: SwedenSweden Sweden
Type: Culture
Criteria : (i), (iii), (iv)
Reference No .: 557
UNESCO region : Europe and North America
History of enrollment
Enrollment: 1994  (session 18)
Equestrian representation at Litsleby, detail
29 balls, possibly calendar, detail

The Tanum rock carvings are located in the Swedish municipality of Tanum in the historic Bohuslän province . They are around 3000 years old and belong to the Bronze Age . Due to the great variety of different motifs - so far over 10,000 engravings have been discovered - the rock carvings provide information about the religious and social life of this time.

For a variety of sites in 1994 six selected sites, a total of the UNESCO the list World Heritage added. Each of the six sites (Vitlycke, Aspeberget / Tegneby, Fossum, Litsleby , Gerum and Kalleby) consists of a large slab of rock and has an unmistakable character due to its design.

Vitlycke forms the center of the world cultural heritage area. The rock carvings are the largest and most figurative rock carvings in Sweden. Among the many pictures of ships, people and animals there are: a. a bride and groom, a woman with a lying, possibly dead man, a group of men with battle axes, a man in front of a large snake and the like. a. There is also a museum at Vitlycke.

At Fossum there is an extensive rock painting with 130 figures in a coherent composition; the rock carvings are interpreted by some as a battle scene, by others as hunting scenes. Even with Litsleby there are scenes with guns. A 2.5 m tall man with a spear is the largest human figure found in rock art. Near this figure there are riders with spears and shields.

When the rock carvings were made (1800–500 BC), these places could be right on the seashore. Today they are due to the Scandinavian land elevation 25-30 m above sea level.

See also

literature

  • John Coles, Lasse Bengtsson: Pictures of Past Times. A guide to the rock carvings and other antiquities in North Bohuslän (= Bohusläns Museum och Bohusläns Hembygdsförbund. Skrifter. Vol. 35, ISSN  0280-4174 ). Bohusläns Museum, Uddevalla 1990.
  • John Coles: Patterns in a Rocky Land. Rock Carvings in South-West Uppland (= Aun. Vol. 27). 2 volumes. Department of Archeology and Ancient History, Uppsala 2000, ISBN 91-506-1391-X .
  • Anne-Sophie Hygen, Lasse Bengtsson: Rock paintings in the border area. Bohuslän and Östfold. Warne in cooperation with the Swedish Office for the Preservation of Monuments, Sävedalen 2000, ISBN 91-86425-03-X .
  • The rock art journey. Bohuslän, Östfold, Vitlycke Museum brochure.

Web links

Commons : Rock Carvings in Tanum  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 58 ° 42 ′ 5.6 "  N , 11 ° 20 ′ 10.7"  E