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Country: |
Sweden |
Locality: |
Askum raä 67 |
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Region: |
Bohuslän |
Area: |
Askum |
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Environment & Surface |
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Open-air
Shelter
Cave
Portable
Megalithic
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Geography: |
Three panels, the first one situated only 20 m from road. Panel no 3 is situated on a flat, sloping rock, between arable land and woodland. |
Proximity: |
Close to road, settlement and the sea. |
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Geology: |
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Surface: |
Sloping surface, dark rock. Surrounded by moss, and often wet. |
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Art |
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Description: |
Engravings
Paintings
Painted engravings
High or low-relief
Sculpture
The third panel of Rished consists of a number of figures, exceptional are two human figures connected by the hands, hands enlarged. One figure is obviously male, phallic and equipped with a sword. The other figure could possibly be a female figure, as indicated by the cup-mark between the separated legs. Above the couple, a row of 8 people is depicted, with round bodies and equipped with swords, the last in the row one arm raised. There are 4 more human figure, of which two has raised enlarged hands, and one is phallic; one is phallic and has a sword and a beak-shaped head or mask, one has only one arm. There are contour-carved foot soles, and a wagon with four wheels drawn by two animals, possibly horses. One figure could be a two-wheeled chariot drawn by an animal.
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Figures: |
Human figures
Wagons
Chariot
Foot soles
Animals
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Chronology: |
Palaeolithic
Epipalaeolithic - Mesolithic
Neolithic
Copper Age
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Roman
Middle Age
Modern
Unknown
The rock carvings of Southern Scandinavia are generally dated to the middle and later part of the Bronze Age, c. 1500-500 BC. Occasionally, more absolute dating of single panels or figures can be made, based on typological or stylistic features of the image, and by comparisons with identifiable objects. Four-wheeled wagons and two-wheeled chariots have been in use since the Early Bronze Age.
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Notes: |
The Rished carvings have an unusual combination of figures compared to the South Scandinavian rock carving tradition in general. The so called "Rished couple" has no counterpart in Sweden, the closest parallel are to be found in Val Camonica, in Naquane, where human figures with a cup mark between the legs are depicted (Glob 1969:148). The Rished figures are usually interpreted as depicting rites of fertility (Glob 1969:170), or as actions of a Bronze Age sun-cult (Gelling & Davidson 1969:57f). |
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Bibliography |
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Conservation |
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Status: |
Public
Private
Park
Classified site
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Risk: |
The rock carvings are subjected to air pollution, causing erosion. Occasionally the engraved surface are partially covered with ground, needles and moss. |
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Conservation: |
Good
Quite good
Mediocre
Bad
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Intervention: |
The Central Board of National Antiquities has launched a programme for compiling an inventory of damage, as a base for future repairs. Needles and moss are removed when necessary. |
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By |
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Record n. 747 / 807 |
No commercial use is allowed. Specific © is mentioned in the captions or owned by each Author or Institution |
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EuroPreArt, European Prehistoric Art, is a web-based archaeological project funded by the European Union which aims to establish a lasting data-base of European prehistoric art documentation, to launch the base of an European institutional network and to contribute to the awareness of the diversity and richness of European Prehistoric Art.
It is proposed by: Instituto Politécnico de Tomar (IPT, Portugal),
CUEBC - European University Centre for Cultural Heritage (Italy - Europe),
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España),
Asociación Cultural Colectivo Barbaón (España),
Université de Liège (Belgique),
Gotland University College (Sverige),
University College Dublin (Eire),
Cooperativa Archeologica Le Orme dell'Uomo (Italia),
Study Centre and Museum of Prehistoric Art of
Pinerolo (Italia),
The European Centre for Prehistoric Research in the Alto Ribatejo (Portugal),
ArqueoJovem - a youth NGO (Portugal).
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