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Country: |
Sweden |
Locality: |
Åby |
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Region: |
Bohuslän |
Area: |
Tossene |
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Environment & Surface |
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Altitude:
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15 m
Open-air
Shelter
Cave
Portable
Megalithic
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Geography: |
70 m W of road to Hunnebostrand, at Åby farm. Facing ESE. |
Proximity: |
At a ridge behind the carving, a stone cyst from c. 500 BC. A number of small engravings in the area. Close to the Åby fjord. |
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Geology: |
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Surface: |
Partly steep, smooth sloping surface, light in colour. |
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Dimensions:
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Length 50.00 m.
Width 30.00 m.
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Art |
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Description: |
Engravings
Paintings
Painted engravings
High or low-relief
Sculpture
Åby. The locality is situated at a partly steep sloping surface. The engraving is dominated by 2 ship figures, up to 150 cm long. The upper one is totally carved out with distinctly carved and extended stem and stern with animal-head shaped decoration. The crew consists of 13 stylised human figures without arms, of which two in the middle has masts with sail (?) or spears above their heads. In the stern is an adorant with an ceremonial axe in the right hand (a double-axe?). The lower ship is more slender with a similar but more stylised ending of the stem. The stern has an unusual three-part shape. The crew consists of 31 human figures, similar to those in the upper ship, and an adorant in the stem. In the front two similar masts (?) as in the upper ship. In the middle part, a stylised axe with the neck at the gunwail. Between the ships are a strange symbol with four arms, an unusual symbol in the Swedish rock carving tradition. There are also a number of wheel crosses at this panel, the largest one 143 cm ø. Further SW there are additional groups of animals, for example dogs with tails bent up- and inwards. Stillmore in the same direction there are c. 20 ship figures, at least one superimposition, and about ten human figures of which a few are adorants and a remarkable procession of 5 small, totally carved out phallic adorants with pointed headgears. There are also a contour-carved hand with five fingers. Remarkable are the trail of 15 paw marks, possibly of bear. The closest parallel to this is the carvings of Himmelstadlund in the province of Östergötland on the East coast of Sweden.
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Figures: |
total number 120
Ship figures
Human figures/adorants
Animals
Weapons
Cup marks
Obscure figures
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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.
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Notes: |
There are a number of interesting figures at the Åby locality, for example a distinct ship with crew, two symbols interpreted as spears, huge leaves or sails. There is also a phallic human figure with a very large symbol, perhaps a double-axe on the deck of the ship. Another interesting carving is the procession of human figures wearing topped helmets or hats, phallic and equipped with swords. This kind of human depictions are very rare in the South Scandinavian rock carving tradition and shows striking similarities with a relief from Yazilikaya in Turkey (after Larsson 1997:93). |
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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 major risk for rock carvings are chemical weathering, which makes the hard quartzite losen up and fall out, leaving white dots on the darker rock surface. Also natural weathering (mechanical weathering) during winter/spring, when water freeze in cracks and openings in the rock, creates major damage to rock faces with carvings. The biological weathering is also a danger to the rock carvings, and even to intense cleaning of the rock surface during documentation can make the rock fragile and expose the carvings to wind, water and air-born pollution. |
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Conservation: |
Good
Quite good
Mediocre
Bad
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Intervention: |
Problems concerning conservation and preservation, registration and documentation of rock carvings in Scandinavia are discussed by several departments, i.e. Riksantikvaren in Norway, Riksantikvarieämbetet in Sweden, several universities and research departments. Different methods are tested, for example covering of carved surfaces, measuring of temperature and different contents in water and air and also the composition in the granite. Hollows and cracks in the rock surface can be repaired and carefully filled in. An easy method of taking care of the rock surface is by ordinary sweeping. |
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By |
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| Record n. 797 / 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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