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Name      
Sweden    Tossene, Åby rock 1 EuroPreArt - European Prehistoric Art

Sweden Image map
Keywords: Bronze Age, Rock Art, Open Air, Carving, Human figures, Ship figures, Double-axe, Spear, Bear-paw, Dogs, Wheel-cross, Procession, Adorants, Phallic, Headgear, Hand sign.
Institution: Gotland University College, Visby, Sweden.  http://www.hgo.se/
Record
proposed
by
Gotland University - Sweden
 
Location
Specific feedbackSpecific feedback

Country:

Sweden

Locality:

Åby

Region:

Bohuslän

Area:

Tossene

 

click to enlarge
Map over Sotenäs and Stånenäs hundreds, with Åby marked out (Bertilsson 1989:90).
click to enlarge
Copyright. No commercial use of EuroPreArt content is allowed. Specific © for pictures and drawings is mentioned in the captions or owned by each Author or Institution.
Disclaim. The EuroPreArt project fully endorses the most recent documentation policies. It must be outlined the absolute forbidding of any disruptive method and the necessity of a total respect for archaeological sites. It is also to be noticed that no substances shall be applied to rock art for recording purposes. Some pictures of the EuroPreArt records are related to past recording techniques and may not fully match these policies. They are an historical documentation. Please refer to local archaeological official authorities for any recording purpose. Please take a look also over EuroPreArt guidelines.
 
Environment & Surface

Altitude:

15 m
Open-air   Shelter   Cave Portable   Megalithic

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.

Geology:

Surface:

Partly steep, smooth sloping surface, light in colour.

Dimensions:
Length 50.00 m.  Width 30.00 m.

 

click to enlarge
 
Art        

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.

Figures:
total number 120
Ship figures Human figures/adorants Animals Weapons Cup marks Obscure figures

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.

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).
 
Bibliography        





European total bibliography, by EuroPreArt partnersTotal (Europe)
Sweden EuroPreArt general bibliography, by Gotland University College, Visby, Sweden.General (country)
Specific Tossene, Åby rock 1 bibliography, by Gotland University College, Visby, Sweden.Specific (site)
Rock Art Studies: A Bibliographic worldwide Database (external link). Compiled by Leigh Marymor. Copyright (C) 2001-2002 by the Library, University of California, Berkeley Bibliographic
Rock Art
Database

 

 
Conservation        

Status:

Public   Private   Park   Classified site

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.

Conservation:

Good   Quite good   Mediocre   Bad

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.

 

By          

Compiler:

Li Winter 2001.

Institution:

Gotland University College, Visby, Sweden.  http://www.hgo.se/
 
         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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NEW: Alpine rock paintings
enter the Balma dei Cervi Virtual Museum and surf the Virtual Tour: spherical pano-views,
hi-def flat photos and tracings


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).
Instituto Politécnico de Tomar - Portugal CUEBC - European University Centre for Cultural Heritage, Ravello - Italy CSIC - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid - Spain Orme dell'Uomo - Footsteps of Man, Valcamonica - Italy Asociación Cultural Colectivo Barbaón, Extremadura -Spain Liège University - Belgium Gotland University - Sweden University College Dublin - Ireland CeSMAP - Centro Studi e Museo d'Arte Preistorica. Pinerolo, Italy Arqueo Jovem

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