Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T22:33:54.327Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Interpretations of Footprints in the Bronze Age Rock Art of South Scandinavia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 March 2017

Peter Skoglund ,
Courtney Nimura  and
Richard Bradley
Peter Skoglund
Affiliation:
Department of Cultural Sciences, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden Email: [email protected]
Courtney Nimura
Affiliation:
Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit, Griffith University, Australia; Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 36 Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2PG, UK Email: [email protected]
Richard Bradley
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Whiteknights Box 227, Reading, RG6 6AB, UK Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The Scandinavian landscape is littered with postglacial outcrops, many of which carry engraved motifs. Although drawings of ships are most often discussed, this paper focuses on representations of feet. In Northern Europe ship motifs are often associated with cosmologies based on the movement of the sun. This paper investigates whether drawings of feet could have been associated with the same worldview. A number of interpretations are offered of the images at two sites in different parts of Sweden: Järrestad 13:1 and Boglösa 138:1.

Résumé

Interprétations d’empreintes de l’art pariétal à l’âge du bronze en Scandinavie du sud, de Peter Skoglund, Courtney Nimura et Richard Bradley

Le paysage scandinave est jonché d’affleurements rocheux post-glaciaires dont beaucoup sont porteurs de motifs gravés. Bien que le plus souvent ce sont les motifs de bateaux qui sont discutés , cet article se concentre sur les représentations de pieds. Dans l’Europe du nord les motifs de bateaux sont souvent associés à des cosmologies basées sur le mouvement du soleil. Cet article enquête afin de savoir si les dessins de pied auraient pu être associés à cette même vision du monde. Un certain nombre d’interprétations sont offertes pour les images de deux sites dans différentes parties de la Suède: Järrestad 13:1 and Boglösa 138:1.

Zussamenfassung

Die Interpretation von Fußspuren in der bronzezeitlichen Felskunst Südskandinaviens, von Peter Skoglund, Courtney Nimura und Richard Bradley

Die skandinavische Landschaft ist übersät mit postglazialen Felsformationen, von denen viele eingetiefte Bildmotive tragen. Auch wenn die Darstellungen von Schiffen am häufigsten diskutiert werden, fokussiert dieser Beitrag auf die Bilder von Füßen. In Nordeuropa sind Schiffsmotive häufig mit Kosmologien verknüpft, die auf der Bewegung der Sonne basieren. Dieser Beitrag untersucht, ob die Darstellungen von Füßen mit der gleichen Weltsicht verknüpft werden kann. Eine Reihe von Interpretationen der Bilder wird vorgeschlagen anhand von zwei Fundplätzen in unterschiedlichen Regionen Schwedens: Järrestad 13:1 und Boglösa 138:1.

Resumen

Interpretaciones de las pisadas en el arte rupestre de la Edad del Bronce del Sur de Escandinavia, por Peter Skoglund, Courtney Nimura y Richard Bradley

El paisaje escandinavo está repleto de afloramientos postglaciales, muchos de los cuales presentan motivos grabados. Aunque las embarcaciones han sido frecuentemente los motivos más discutidos, este artículo se centra en las representaciones de pisadas. En el norte de Europa los motivos de embarcaciones están frecuentemente asociados con cosmologías basadas en el movimiento del sol. Este artículo investiga si los motivos de pisadas podrían haber estado asociados igualmente a la misma cosmovisión. Se ofrece una serie de interpretaciones de las imágenes documentados en dos sitios ubicados en distintas partes de Suecia: Järrestad 13:1 y Boglösa 138:1.

Keywords

Bronze AgeScandinaviaprehistoric rock artfootprintsfoot solesshipswheel crossessun crossessunsea
Type
Articles
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 83 , December 2017 , pp. 289 - 303
Copyright
© The Prehistoric Society 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Almgren, B. 1962. Den osynliga gudomen. In Proxima Thule Sverige och Europa under forntid och medeltid. Hyllningsskrift till H. M. Konungen den 11 november 1962 utgiven av Svenska Arkeologiska Samfundet, 53–71. Stockholm: Norstedts Google Scholar
Alpenfels, E.J. 1955. The anthropology and social significance of the human hand. Artificial Limbs 2(2), 4–21 Google Scholar
Althin, C.-A. 1945. Studien zu den bronzezeitlichen Felszeichnungen von Skåne 1–2. Lund: Gleerup Google Scholar
Bertilsson, U. 2013. Footprints on the rock faces – following the tracks of cosmological archetypes for millennia of prehistory. In S. Bergerbrand & S. Sabatini (eds), Counterpoint: Essays in archaeology and heritage studies in honour of Professor Kristian Kristiansen, 243–52. Oxford: British Archaeological Report S2508Google Scholar
Bradley, R. 1999. Dead soles. In A. Gustafson & H. Karlsson (eds), Glyfer och rum – en vänbok till Jarl Nordbladh, 661–6. Gothenburg: Gotarc Series A3Google Scholar
Bradley, R. 2009. Image and Audience: Rethinking prehistoric art. Oxford: Oxford University Press Google Scholar
Bradley, R., Jones, A., Nordenborg Myhre, L. & Sackett, H. 2002. Sailing through stone: Carved ships and the rock face at Revheim, Southwest Norway. Norwegian Archaeological Review 35, 109–118 Google Scholar
Broström, S.-G. 2007. Hällristning Raä 138:1 vid Rickeby i Boglösa socken. Redogörelse över ny dokumentation 2006 utförd av Sven-Gunnar Broström med bidrag av Kenneth Ihrestam och Roger Wikell. Unpublished Botark-rapport 2007:1; Raä dnr: 321-4290-2008Google Scholar
Brox Nielsen, T. 2005. Vedrørende en bergkunstlokalitet i Stjørdalen. Trondheim: Norges teknist-naturvitenskkaplige universitet Google Scholar
Burenhult, G. 1973. The Rock Carvings of Götaland, Vol. 2. Lund: Acta Archaeological Lundensia Google Scholar
Cappelle, T. 2008. Bilderwelten der Bronzezeit. Felsbilder in Norddeutschland und Skandinavien. Mainz: Phillipp von Zabern Google Scholar
Coles, J. 1999. The dancer on the rock: Record and analysis at Järrestad. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 65, 167–187 Google Scholar
Coles, J. 2000. Patterns in a Rocky Landscape: Rock carvings in south-west Uppland. Uppsala: Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Uppsala Google Scholar
Coles, J. 2004. Bridge to the outer world: Rock carvings at Bro Utmark, Bohuslän, Sweden. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 70, 173–205 Google Scholar
Coles, J. 2005. Shadows of a Northern Past: Rock carvings of Bohuslän and Ostfold. Oxford: Oxbow Books Google Scholar
Eckardt, H. 2015. Shoe brooches in Roman Britain. In H. Eckardt & S. Rippon (eds), Living and Working in the Roman World, 217–34. Portsmouth, RI: Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series 95Google Scholar
Fessler, D.M.T., Haley, K.J. & Roshni, D.L. 2005. Sexual dimorphism in foot length proportionate to stature. Annals of Human Biology 32(1), 44–59 Google Scholar
Fett, E. & Fett, P. 1947. Sydvestnorsk Helleristinger. Rogaland og Lista. Stavanger: Stavanger Museum Google Scholar
Finstad, E. & Vedeler, M. 2008. En bronsealdersko fra Jotunheimen. Viking 71, 61–70 Google Scholar
Gavaldo, S. 2012. Le impronte di piedi nell’ arte rupestre camuna e I confronti in altre fonti iconographische. Preistoria Alpina 46(2), 127–130 Google Scholar
Gjerde, J.M. 2010. Rock Art and Landscapes: Studies of Stone Age rock art from Northern Fennoscandia. Tromsø: Universitetet i Tromsø Google Scholar
Glob, P.V. 1969. Helleristninger i Danmark. Copenhagen: Jysk Arkeologisk Selskab Skrifter Bind VII Google Scholar
Goldhahn, J. 2011. Törnsfall – hällbilder vid ett röse och ett röse mid hällbilder. Kalmar: Linnéuniveritetet Google Scholar
Goldhahn, J. 2012. In the wake of a voyager: Feet, boats and death rituals in the North European Bronze Age. In A. Meirion Jones, J. Pollard, M. Allen & J. Gardiner (eds), Image, Memory and Monumentality, 218–32. Prehistoric Society Research Papers 5. Oxford: Prehistoric Society & Oxbow BooksGoogle Scholar
Hald, M. 1972. Primitive Shoes: An archaeological-ethnological study based upon shoe finds from the Jutland peninsula. Copenhagen: National Museum Google Scholar
Hauptman Wahlgren, K. 2002. Bilder av betydelse: hällristningar och bronsålderslandskap i nordöstra Östergötland. Lindome: Bricoleur Press Google Scholar
Helskog, K. 1999. The shore connection: Cognitive landscape and communication with rock carvings in Northernmost Europe. Norwegian Archaeological Review 32(2), 73–94 Google Scholar
Helskog, K. 2004. Landscapes in rock art: Rock art and ritual in the old European North. In C. Chippindale & G. Nash (eds), Pictures in Place: The figured landscapes of rock art, 265–288. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Google Scholar
Hertz, R. 1973. The pre-eminence of the right hand. In R. Needham (ed.), Right and Left: Essays on dual symbolic classification, translated by R. Needham & C. Needham, 3–31. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press Google Scholar
Hesse, R. 2013. Strict solar alignment of Bronze Age rock carvings in SE Sweden? Critical remarks on an archaeoastronomical case study. Journal of Archaeological Science 40, 2321–2325 Google Scholar
Hjärthner-Holdar, E. 1993. Järnets och järnmetallurgins introduktion i Sverige. Uppsala: Uppsala Universitet Google Scholar
Kaul, F. 1998. Ships on Bronzes: A study in Bronze Age religion and iconography. Copenhagen: National Museum Google Scholar
Ling, J. 2013. Rock Art and Seascapes in Uppland. Swedish Rock Art Series Volume 1. Oxford: Oxbow Books Google Scholar
Malmer, M.P. 1981. A Chorological Study of North European Rock Art. Stockholm: Vitterhets-, historie- och antikvitetsakademien Google Scholar
Marstrander, S. 1963. Østfolds jordbruksristninger 1–2. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget Google Scholar
Mörner, N.-A. 2012. Strict solar alignment of Bronze Age rock carvings in SE Sweden. Journal of Archaeological Science 39, 3301–3305 Google Scholar
Nimura, C. 2015. Prehistoric Rock Art in Scandinavia: Agency and environmental change. Swedish Rock Art Series Volume 4. Oxford: Oxbow Books Google Scholar
Nordberg, A. 2006. Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning Kalendrar och kalendariska riter i det förkristna Norden. Uppsala: Kungl. Gustav Adolfs Akademien för svensk folkkultur Google Scholar
Plato. Phaedrus. Translated by Benjamin Jowett (1817–93). Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech (ebrary book 2001)Google Scholar
Skoglund, P. 2006. Hällristningar i Kronobergs län: Motiv, myter och dokumentation. Lund: Lund University Google Scholar
Skoglund, P. 2013a. Images of shoes and feet: Rock art motifs and the concepts of dress and nakedness. Norwegian Archaeological Review 46(2), 159–174 Google Scholar
Skoglund, P. 2013b. Iron Age rock art: A view from Järrestad in south-east Sweden. European Journal of Archaeology 16(4), 685–703 Google Scholar
Söderberg, B. & Hellerström, S. 2003. Centralbygdens sociala landskap: Sten- och bronsålder i Järrestad. In B. Söderberg (ed.), Järrestad: Huvudgård i centralbygd, 21–82. Stockholm: National Heritage Board Google Scholar
Sognnes, K. 2011. These rocks were made for walking: Rock art at Leirfall, Trøndelag, Norway. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 30, 185–205 Google Scholar
Stjernquist, B. 1961. Simris. 2, Bronze Age Problems in the Light of the Simris Excavation. Lund: Lund University Google Scholar
Tilley, C. 2004. The Materiality of Stone. Oxford: Berg Google Scholar
Waddell, J. 2014. Archaeology and Celtic Myth. Dublin: Four Courts Press Google Scholar