2011 Fieldwork Season

Week 38 The last week of fieldwork for this year was also the most intensive, with many interesting new finds and several visitors. At the beginning of the week we were joined by our two trainees from the spring; Viktor and Gustav. They helped us clear back and clean up the only previously known boat carving on the island (Långelanda 175: 1 at Svanesund). During the clearance, we were fairly surprised to discover another boat 62 cm long on the panel. At the same time, Johan Ling PhD, a member of the board, also joined us for a few days out in the field so we could divide ourselves into a couple of smaller groups. We investigated some locations that Johan thought looked a little intriguing on the map but the results were rather poor. He had also earmarked a valley by Morlanda church that we had also considered. It was there that we found a cup mark site and, according to Johan, it was “in a harbour location, where saltwater splashed up onto the cup marks”. A third working party cleaned the large foot sole panel in Svanesund. These carvings were recorded as far back as the 1880’s by Emil Ekhoff. The rock had become completely hidden, so we had some difficulty finding it. The carvings, that are sometimes quite deep, are on a very weathered face of gneissic rock with no original surface remaining. The carvings will probably have completely disappeared in a few decades from now. On the last day of the week, when Tommy was attending a board meeting, Andreas and Martin drove out to a find in Torp parish that we had made at the beginning of the season.  There was water flowing over the carving that made us wait a little with the documentation. We had seen some carved grooves that looked like they were illustrating an anthropomorphic figure. After we had made a rubbing of the rock it appeared that the anthropomorphic figure was a ‘dancing’ human figure bearing horns; a small sensation from an Orust perspective. In the afternoon we visited the Lökeberg carvings with members of the board. During the five weeks of field work, we have documented sites on Orust in all of the parishes except Tegneby. There have been fifty new finds and almost one hundred rock carving sites have been documented. What remains to do is the documentation of the whole of Tegneby parish and parts of Röra parish. The remaining sections, according to previous inventories, are the areas richest in rock carvings on the island. We believe there are more interesting finds to be made here. At Hoga in Stala parish, we found a rock carving with human figures and several cup marks which we have not yet had the time to document. Our hope is to be allowed to complete the inventory and the documentation of the rock carvings on Orust in the autumn of 2012. The previously known boat at Långelanda 175:1 in Svanesund. The newly-found boat at Långelanda 175:1 in Svanesund.     Långelanda 83:1 in Svanesund. Ekhoff’s illustration of Långelanda 83:1. Board member Olof Kärnsund with his mother Marieanne Kärnsund visiting us during field work (at Långelanda 83:1). Thank you Marieanne, for allowing us to use your summer cottage! The new find of the “dancing” human figure in Torp parish. The board visits the Lökeberg rock carving site. Top row: Andreas Toreld and Martin Östholm. Bottom row: Aina Barnevik, Tommy Andersson, Jarl Nordblad, Lasse Bengtsson and Olof Kärnsund. Johan Ling is not present.   Week 36 and 37 During these weeks we have had several others join us to carry out the rock carving inventory on Orust. We were helped by Sven-Gunnar Broström and Kenneth Ihrestam from the east coast of Sweden and we were also joined by Martin Toresson again. During these two weeks, despite occasional terrible weather, we managed more than thirty new finds that we documented as well as documenting around twenty already known rock carvings. Unfortunately it has been rather poor regarding figurative carvings and all the new finds consist of cup marks, with everything from one cup mark to a rock displaying forty-two cups, several of which were in rows. We have completed the inventory and found new carvings in every parish on the island except Tegneby. This parish, that already claimed the greatest number of known cup mark sites, we have saved for a later date. Perhaps we will have the opportunity to make an inventory and document this parish next autumn?   New find at Kolbuxeröd in Röra parish showing twelve cup marks. The marks are unpainted in this picture. Kenta, Martin and Sven-Gunnar discuss a new find at Långeby in Stala parish. New find at Kärra, Röra parish, with cup marks in a linear fashion. Röra church is in the background. Later carving of a labyrinth at Prästbacka in Röra parish. The carving is on the site of old mill in a gully. Detail of the labyrinth. ‘NÅS’ has been carved on top of the labyrinth motif. There are two dates on the rock, 1708 and 1752, as well as ten or so initials. New find of cup marks on an exposed stone block at Haga in Långelanda parish. We found four cup mark sites in this valley. A boulder with cup marks in Myckleby parish (RAÄ nr 34:1). Week 35 This week we have been documenting the carvings in Morlanda, Torp and Stala parishes. There are four known cup mark carvings on a farm at Ödsmål in Torp. On one of these, Torp 5:1, we additionally found two large Iron Age type boats. The foundation’s founder, Aina Barnevik, was present at the find and helped us with our work. When we checked later it appeared that Johan Pettersson had written in “Hällristningar på Tjörn, del två (Rock carvings on Tjörn – part two)” that Åke Fredsjö had seen and reported two boats on this rock. However, they could not be found again during the RAÄ inventory, or when Johan Pettersson and Kjell Eriksson visited the site. A short distance from Torp 5:1 we found another carving with several large and deep cup marks as well as incised grooves. We haven’t had the time to document these yet. In Stala parish, in the same valley as the rune stone, we made two new finds. One is on a field obstruction with a very bad quality rock surface but exhibiting ca. forty distinct cup marks. An additional rock looks like it could produce some interesting surprises, but we haven’t had time to document it yet. Morlanda parish has only three known carvings. One has been removed and can now be seen at Vitlycke Museum, one was only noted in the inventory about rock carvings and the third is on a boulder in the wall that surrounds Morlanda churchyard. This block that has several large and deep cup marks gives the impression that it might have been a roofing block in a Megalithic grave. Torp 7:1, a rock showing cup marks. Torp 5:1 with the two ‘newly found’ boats. The best boat, 117 cm long, of Iron Age type, complete with crew. Newly found rock with cup marks at Tyfta in Stala parish. One of four new finds in this valley, where no carvings at all that were known about previously. Morlanda 95:1, a block displaying cup marks used in the wall surrounding the churchyard.   Week 34 This autumn we are on Orust. The island claims eighty-five registered rock carving sites. According to the Ancient Monuments Register, one of these includes three boats and another fifteen foot-sole motifs. Otherwise it is only cup marks and groove shaped hollows that are seen. We have chosen to start on the island’s eastern side, which encompasses the parishes of Långelanda, Myckleby, Torp and Stala. We have documented twelve carvings in the first week, six of which were new finds and most of them in Långelanda parish. On the very first day we made a new find in Svanesund of fifteen cup marks and four grooves. On the third day, when there was heavy rain, we visited various sites on the island and investigated interesting areas that could be included in the inventory. When we had stopped at Orust’s only rune stone, at Hoga in Stala parish, we took the opportunity to take a look at the closest rocks. On one of them, only 35 m from the rune stone, we found a rock face containing twenty-six cup marks and two fragmented figures, probably unfinished boats. The unusually shiny rock with carvings lay completely visible, but the carvings have not been noted before. The area around the rune stone is a well known place of interest that offers the site of an old village, an Iron Age burial ground and a couple of stone circles.  Our first new find on Orust was at Svanesund. Långelanda 139:2 was quarried and removed. It now lies across the way from the entrance to the Orust Sparbank in Svanesund, one of the sponsors for this year. Torp 97:1. A ridge of rock containing five cup marks in a classic location. The new find by the rune stone at Hoga, Stala parish. The new find at Hoga with the rune stone in the background. Runic inscriptions on the rune stone in Hoga.   Week 24 The final week out in the field for the spring season. We had some sunny days at last, so we could complete the documentation of the carvings at Lökeberg and Skulevik. The carving at Skulevik attracted a good deal of attention in the media after the local newspaper, Bohusläningen, had printed an article about the carvings on the first page. The carving site consisting of six boats, one human and forty-six cup marks is the lowest lying figurative rock carving in Bohuslän, in relation to the present day sea level. The area containing the boats is almost completely free from weathering and you can see every small detail. It is likely that the carving was covered over shortly after it was completed. We have therefore covered it over again carefully, so it will be just as well preserved in the future. On Tuesday we paid a visit to Kristina Bengtsson and Johan Ling’s training excavation in Ytterby, just outside Kungälv. On a walk around the nearby burial ground at Västra Porten and Smällen, we made a new cup mark find. After checking in FMIS (the Swedish National Heritage Board registry) it appeared to be the largest cup mark site in the parish. We also visited the rock carving Ytterby 44:1 that is located in an old soapstone quarry. We noticed several previously non-documented figures including a four-footed creature. At Lökeberg we managed to document the last remaining carved areas, Foss 7:1, 7:2, 9:1, 9:2 and 10:1. At Foss 9:1 and 9:2, there are sixteen boats and four human figures, at 7:1 there are eight boats, a row of crew markings, two human figures, two animal figures, one sunwheel, one circle and about ten fragments. At Foss10:1 though there were two boats and one area of cup marks; both boats being new finds. Foss 7:2 we judged to be a natural effect. Taken altogether, the rock carvings at Lökeberg list two hundred and thirty five boats, sixty-five human figures, thirty animal figures, seventy-three foot soles and two hundred cup marks. Originally there could have been considerably more figures at Lökeberg but as the rock faces are so badly eroded only the deepest cut figures have survived. Foss 37:1 at Skulevik. The boats are located only 11.88 m above sea level. Foss 37:1. Detail of boat where the keel extension is only contour carved and the hull is only partly hollowed out. Foss 7:1 at Lökeberg. The area on the left is a new find. Foss 7:1. The boats on this rock are of a later type than the boats on the large one at Lökeberg. Foss 9:1 and 9:2 at Lökeberg. Foss 9:1, the rock is very badly eroded. Foss 9:2, details of human figures, showing similarities to the ‘women’ at Foss 6:1. Foss 10:1. The cup mark has been known about for a long while but the boats are new finds. Vecka 23 This week was another period of unsettled weather. We have documented the cup mark sites in the northern part of the parish. The largest rock was Foss 307:1 that is over 12 m long displaying scattered cup marks over the whole of the bumpy and rough gneissic rock. We have decided not to trace cup marks of this type, just describe and photograph them. The former librarian of Vitlycke Museum, Johanna Johansson, paid us a visit at the beginning of the week and joined us when we, for example, documented this rock. She had also helped Andreas in 2006 when the documentation of the Lökeberg carving had begun. Another documented rock was Foss 286:1 in Stale. This carving consists of a boulder with cupmarks, lying on the edge of a burial mound, 30 m in diameter and 2 m high. At the riding-school in Stale, there is another four cup-mark sites, though one has been quarried and removed. Johan Ling joined us in the middle of the week and took measurements for some of the carvings with a GPS. One of them was Foss 37:1 that we wrote about in last week’s field report. We have found several boats on the rock that we hope we can document when weather permits. Ling’s measurements show that the rock lies 12 m above sea-level. When the carving was made, the water level was 10–11 m above the present day sea-level, so it was exactly on the water’s edge at that time. Johanna Johansson and her former tutor Andreas at Foss 307:1. Foss 286:1 in Stale. The stone is located in a burial ground that includes, among other things, a very large burial mound.   A satisfied Johan Ling measuring a low-lying rock carving in Rixö, Brastad parish.   Foss 307:1 by the river in Munkedal. The carving is over 12 m long and consists of fifty-five cup marks. Week 21 and 22 At the beginning of week 21 we had a visit from archaeologist Yvonne Olsen from the Regional Conservation Department in Vest-Agder, Norway. She had been a trainee at Vitlycke Museum under the guidance of Andreas while she was taking her masters degree. The weather during these two weeks has been changeable and we have mainly documented smaller sites at various localities in Foss parish. We made seven new finds around the farms at Lökeberg (almost 1 km north of the large Lökeberg carving), where there were seven previously known rock carving sites. The site of the Lökeberg farm has probably been the same for a very long time, possibly right back to the Bronze Age. In Faleby at Kattekärr, Foss 36: 1, there was a “small rock carving” according to the FMIS registry that could not be found in the RAÄ (Swedish National Heritage Board) inventory. It was thought to have been covered over. To our surprise we found it to be easily visible on a field obstruction displaying a simple boat. At Skulevik, Foss 37:1, (about 1 km north west of the large Lökeberg carving) there are two cup mark sites that have been known about since the Gothenburg Inventory carried out in the 1920’s. Due to overgrown sites, wrongly placed map positions and incomplete orientation information we had difficulty in finding the carvings again, just as they did before. Thanks to Göteborgs Stadsmuseum (Gothenburg City Museum) sending us copies of the not yet digitized Gothenburg Inventory and after much digging and sawing, we could rediscover the locality of the carvings. Some of the cup marks are unusually large and deep (up to 11.5 cm in diameter and 4.5 cm in depth). Their location in the terrain is unusual and they were (according to the map) about 10 m above sea-level. This led us to suspect that they were much more recent than normal rock carvings. Even in the Gothenburg Inventory it was noted that the largest cup marks were “particularly well carved, therefore the date seems suspiciously late”. That is why we were very surprised to find a thin incised boat from the later Bronze Age on the rock surface beneath a huge spruce tree stump. According to the sketch in the Gothenburg Inventory there should be two more cup marks underneath the stump. There might be even more figures underneath. The unusual location of the carvings could perhaps be explained by them being very close to a harbour inlet at that time.   Yvonne Olsen from the Regional Conservation Department in Vest-Agder, Norway, together with her former tutor Andreas Toreld, by one of the carvings at Lökeberg. Foss 17:1 in Ödsby. The carving is on a rocky ledge 2.5 m above the ground and consists of 102 cup marks, the largest cup mark site at Tungenäset. Foss 12:1 at Lökeberg. Of the four boats, two are new finds. We also found two new cup mark sites not far from here. Foss 5:1 in Bergsvik. An unusual, boat-like rock carving with polished grooves, located on a steep rock face. The date is probably not Bronze Age. One of the seven new finds at Lökeberg.  The tree has split the rock. More cup marks might be under the tree’s roots. Foss 36:1 at Kattekärr. The rock carving was mentioned in older sources but was never found during later inventories, despite it being easily visible on a raised ridge of rock. Foss 37:1 in Skulevik; the newly found boat. Foss 37:1 is situated even today very close to a sea inlet which perhaps provided a harbour location in the Bronze Age. Week 20 This week we travelled around to several sites in Foss parish. We covered an area from the tip of Tungenäset to the area around the river Munkedalsälven. We mainly documented cup mark localities and even found a few new ones. On Wednesday we drove to Orust in preparation for the autumn season. We spoke to the council leaders about our project and met with a reporter from the local newspaper – Bohusläningen.   Foss 11:1, a large boat near the sea. This boat is the only example of a classical period V type in the Lökeberg area.     Cup marked rock with seven hollows in a flower like pattern Foss 21:1 at Pilegård.   Cup marked rock with a cross-shaped cut. Foss 304:1 at Skälleröd.   Large cup marks on a meter high ridge. The largest mark is 11.5 cm in diameter and 4 cm in depth. Foss 2:2 at Hede.   Foss 143:2. The cup marks at Pilegård’s burial ground are located in a chicken farm enclosure. The burial ground is one of the largest in Bohuslän with almost eighty known graves.   New find at Närestad with a grand view across the valley.   Week 19 We started the week by completing the documentation of Foss 8:1. It contains twelve boats and two humans that seem to be preparing to perform a somersault. We finished our work at Bokenäs parish by documenting two cup mark localities of twenty-one and twenty-two cup marks respectively that we found in the autumn. Both of these are located on private land. The rocks were large in area and unusually even. We could see the possibility of carved figures being present, but despite strong side light we couldn’t find any. We also documented two rock carving sites at Medbo in Brastad parish (Brastad 266:1-2). These we had cleaned with spirits last year and covered over with tarpaulins due to vigorous lichen coverage. Now the carvings were much easier to see and we found more figures than what were known about before. Amongst other things, were two men with completely carved bodies, one of which is holding a stag by the snout. There are also several beautiful boats on these rocks, typical of period V in the Bronze Age. The carvings became well known with the construction of a cement works in 1969. Sections of the rock had already been removed.   Two people thought to be preparing to make somersaults at Foss 8:1 (earlier 8:2). A person holding a stag by the snout. Brastad 266:1.   Boat at Brastad 266:1. Boat at Brastad 266:1.     Boat at Brastad 266:2. New find at Bokenäs.     Week 18 This week we could at last complete the documentation of the largest carving at Lökeberg, Foss 6:1. The carved area is 34 x 15m in size and consists, amongst other things, of one hundred ninety-seven boats, seventy-three foot soles, fifty-seven people, twenty-eight animals and two hundred seven cup marks. It is therefore clearly the most motif rich rock carving site in Bohuslän – and probably the whole of Sweden. As a comparison we can mention the well known Vitlycke carving in Tanum that has ninety-one boats. The largest carved area in Tanum, the one at Bro Utmark (Tanum 192:1), is 80 x 20m in size and contains one hundred twelve boats. The adjacent sites Foss 7, 8 and 9 at Lökeberg remain to be documented. Some interesting types of figures at Lökeberg that haven’t previously been brought to the fore are the human figures (probably women) that are sitting with their legs apart. A similar type of motif is known about from Rished (Askum 70:1). This figure has a cup mark situated between the legs and a common interpretation is that it represents a woman giving birth. At Foss 6:1 there are no less than nine such figures, but none of them have a cup mark between the legs. Some of them, however, have had the feet replaced with cup marks. For three days we were helped by trainees Viktor Ekman and Gustav Olsson from Gothenburg University. Amongst other things, they struggled with thick pine roots and boulders to reveal three newly discovered boats at Foss 8:1. We also made an inventory of an area at Håby where Rio Kulturkooperativ had made an investigation. We documented three cup mark sites showing a few cup marks in Håby, two of which were new finds. On Friday, the local newspaper – Bohusläningen – printed an article on our work at Lökeberg.   Foss 8:1. The boat on the right was excavated by students Gustav and Viktor. Three ‘women’ at Lökeberg, Foss 6:1. Week 17 At the beginning of the week we plotted in our latest new discoveries in Brastad with a GPS. Assisting us was Tara Gullbrand who is taking a course in Geographical Information at Uppsala University. Unfortunately the GPS we had borrowed didn’t work so Tara helped us with the rest of our duties at Lökeberg instead. We cleaned a large area of the rock that we then illuminated at night. On Thursday we led a guided tour for the general public in conjunction with Munkedal Council. Despite short notice and it being a weekday evening in April, almost fifty people turned up to look and listen. It was a unique opportunity because such a large area of the carving had never been painted at the same time before and probably will never be again. We are now working on the next largest area in Foss 6:1, what we call panel B (Baltzer PL.1 + 2, Afbild N:o 2). It depicts, amongst other things, boats with snakes above them, several archers, lots of foot soles and a newly discovered acrobat as well as a man with raised hands standing in a boat. Tommy and Andreas guiding. Foss 6:1, panel B. Foot soles, boats, archers etc on panel B.   Snake above a boat.   Snake above a boat.   Acrobat.   Man with raised hands standing in a boat.   Week 16 This week we devoted our undivided attention to documenting the carvings at Lökeberg (Foss 6:1). Thanks to the good weather we managed to finish a large area in the middle of the rock. Andreas had already documented the most well known part of the carving with the large tree, on a previous occasion. An interesting scene on the newly documented section shows two rows of six men each as in a procession that is heading down a depression in the rock. Below the procession we also discovered that two larger men were armed with bows. There are carvings at various levels, even further up the rock. The carvings on the steepest sections highest up are much more weathered than those further down. Only fragments of these figures remain. The newly documented central area of Foss 6:1, Lökeberg.   The tree motif section; previously documented by Andreas Toreld. A procession of two rows of men, six in each. Here it is obvious how the procession follows a depression in the rock. Andreas painting.     Archers. The highest eroded section. Detail of a crumbling boat showing heavy exfoliation damage. Week 15 The first field trip of the year began with glorious weather on the Monday. We started straight away on a new documentation of the ‘Hand sign stone’ Tossene 832:1, because the original tracing had got lost. We also documented some cup marks in Bro parish that had previously been missed. On the way there we looked at a rock carving in Bottna parish (110:1) that has a registered motif of an inscribed sword in full-scale. Our interest in the motif is because of last year’s find of swords in full-scale at Lyse and in miniature in Brastad. The sword at Bottna however is a disappointment. It is an ice-carved groove where someone, probably at a later date, has used a chisel to carve out something that looks like a sword hilt. Otherwise we will in the main concentrate our attentions in Foss parish during the spring and work on the gigantic Lökeberg carvings right out on Tungenäset promontory. It is the largest rock carving in Bohuslän but unfortunately is also the most eroded and difficult to work on. Baltzer started his large documentation project with this exact carving in 1874. Many of the figures are deeply incised and are therefore easy to see despite the weathering, while others are much more feint. The rock carving has never been completely documented. We are encouraging anyone who has plans to visit us while we are on field work to take the opportunity to do so during the spring session at the Lökeberg carvings. You are welcome to call our field phone beforehand for information: 0706 193175. Except for the Lökeberg carvings in Foss parish, there are only a few known figure carvings. The reason why there are only a few figure carvings is probably, just as it is at Bokenäset, the uneven and badly eroded gneissic rock base. There are, however, about fifty known cup mark sites in Foss. We documented some of these at the end of the week when the weather had become overcast. The cottage we are staying in during the spring is fantastic! Plenty of room and with a view over Gullmarsfjord. We are hoping it gets a little warmer so we can take a quick dip in the evening after a work. ‘Hand sign stone' Tossene 832:1. ‘Cup mark stone’ in a private garden by Foss church. Working at our dining table, with a view over Gullmarsfjord.