Rock Carvings in Tanum

Rock Carvings in Tanum
The rock carvings of Tanum were included on the World Heritage List because of their unique (artistic) quality.

The rock art here dates from the Bronze Age. The motifs include humans (and their weapons), boats, fishing nets, oxen, birds and other scenes of daily life.

Bronze Age .

Reviews

Christer Sundberg (Sweden):
My second visit to the Bronze Age rock carvings in Tanum was in the summer of 2006 doing the photo session that I did not when I was first there some 10 years ago. The most comfortable was of getting to Vitlycke as the main place is called, is by car but you can also take the train from Gothenburg but then a 3 km walk from the station will be included in the excursion. A nice little museum and a restaurant are waiting for you so you don’t have to worry about getting lost amongst forests and fields.

In the county of Bohuslän there are over 1500 known rock carvings and the ones found in Tanum show an unusually varied collection of motifs; ships, reindeers, bears, women, men hunting and many other scenes from what was likely the average life back in those days, some 1800-1500 BC.

Having visited both the rock carvings sites in Alta in Norway and Gobustan in Azerbaijan I can clearly see similarities between the carvings at all three sites, something that makes you wonder if the Bronze Age people was in some way connected. At least Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian explorer thought so but I would not yet go as far as he suggested - that the Scandinavians originated from Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea.
Date posted: September 2006
Axel Fries (Sweden):
Tanum is on the west coast of Sweden, I went here in the summer of 2005. The carving sites are everywhere in the area, most of them are probably undiscovered because they are overgrown with forest. The rock carvings are from the bronze age, some of them are really big and of a great artistic value, they are coloured red so they are not hard to find. It feels like walking around in a neolithic art gallery. Close to the main area there are a visitors center with amuseum but the enterance to the carving sites is free.
Date posted: January 2006
Axel (Sweden):
I went to Tanum in august 2005, it is really worth a visit. The rock carvings are everywhere in the area, most of them are probably undiscovered because they are overgrown with forests. Some of the carvings are really big and they are of a great artistic value, it feels like walking around in a bronze age art gallery.
Date posted: January 2006
James Nelson (USA):
Absoltuely magical, very inspirational place.
 


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