Alta Rock Art Bergbukten Panel II C
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇳🇴 Finnmark, Alta, Norway
About
About Alta Rock Art Bergbukten Panel II C
Alta Rock Art Bergbukten Panel II C in Finnmark, Alta, Norway is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Multi-period rock art. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal panel 12 m long × 3 m high and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 69.9470N 23.1860E controls access to Finnmark resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock art for Finnmark, Alta, illustrating Multi-period rock art construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of iconographic motifs
- 02Dating of superimposed phases
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period rock art
- Purpose
- Rock art sanctuary and ritual landscape with petroglyphs/pictographs
- Rediscovered
- 1973 survey
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Alta Rock Art Bergbukten Panel II C main structure
c. 1913
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1973–2018
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Alta Rock Art Bergbukten Panel II C) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
69.9470° N · 23.1860° E · 171 m · 3 mapped features
Alta Rock Art Bergbukten Panel II C — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
69.9478° N · 23.1869° EAlta Rock Art Bergbukten Panel II C — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
69.9460° N · 23.1853° EAlta Rock Art Bergbukten Panel II C — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
69.9485° N · 23.1872° E