Vitlycke Rock Carvings
Neolithic–Bronze Age (4000–1000 BCE)·Hunter-gatherer rock art tradition·🇸🇪 Västra Götaland, Sweden
About
About Vitlycke Rock Carvings
Vitlycke Rock Carvings is a rock art site in Västra Götaland, Sweden featuring carvings and paintings on exposed bedrock dating from the Neolithic to Bronze Age (c.4000–1000 BCE). Motifs include geometric, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures pecked or painted on granite or limestone. The site illustrates prehistoric cosmology and seasonal gathering practices of hunter-gatherer and early farming groups.
Why it mattersKey Hunter-gatherer rock art tradition site in Västra Götaland.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of motifs and shamanic interpretation
- 02Dating of carvings via shoreline displacement
Theories
- 01Ritual gathering place with seasonal aggregation
- 02Cosmological map of surrounding landscape
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. 3000 BCE
- Period
- Neolithic–Bronze Age (4000–1000 BCE)
- Culture
- Hunter-gatherer rock art tradition
- Purpose
- Ritual and funerary monument
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3000 BCE
Initial construction and primary use
20th century
Modern archaeological investigation and conservation
On the ground
Structures & features
58.7000° N · 11.3400° E · 80 m · 2 mapped features
Vitlycke Rock Carvings Main Chamber
structurePrincipal rock-art feature at Vitlycke Rock Carvings, well-preserved structure with diagnostic finds
58.7005° N · 11.3405° EVitlycke Rock Carvings Secondary Feature
structureSecondary rock-art element illustrating site complexity and reuse
58.6996° N · 11.3408° E