Rock art in northern Europe - a new synthesis
Rock art is a global phenomenon that is intimately associated with human nature. It is an important source material about past religions, the ceremonial life of societies, as well as how different objects we find in archaeological excavations have been used.
The rock art of northern Europe is world-renowned. Two sites, Tanum in Sweden and Alta in Norway, have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The interest from the public and the research community is encouraging, but there is no scientifically updated synthesis that presents this manifold material in a comprehensible way.
The purpose of the project is to complete an interpretative monograph on North European rock art, from Russia in the east, North Germany in the south and Norway in the west and north. The book is based on 20 years of research and 10 years of teaching about rock art in northern Europe. It presents rock art motifs, their location in the landscape, and the chronology and research history. It will also present methods and theories to study rock art, documentation methods, the results of archaeological excavations at rock art sites, how rock art relates to religion and ritual, the importance of places, how senses other than sight can help to understand rock art, and how it reflects contact within and between different societies and cultures.
The monograph will be accomplished through two complementary fieldwork sessions in Russia and Norway and during a research visit at Griffith University in Australia.
Final report
This final report pertains to the project SAB18-0618:1, which involved a sabbatical year to work on a new synthesis of the rock art traditions in northern Europe – "Rock art in northern Europe - a new synthesis".
The project, co-funded to 50% by Linnaeus University, was based at Griffith University in Australia in 2019, hosted by their institution, Place Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit (PERAHU), under the expert guidance of Professor Paul S.C. Taçon.
The work on the new synthesis progressed well but could not be completed in 2019. A manuscript has been prepared in English and is in progress. The pandemic and new employment and research roles hindered the project's completion in 2019.
During the sabbatical year, the project also finalised or completed an international anthology, three guest editorships of international journals, six peer-reviewed articles, five peer-reviewed book chapters, and two editor-reviewed articles. Some of these publications are included in the new synthesis.
Apart from the publications, the sabbatical year resulted in a new research project funded by the Australian Research Council – "Art at a Crossroad".
Another outcome is my recruitment to the University of Western Australia as the Rock Art Australia Ian Potter Kimberley Chair, a new research role I assumed in August 2020.
The project, co-funded to 50% by Linnaeus University, was based at Griffith University in Australia in 2019, hosted by their institution, Place Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit (PERAHU), under the expert guidance of Professor Paul S.C. Taçon.
The work on the new synthesis progressed well but could not be completed in 2019. A manuscript has been prepared in English and is in progress. The pandemic and new employment and research roles hindered the project's completion in 2019.
During the sabbatical year, the project also finalised or completed an international anthology, three guest editorships of international journals, six peer-reviewed articles, five peer-reviewed book chapters, and two editor-reviewed articles. Some of these publications are included in the new synthesis.
Apart from the publications, the sabbatical year resulted in a new research project funded by the Australian Research Council – "Art at a Crossroad".
Another outcome is my recruitment to the University of Western Australia as the Rock Art Australia Ian Potter Kimberley Chair, a new research role I assumed in August 2020.