<< Our Photo Pages >> Leirfall - Rock Art in Norway in Nord-Trøndelag
Submitted by kenntha88 on Wednesday, 03 September 2014 Page Views: 3501
Rock ArtSite Name: LeirfallCountry: Norway
NOTE: This site is 29.496 km away from the location you searched for.
Fylke: Nord-Trøndelag Type: Rock Art
Nearest Town: Trondheim Nearest Village: Stjørdal
Latitude: 63.468515N Longitude: 11.165328E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Rock Art in Nord-Trøndelag
At the rock surfaces at Leirfall is a huge number of rock carvings. It is one of Norway's largest rock art sites. The largest concentration is in the upper part of the site. The site is divided in several parts. The site have been dated to be from the middle/late bronze age and all up to early iron age, around 1000BC up to around 500BC. The site has a full-time guide in summer times, and is easy to find with signposts from the local highway to the site, a parking lot and information posts with more details at the site.
The first part is closest to the parking lot. This part consists of 46 figures, mostly foot print carvings and some irregular lines. Some parts of this part have been damaged and the figures can be hard to see. This part of the site have been covered with plastic to preserve the site.
The second part of the site is on the same level in the terrain as the first. A huge crack zone divides this part in two. Most of the carvings are weak and corroded and can be best observed in low light. This part consists of 34 figures, mostly footprints and cup marks, 3 boats, 3 human figures and some smaller animal carvings.
The third part is close to a small creek running past the rock side and just next to the footpath leading up from the parking lot. It consists of a large number of footprints, parts of animal figures, a number of small circles and spirals, a few human figures and cup marks. It has one very interesting carving showing a boat with 3 human figures inside. One of the figures seems to be kneeling and one figure holding a sword over the kneeling figure with the third in the front of the boat holding a unknown artifact. It is believed to maybe showing a human sacrifice which is unique in rock art sites in Norway!
The fourth part of the site is the largest and has a huge number of figures. I will describe the most interesting carvings. Most well-known is the procession of 13 human figures oriented in a line with a much larger male human figure at the head of the procession, this figure also seems to have a sword and a pointy face. Two of the figures in the procession seems to be carrying something between them. This procession is unique in rock carving sites in Norway, probably showing some kind of ritual.
To the right and a little up from the procession is a strange figure consisting of horizontal lines in zig zag parallel to each other and a spiral pattern under them. What this figure picture is a mystery!
In the middle of the site are some larger spiral patterns! They are around 50cm in diameter and picture several circles inside one another. They are called sun-circles in rock art.
Under the procession and to the left are number of large beautiful boat carvings. They are oriented on top of one another. The boats have very good details with elevated front and backs. Between the boats are foot print carvings and some smaller sun circles.
To the left of the boats at the edge of the rock is a interesting carving showing two horses and two human figures standing on top of the horses, maybe showing a competition or tournament of some sort?
On the top left of the site are a number of small rectangular shapes and some have small dots inside them, it is believed to show ancient farms or grain fields.
To the right edge of the rock is a long line of cup marks. Cup markings are often found spread around the sites, it is not common to see them oriented in lines.
In the middle of the site is a larger number of footprint carvings along with a number of primitive animal carvings believed to show horses.
In the middle of the site close to the top are some more boat carvings. These also have lines called "crew-lines" since they are believed to picture humans.
Spread all over and around this mentioned figures are numbers of footprint carvings, cup marks, smaller boats and animal figures.
The rock surfaces are being regularly cleaned for any moss of other types of vegetation that might damage the carvings. The surface have some lines and some cracks but does not seem to do much damage. Some of the carvings have been painted with red paint, but in some the paint have been withered away a bit.
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