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<< Other Photo Pages >> Astuvansalmi rock paintings - Rock Art in Finland

Submitted by Andy B on Thursday, 21 January 2010  Page Views: 8593

Rock ArtSite Name: Astuvansalmi rock paintings Alternative Name: Astuvansalmen kalliomaalaukset
Country: Finland Type: Rock Art

Latitude: 61.441667N  Longitude: 27.541667E
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 4 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 no data Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 4

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Astuvansalmi rock paintings
Astuvansalmi rock paintings submitted by Flickr : Astuvansalmi Site in Finland Rock art Astuvansalmi Finland Image copyright: timt50 (Timo Toiviainen), hosted on Flickr and displayed under the terms of their API. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Rock Art in Finland. The Astuvansalmi rock paintings (Finnish: Astuvansalmen kalliomaalaukset) are located in Finland at the shores of the lake Yövesi, which is a part of the large lake Saimaa. The rock paintings are the largest found in the whole of Scandinavia. They consist of 65 paintings.

The rock paintings were officially found by the Finnish archaeologist Pekka Sarvas in 1968, though locals knew about them already before that.

The rock where the paintings are located looks like a human head when looked from a certain direction. The form is clearly visible during wintertime while viewed from the ice of the lake. The rock has presumably been some kind of a cult or ceremony site. The paintings are nowadays 7,7 to 11,8 metres above the water-level of lake Saimaa. The lake level was much higher during the making of the rock paintings.

The oldest paintings are made 3000 - 2500 BC. They are located at the highest level (about 11 metres). The water level changed very fast about 2,5 metres with the landslide of Vuoksi. Later on the level slowly went down 8 metres to its present level. All the later paintings have been made from boats during the different historical water-levels.

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Astuvansalmi rock paintings
Astuvansalmi rock paintings submitted by Flickr : Rock Paintings Astuvansalmi 2 Site in Finland Image copyright: Worlditoria, hosted on Flickr and displayed under the terms of their API. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Astuvansalmi rock paintings
Astuvansalmi rock paintings submitted by Flickr : Astuvansalmi 5 Site in Finland Image copyright: Minna Halonen, hosted on Flickr and displayed under the terms of their API. (Vote or comment on this photo)

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Prehistoric Rock Art in the Northern Dales

Prehistoric Rock Art in the Northern Dales

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"Astuvansalmi rock paintings" | Login/Create an Account | 3 News and Comments
  
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Stones, Trees and Rock Paintings - K M Koppana by Andy B on Sunday, 03 May 2020
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Stones, Trees and Rock Paintings
Pagan customs have continued to be practised in Finland and the Russian Federation
throughout t/oe modern era despite the efforts of Christianity and Communism to end them.
In this personal account, K. M Koppana takes a look at some of these traditions.

Finland’s largest cup-marked rapakivi can be seen in the small town of Hameenlinna where it is in a private garden. One can, however, follow a short path to see and touch it. It is very large, over one metre high, and has good cup marks cut into it. Because it is located in a garden, it does not seem very ‘authentic’. The same goes for the very fine stone in the Sibelius Park in the same town which is about 80 cm high and used to be in nearby Hattula. It was moved to Hameenlinna so that it could be protected from developers.

Kes'alahti, in east of Finland, has a fine stone called the Devil’s Table. This Stone includes 78 clear and deep depressions. This square rock stands today in a clump of alders. Maybe it always has, as the alder has connections to the magical world and its wood is traditionally used for fires to raise spirits. Another stone was used in the same area for offerings to the fairies. An old woman told researcher Toini Niemimaa in 1938 that “rye porridge was put when the grain was ripe, so that the manniaiset (fairies or earthkins) could get enough to eat.”

ROCK PAINTINGS
Since the first rock painting was discovered at Hvittrask in 1911, another 49 have been discovered. Many of the sites have a large upright surface good for painting on. Some are over water, as at Astuvansalmi, probably painted from a canoe when the water level was higher. All the images are painted with red ochre with a binding agent being possibly fish oil or urine. The chemical deposits running down the rocks have preserved many of the paintings remarkably well. The chief subjects are animals, mostly elk though there is the odd bear, fish and representations of people. There are very few women. The paintings of men are the matchstick type and could be Bronze Age, although no-one is quite sure. Among the animate can be found the inanimate - reindeer horns, boats and a few handprints.

More in 3rd Stone Issue 30, download linked from here
https://www.megalithic.co.uk/shop/3rd_stone.htm
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Between the Worlds. Rock Art, Landscape and Shamanism in Subneolithic Finland by Andy B on Sunday, 03 May 2020
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Between the Worlds. Rock Art, Landscape and Shamanism in Subneolithic Finland
Antti Lahelma
2005, Norwegian Archaeological Review

https://www.academia.edu/1492740/Between_the_Worlds._Rock_Art_Landscape_and_Shamanism_in_Subneolithic_Finland
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Rock art from 5,000 years ago by Anonymous on Thursday, 21 January 2010
Rock paintings created during the Stone Age can still be seen today in dozens of sites around Finland. These awe-inspiring artworks are like windows into the ancient past, revealing tantalising glimpses of long lost cultures.

FINLAND’S rock paintings mainly consist of brownish-red figures and markings painted onto steep granite walls, often overlooking waterways. Scenes feature people, boats, elk, fish and mysterious partly human figures that may be linked to shamanistic beliefs, as well as more abstract shapes and patterns whose meanings will probably remain forever lost in the mists of time.

“So far we know of 127 sites in Finland where such paintings have been found,” explains archaeologist Helena Taskinen of the National Board of Antiquities. “These paintings have survived thanks to the formation of a thin layer of silicon dioxide on the rock surface, which has protected them. Many more paintings have undoubtedly vanished over the intervening millennia, but it’s also likely that more paintings are still out there in the forests waiting to be discovered.”

Durable paint mixes

Experts believe the paintings were made by people from the “Comb Ceramic Culture”, who lived in what is now Finland between 5000 BC and 2000 BC. They made their paints using iron oxide obtained from the soil, probably mixed with blood, animal fat or egg, although traces of these organic materials are no longer detectable. “Whatever it was, it was a good mix considering how long their works have survived!” says Taskinen.

“We can also see that the paintings were made by skilled artists, especially since some may have been painted from boats,” she adds. Even if the creations of these Northern European artists are not on the same scale as those of their contemporaries in Egypt or Mesopotamia, they still give a fascinating insight into the lifestyles of long ago.

“What’s striking is that the places where we find these paintings always seem to be very beautiful and atmospheric – at least to me!” says Taskinen. “I strongly suspect that these were very special sites, somehow linked to people’s spiritual beliefs. But one nice thing about them is anyone who sees them can come up with their own interpretation, and no one will ever be able to say for sure who is right.”

Ancient markings struck a chord with Sibelius

The first Stone Age rock paintings to be recognised in Finland were reported to the authorities in 1911 by a certain Jean Sibelius, whose eye was caught by strange patterns on a lakeside cliff near Hvitträsk, the home of his architect friend Eliel Saarinen. Ancient rock carvings with a strikingly similar pattern have been found in faraway Norway, suggesting some cultural link between people from these distant locations.

Another set of paintings was discovered in the 1960s on a rocky lakeshore just a few miles west of Hvitträsk at Juusjärvi. At first the local cottage owners thought the paintings were recent graffiti daubed on the rock by workmen, but they were soon realised to be several thousand years old.
In spite of their age, the paintings on the cliffs of Juusjärvi still seem full of life. Two figures look as if they are dancing together cross-legged. A smaller character above them has a strange bird-like head. Below them a large fish is approaching a man who may have just fallen into the water; while to the right, a line of elk-like animals seem to be climbing up the cliff. The paintings also include the handprints of the artist – a touch that seems to reach out through time to anyone looking at the scene today.

Ancient heritage to be cherished

Most of Finland’s rock paintings lie in the Saimaa Lake District. The best-known site, at Astuvansalmi, has been proposed for UNESCO’s world heritage list. Subjects include a human figure with antlers, and elk or reindeer marked with spots showing the location of the animals’ hearts,

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