Kalle Sognnes

Blowing the Horn Lure Images in Rock Art in Trøndelag,

Introduction Among the many finds from Bronze Age Scandinavia (c. 1800-500 BC) is a collec- tion of wind instruments (horns) casted in bronze. These wind instruments in modern times became known as lures; a name taken from traditional Scandinavian folk instru- ments used by herdsmen and in traditional folk music. According to Broholm (1965) 54 complete or fragmented bronze lures are known from northern Europe: 34 from Den- mark, 11 from Sweden, four from Norway, five from northern Germany, and one from Estonia; virtually all being found within the area of the Nordic Bronze Age culture, the core area of which is in Denmark and south- ern Sweden. Later, Jensen (2002, 457-459) operated with 39 finds from Denmark and 13 from Sweden. The Norwegian examples are found at Revheim in Rogaland and Figure 1. Pair of bronze horns or lures from Brudevælte Rossum in Oppland; the latter ones being bog on Zealand, Denmark (after Broholm 1965). fragmentary. The word lure, first used by the Danish with a kind of lock that made it possible to scholar C. J. Thomsen in early 19th cen- separate the parts during transportation. A tury, etymologically seems to refer to the round disc casted separately was attached shape of the instrument and not its use, to the top of tube. the original meaning probably being an instrument made from a hollowed piece of Normally two lures are found together as wood (Broholm 1965, 13-14). Lures used in a pair of symmetrical instruments. When, more recent times in Norway were made where, and why these instruments were from wood; from alder or birch bark (Sevåg used is unknown but apparently they were 1973). Broholm (1965, 14) was not pleased deposited in bogs when they no longer with Thomsen’s use of this naming of the were being used. Perhaps they were too Bronze Age instruments, but this still is the valuable to be melted down and re-casted, accepted term. Being casted in bronze is not whether into weapons, tools or jewellery. the only way these horns differ from the However, recent studies of lead isotopes later lures; they are curved, mostly being and element analyses indicate that recast- shaped like a three-dimensional S, or as a ing bronze artefacts in general was unlikely Z. Each lure was casted in three parts be- (Earle et al. 2015, 639). The age of the lures ing fitted together. The curved conic tubes vary but based on comparisons with deco- consist of two parts being joined together rations on the lures and other decorated

24 Adoranten 2017 dated artefacts from Denmark, Broholm (1965, 84) dated most of them to the mid- dle and later parts of the Bronze Age, that is, from around 1200 to 500 BC, the Revheim lures being among the later ones. Jensen (2002, 456) dated the lures to late second millennium until around 800 BC.

Rock lures Based on the existence of some rock carv- ings in Trøndelag that may be identified as depictions of lures, we may ask whether these instruments actually were used this far north. In order to answer this question, Figure 2. Lure blowers at Kalleby in Tanum, we should, however, first look into the ex- Bohuslän (redrawn after Coles 2005). istence of lure depictions in southern parts of Scandinavia, where most Bronze Age and Østfold in Norway, between the rivers rock carvings are found; in particular in the Göta älv and Glomma, where we find the neighbour provinces of Bohuslän in Sweden best examples of rock art lure depictions.

Figure 2a. Lure blowers at Kalleby, Tanum-248. Documented 2013 by Underslös Museum.

Adoranten 2017 25 Figure 2b. Lure blowers at Kalleby, Tanum-405, Bohuslän. Photo: Gerhard Milstreu.

The number of lure images appears to be These images are all drawn in the same lower than the actual number of existing style. They have short, square trunks and instruments. Two groups of naturalistic rep- small heads, virtually necks only, from resentations of lures and lure blowers are which the horns protrude, the lower edge known from Kalleby in Tanum, Bohuslän of the trunk being marked by a horizontal (Baltzer 1891-1908; Coles 2005). At one of non-pecked line. The legs are long with ac- these panels three people carrying lures are centuated calves. They all are phallic and superimposed on older ship images. This equipped with a sword in addition to the panel also includes some large humans not strongly curved lures. The style is so distinct carrying instruments. At the second panel that one person may have made them all. (figure 2) three persons blowing lures stay This way of drawing humans is represented close together with a fourth smaller one be- at a number of sites in Bohuslän (Coles low. The blowers have two ‘horns’ protrud- 2005), being represented in Østfold too ing from their heads but this do not mean (Vogt 2012). Many of these humans carry that they represent supernatural beings. At horned helmets and/or weapons and may Viksø, Zealand, Denmark two horned hel- represent a certain class or caste of people mets are found (Norling-Christensen 1943), playing significant roles in South Scandi- and likely the Kalleby blowers wore horned navia during middle and late Bronze Age helmets when they were portrayed. There following Broholm’s (1965, 84) dating of are two significant differences between the the lures. In Østfold some lure blowers are lure blowers on these two panels; the im- found at Borge in Fredrikstad. In a group ages shown on figure 2 are phallic and carry of five humans at least two, perhaps four, weapons, which is not the case on the other carry lures held in blowing positions (figure panel. 3). They are phallic and horizontal non-

26 Adoranten 2017 pecked lines mark the transition between are rare even in the central rock art area of trunk and legs. Neither of these humans Bohuslän and Østfold. They are occasionally carries any headgear. also found further north along the west coast of Norway as far north as Trondheims- Looking at ship images in the same region, fjord 64˚N, where the northernmost major we find that these sometimes contain hu- cluster of South Scandinavian Bronze Age mans paddling boats, for instance at Kalnes rock art is located. All over Scandinavia in Sarpsborg, Østfold (e.g. Hagen 1967, where this rock art tradition is represented, 147). Normally, however, the presence of ships are the most frequent motifs (cup- people aboard ships is marked with short marks excluded), while the number of lure vertical lines (figure 4) above the gunwale. pictures is low. We therefore may suggest Whether these lines represent crew or pas- that lure blowing was not part of the daily, sengers is unknown. On some of these ships mundane life in this region but rather was some vertical lines are extended upwards associated with special and rare events. as curved, sometimes S-shaped lines, which frequently occur in pairs. Scholars in general Figure 4 shows ship images with possible identify these lines as representations of lure depictions from different parts of Scan- lures (e.g. Gjessing 1935; Marstrander 1963; dinavia. Figure 4A from Gerum in Tanum, Coles 2005). Ships with lures drawn like this Bohuslän (Coles 2005, 166) is most peculiar, are represented at many sites but relatively not because the hull was drawn with a sin- to the total number of ship images they gle line only, but due to its exceptionally long winding lures with round tops in a ship that appears to actually was paddled, Figure 3. Lure blowers at the lures being blown on board the ship. Borge in Fredrikstad, Østfold Figure 4B from Aspeberget in Tanum (Coles (after Coles 2005). 2005, 27) represents a common type of ship images known from all over southern Scan- dinavia with both keel and gunwale drawn. Two long and parallel lures are shown in the astern part of the ship. On figure 4C from Vårfrukyrka in Uppland (Ling 2013, 85) we find four lures facing the same way. On figure 4D from Hamarhaug in Kvinnherad (Mandt Larsen 1972, pl. 20), Hordaland only one curved line marks the presence of a lure. This line seems to be narrower than the ordinary crew strokes; perhaps it was made later or the crew lines were widened at a later occasion. In general it seems that the number of ship images with lures is strongly reduced as soon as we move west and northwards along the Norwegian coast. In Trøndelag most Bronze Age rock art, including ship images, are found in the municipality of Stjørdal, in particular in and parishes (Sognnes 2001) but among these a few carvings at Røkke only contain curved lines that may be interpreted as represent- ing people carrying lures. A ‘procession’ consisting of two rows of people at Leirfall (Marstrander and Sognnes 1999; 81) may be

Adoranten 2017 27 rock art in Kville, Bohuslän. He found that the number of warriors depicted was low as compared to the total mass of humans, and that very few actually were fighting. He suggested that the fighting scenes primarily focused on demonstrating the qualities of the warriors and that fighting probably was ritualised, and that real fights with deadly results were not depicted (Nordbladh 1989, 331).

The members of this warrior caste prob- ably made the rock carvings that express this combination of symbols. The way the humans representing members of this caste were drawn with short and square trunks together with long legs with accentuated calves, which further emphasised the con- nection between the people involved. War- riors were drawn according to other styles too, but these may belong to other groups or to different phases when this distinct symbolism was not developed.

The lures may have been used to announce the arrival and presence of people belong- ing to this warrior caste at certain places as well as being played during meetings and ceremonies. Based on this interpretation we may see the superimposed Kalleby carvings as representing a martial take-over of the local rock art panels as well as surrounding areas. This contradicts Kristiansen and Lars- son’s (2005, 330-334) interpretation of the horned anthropomorphs as representations of gods but in Trøndelag possible depictions Figure 4. Ships with lure representations from A: Gerum, of anthropomorphic gods hardly exist. Bohuslän, B: Aspeberget, Bohuslän, C: Vårfrukyrka, Up- pland, D: Hamarhaug, Hordaland (originals from Mandt Larsen 1972; Coles 2005; Ling 2013). Blowing lures in the north? compared with some ‘processions’ in Swe- Rock carvings depicting people blowing den (Coles 2003), but in general carvings lures, like at Kalleby and Borge, are not depicting humans in this part of Norway are found as far north as Trøndelag, but some rare and appear to occur randomly. Hardly images most probably depicting lures not any humans with weapons are depicted but being combined with other motifs can be some of those carry swords. identified. Two of these images, together with ships and humans, are found at a A preliminary hypothesis is that horned panel on Bjørngård in Stjørdal (Rygh 1913; helmets, lures, and weapons signify the Marstrander 1954; Sognnes 2001). Trac- existence of a distinct class or caste of war- ings of two of these images are shown as riors. Nordbladh (1989) discussed the rock figures 5A and B respectively, 5A being the carvings depicting armed people in the most characteristic one. We recognise the S-

28 Adoranten 2017 shaped tube and the top plate, which here pears to depict a carnyx that was used by is shaped like an oval. 5B has a similar top Celtic people. The tube of this instrument, plate but the tube is drawn as seen from a which was made from bronze too, was held different angle that gives the impression of vertically while being blown during battle. the tube forming a circle. S-shaped remains The top, which was shaped like the head of of more lure images may exist on this panel a boar, had a tongue that clattered while but lines marking the top plate apparently the instrument was blown, likely as a means are not present. This may, however, be the of scaring the enemies (Darwill 2008, 73). result of weathering. Together with lances and spears, carnyxes reached up above marching arriving war- On a panel at Tessem in , Trøndelag riors. The carnyxes were used during the (Grønnesby 2006) we may have a similar third century BC and thus are later than the situation, where a curved line protrudes central European Bronze Age but from a from two concentric rings with a central time when rock carvings still were made in cup-mark (figure 6). Concentric rings are Trøndelag, for instance at Bjørngård. The one out of several geometric designs rep- way the carnyxes were used supports the resented in the rock art of Trøndelag and hypothesis that their Scandinavian parallels, in general are not related to lures. Yet, this the lures, belonged to a caste of warriors. particular image, as it looks today, resem- bles a lure. Close by we find another possi- Studying the rock art in Trøndelag, we in ble lure depiction but this S-shaped line has general find far less images depicting lures a round point in both ends. The curved line on board ships than in southern parts of in question here was deliberately added to Scandinavia. An extraordinary situation ex- the outer ring and may be a later addition, ists, however, on the main Bardal panel in perhaps being made by someone who was Steinkjer, which contains a mixture of rock familiar with lures and how they looked carvings from Stone Age and Bronze Age like. If so, this image together with the as well as Early Iron Age, with many late Bjørngård carvings are evidence that lures carvings being superimposed on the earlier were known in Trøndelag too. ones. This is a unique situation. Some of the Bronze Age ship images are among the The image shown as figure 5C seems to largest ones in Scandinavia, being more depict a wind instrument too, but it dif- than four metres long (Gjessing 1935). fers distinctly from the South Scandinavian Bronze Age lures, first of all because the On this panel we can identify more than tube is straight but also because the top fifty possible lure blowers among the ship appears to be shaped like the head of crews, which also make this panel unique. an animal. This image, which is found at At the same time it is the northernmost Hegre, a neighbour farm to Bjørngård, ap- larger panel belonging to the Scandinavian Bronze Age rock art tradition. The lures are Figure 5. Wind instruments drawn on rocks in central Nor- located on ships spread all over the panel, way. A-B: lures from Bjørngård, C: carnyx from Hegre, all but are most striking on the larger ships in Stjørdal. Images are not at scale). that also have the deepest and widest fur- rows. All lures are connected with crew strokes but some of the curved part of these lines are shallow and may be later additions to the original vertical strokes, or perhaps, they were not retouched when the furrows were deepened. Figure 7 shows a selection of these Bardal ship images. Suggesting that the crew strokes represents the actual number of people on board, some of these ships must have been quite large; larger

Adoranten 2017 29 Figure 6. Possible Bronze Age lure image at Tessem in Steinkjer (K. Sognnes photo). than ships used for fishing or porpoise hunting in the fjord basin. Most lure images occur in pairs like the bog finds from Den- mark, but several pairs sometimes are found on the same ship. The large number of lure images makes this panel so strikingly differ- ent from other rock art sites in Scandinavia that it makes one wonder why.

Music for long journeys? This question is, however, difficult to an- swer, and we will never know whether we have reached the correct answer if we chance to find it. People who knew this igure 7. Selection of ship images with lures at Bardal (from answer are long time gone and incommu- Gjessing 1935). Images are not at scale. nicable. Since the lure blowers are depicted on ships, we may suggest that their usage people travelling by ships established and was connected with seafaring or, more spe- maintained these contacts. cifically, with encounters between seafarers and local people they met while travelling. As stated above there seems to be a connec- The people, who made this rock art, did tion between lures, ships, horned helmets, not, however, make it everywhere; neither and armed people with square upper bod- did they make it at all times. In western ies and accentuated calves. A special variety and central Norway we may identify several is found at the main Bardal panel, where sub-traditions within the rock art, among two large humans drawn in this way (figure which ships and footprints represent the 8) were superimposed on earlier large elks major ones (Mandt Larsen 1972; Sognnes images, as if they symbolically were taken 2001). Yet, the fact that the same motifs, over the most important part of this panel. frequently drawn in the same manner, are These images, which are rather roughly found all the way from southernmost Scan- drawn, are larger than the ones referred dinavia to the Arctic Circle, shows that we to in Bohuslän, and both torso and legs are dealing with a common visual system are contoured. The left one has a small in- that were understood by the those who filled head, while the one to the right has a made the carvings and by people living in head that bear some resemblance with the this vast area. Clusters of these images, pri- horned helmets in Bohuslän. Interestingly, marily being located by shores, indicate that the lower part of an apparently similar con-

30 Adoranten 2017 toured anthropomorph with accentuated a century later this rock art tradition was, calves is found at the Boglösa 155:3 panel however, dated to Bronze Age (Montelius in Uppland (Ling 2012, 41, 84-85) that has a 1876), yet it was suggested (Rygh 1908, 4) shoreline maximum date to Bronze Age pe- that the fleets of ships carved on the rocks riod IV, that is 1100-900 BC, corresponding in Trøndelag illustrated events that once with the age of most known bronze lures. took place – but during the Bronze Age.

Kristiansen (2002) interprets the many Based on archaeological finds, Brøgger ship images on rocks along the coast of (1937, 188-190) saw the Bronze Age as a present-day Norway as memorabilia of long great millennium of seafaring, when ships distance journeys conducted by seafarers were used for short and long distance trad- from southern Scandinavia – in particular ing, for instance between the British Isles, from Bohuslän starting already at the be- Ireland and the Continent. Stating that ginning of the Bronze Age. The very similar crossing the North Sea was shorter than large ship carvings, at Bardal and Torsbo in crossing the Bay of Biscay between Brittany Tanum, being more than four metres long, and Cape Finisterre, he suggested that di- support the validity of this interpretation. rect contacts existed also between people Perhaps the same persons made these im- living in Britain and Scandinavia. In general ages. We therefore might link Bardal with Bronze Age finds in Norway, however, indi- Torsbo and thereby Trøndelag directly with cate that contacts via present-day Denmark South Scandinavia. Ritual fighting, however, were of greater importance. Brøgger fur- is not evidenced at Bardal. ther emphasised that the many Bronze Age grave monuments in coastal Scandinavia The idea that an extensive travelling by – mostly cairns – together with the many ships took place within Scandinavia and be- rock carvings depicting ships found along yond during Bronze Age has been present these coasts bore witness that a focus on an as an undercurrent in Norwegian archaeol- extensive sea-faring existed also in Bronze ogy for more than a century. In his study of Age Scandinavia. Rather little of the traded the rock art at the island Atløy in Askvoll, goods ended up in Norway, however, but West Norway, Christie (1837) suggested that Brøgger hypothesised that the Bronze Age the carvings in question illustrated stories ‘Norwegians’ provided ships and crews for told in Norse sagas of a Viking Period sea this sea-born traffic (Brøgger 1937, 191). battle that took place off this island. Half Christensen (1989) too emphasised Bronze Age as a millennium of seafaring. Interest- Figure 8. Humans with square up- ingly, Wehlin (2013) recently presented a per bodies and accentuated calves at similar model to the one sketched by Brøg- Bardal (from Gjessing 1936). ger, according to which travelling trades- men and maritime specialists operated independently from or together with local elites, suggesting that chieftains in general stayed home.

Why Bardal? It is surprising that these possible direct contacts are documented at Bardal and not in the major Bronze Age rock art con- centration in Trøndelag, which is found in Stjørdal. However, Bronze Age rock art in Trøndelag forms two major clusters; in Stjørdal at the central Trondheimsfjord and its inner Beitstadfjord basin near the end

Adoranten 2017 31 of the fjord, representing two major local summer when daylight lasts for more than communities (Sognnes 2001, 94) in which twenty hours. the depictions (and use?) of ceremonial horn blowing differed. The rock art in this The panel faces south and during spring area is dominated by ship images, some, ac- and autumn, when the sun is low on the cording to Kaul’s (1998) chronology, being western sky, shadows fall in natural fissures made already in Bronze Age period I (Kris- as well as man-made furrows, making the tiansen 2002, 71). Contacts between travel- rock carvings strikingly visible – the rock lers from abroad and local people may have virtually comes alive. Two converging rows been less direct in Stjørdal than at Bardal. with natural oval grooves partly surrounded In Stjørdal some few rock art sites only were by white quartz veins cross the rock forming located near the seashore: the majority be- an oblique horizontal V that points towards ing located on the central Skatval promon- the western edge of the panel. Immediately tory 80-100 metres above present sea level above the meeting of these rows is a group and in the Stjørdal Valley up to ten kilome- of large, partly superimposed elk images, tres away from the sea. Hence lure blowing which based on the present state of pres- ship crews would have little effect for creat- ervation may have been the first carvings ing a stir among locals when ships arrived at made on this rock. The oval grooves make the mouth of Stjørdal River. it easy to move up and down the panel but they may also have played another role. It seems reasonable to hypothesise that the During favourable light conditions, when large Bardal panel with its more than 400 the grooves in the afternoon turn dark, individual carvings (Gjessing 1935, 125) was they appear like eyes in the rock. We are a place were people came together already here facing a situation where people look- during Stone Age, when the site still was ing at the rock and its many carved images located near the shore, facing a horizontal may experience that the rock is looking old marine terrace. Due to the still on-going back at the spectators – representing a most land uplift, the gently sloping sea bottom uncommon meeting between this world below the fore-set of this terrace eventually and a world behind the rock face (Sognnes became dry land and the distance between 2008). the rock art panel and the shore increased rapidly. Yet, a large number of rock carvings The many motifs and different boat types from later periods demonstrate that people represented indicate that the Bardal carv- continued to visit this site; apparently new ings were made during a long time span, carvings were made more or less regularly giving evidence of continuity, indicating during centuries. The panel’s size and loca- that the making of new carvings was not tion made it easy to find also for occasional just a day-to-day procedure. The large ship visitors; the sea still being within sight from carvings (figure 6C-D) probably were made the engraved rock. within a short time span. It also appears that these images, with their wide and deep The present Bardal farmhouses are located furrows, deliberately and brutally were on the terrace in front of the large panel. superimposed on the older zoomorphic During Bronze Age this terrace provided carvings. Further, it should be noted that space for a substantial number of people. the northernmost rock carvings that may Below the terrace, a shallow beach pro- belong to an Atlantic cup-and ring rock art vided good landings for local and visiting tradition (Bradley 1997) are found on this boats and ships. Both above and below the panel. panel ritual ceremonies could take place with or without spectators present. These The symbolism represented by the rock art rituals could take place during several sea- may have been of special importance dur- sons while visitors coming from abroad, ing funerals, for instance at the death of most probably would take place during local leaders and the raise of new leaders

32 Adoranten 2017 of the local community coming into posi- A meeting like this may be illustrated on a tion. In a smaller scale this would be com- panel at Hegre (Sognnes 2001) in Stjørdal parable to the Kivik grave in Scania, where (figure 9). Three ships with strokes marking a chieftain was buried in a stone cist with the crews depicted on this panel indicate engraved slabs. Among the images on these the presence of a substantial number of slabs are humans possibly blowing lures; the people. The ships are oriented in different engravings being dated to the late Bronze directions – two towards the left (west) and Age period II – 3400-3300 BP (Goldhahn one towards the right (east) – as if they ac- 2013, 572). Lures may have been blown at tually were to meet each other. This is the the rock art panels at Bardal too during case for two humans present too, of which funeral ceremonies but this does not cor- one is carrying a sword. Correspondingly respond with the strong association of the two different types of rings symbolically lures with ships unless the ships were used also may symbolise a meeting between two for transporting the deceased to the other groups. The ship images represent the same side of the fjord, to one of the largest con- ship type but the hulls are drawn according centrations of Bronze Age cairns in Norway to three different ‘styles’ that traditionally (Rygh 1906). have been considered to represent different periods (e.g. Marstrander 1963, 341-342; pl. At Bardal, being located in a borderland be- 64), however, Malmer (1981, 27) saw these tween different cultures and ethnic groups, differences as regional variations. I ‘read’ the blowing in lures from arriving ships this panel as a distinct composition and thus may have had special significance. Here lo- reject the idea that these ‘stylistic’ differ- cal farmers and huntergatherers meating ences have any chronological bearing but with seafarers and traders from southern rather represent different groups of people. parts of Scandinavia were called together. We may imagine ships rhythmically being paddled across the Beitstadfjord towards Conclusions the beach below Bardal; the lure blowers The presence of the many lures being de- helping the crew to keep up speed and at picted on ship images at the main Bardal the same time announcing their arrivals panel are most remarkable considering and soon to be meetings at the designated how scarce depictions of these instruments rock – for trade and exchange, ceremonies are in southern Scandinavia with the large and processions. Correspondingly the lures amount of rock carvings known there. The would be blown during departure. This in- lures and carnyx images at Bjørngård and terpretation links the rock art to events that Hegre respectively support the hypothesis more or less regularly took place. The lack that wind instruments actually were used of warriors depicted on the rock that are so in this region although no remains of these frequent in Bohuslän, indicates, however, instruments have been found until now. that these meetings in general would have been peaceful. To the lures may be added the use of horned helmets and swords (helmets not being represented in Trøndelag). Together

Figure 9. Encounter between people and ships at Hegre (after Sognnes 2001)

Adoranten 2017 33 these motifs symbolically may represent a gested by Earle et al. (2015, 636), would warrior caste or cadre (cf. Earle et al. 2015, take place. 646) that, following Brøgger (1937) and Wehlin (2013), also was a caste of sailors The existence of earlier carvings at Bardal and traders. Warriors were needed when would be significant for the location of the meeting strangers – for expressing power Bronze Age carvings, many of which were and strength and for fighting if necessary. superimposed on older carvings. Appar- ently it was important to deface these older Bardal is located close to the inner end ones but also to utilise the supernatural or of Trondheimsfjord, while the rock art at underground powers of this particular rock, Hegre and Bjørngård are among the east- signifying its take-over by a southern war- ernmost sites in Stjørdal Valley that leads rior caste. This would represent a break in eastwards from the fjord towards wide for- the general norms of this region according ests and mountain areas in inland northern to which older rock carvings were respected Scandinavia, which were exploited by rein- when new ones were made. When this deer herding Samis in later times. Stjørdal take-over happened, northern tradition Valley is also part of one of the shortest rock art no longer were made at Bardal crossings of the Scandinavian Peninsula but most probably continued at Hammer between the North Atlantic and Baltic. The around six kilometres further west (Bakka rock art in this region may, at least partly, 1975; 1988). At this site carvings depicting represent memories of trading expeditions whales and birds dominate. At the Ham- to the very outskirts of Bronze Age Europe. mer I panel (Gjessing 1936) both rock art For expeditions like these along the Norwe- traditions are represented, but at different gian coast with its myriad of islands, ships altitudes. were obligatory. Major stops along this route being marked with rock art may be More southern tradition carvings are known identified at Lista and Jæren (Fett and Fett from Bardal but these are found on panels 1941), Sunnhordland (Mandt Larsen 1972) around 800 metres further up in a narrow and Sunnfjord (Mandt 1991), West Norway valley leading towards Lake Snåsavatn. before the journeys ended in inner Trond- These carvings are located at an old path heimsfjord or at the mouth of Vefsnfjord leading between the inner end of the fjord near the Arctic circle, where the northern- and the lake; the main Bardal panel being most cluster of rock art panels of distinct located at the mouth of this valley. South Scandinavian type is found (Sognnes 1989). Gjessing (1935) dated most of the southern tradition rock art at Bardal to Late Bronze This is in accordance with a model pre- Age. Recent studies, however, indicate that sented by Earle et al. (2015), according to the making of these carvings may have which ‘bottlenecks’ of commodity chains started already in the beginning of Bronze played significant roles in the trading net- Age (Kaul 1998). At this time northern works that must have existed in Europe tradition carvings were still being made at during Bronze Age; the coast of Norway Trondheimsfjord, exemplified by the Even- being part of an Atlantic network, rock art hus site in (Gjessing 1936; Stebergløk- sites dominated by ship images being as- ken 2016), as demonstrated by the Holo- sociated with resting places for travelling cene land uplift (Kjemperud 1981; Sognnes traders and warriors. This was not, however, 2003). Motifs represented at Evenhus are the case for Bardal that is located at the elks, whales and ships different from the inner end of Trondheimsfjord around 120 ones found at Bardal, but also at least one km from the outer coast. Bardal must have Bronze Age boat. The existence of ancient represented a destination of its own at one rock art in this region may have led to sea- end of the European Bronze Age world, farers from the south finding it necessary to being a place where the fur trade, as sug- mark their presence in this for them remote

34 Adoranten 2017 landscape by carving their own symbols Bibliography onto the rocks. Bakka, E. 1975. Geologically dated Arctic rock carvings at Hammer near Steinkjer in Based on the possible contemporaneity Nord-Trøndelag. Arkeologiske skrifter fra between rock carvings belonging to these Universitetet i Bergen no. 2, p. 7-48. two different rock art traditions we may Bakka, E. 1988. Helleristningane på Ham- consider the Trondheimsfjord area as a bor- mer i , Steinkjer, Nord-Trøndelag. der zone where people who took part in Rapport arkeologisk serie 1988, no. 7. a new expanding culture coming from the , Vitenskapsmuseet. south met local people living in traditional Baltzer, L. 1891-1908. Hällristningar från ways. From this perspective it is interesting Bohuslän no. II. Gothenburg. to note that the rock art is located at the Bradley, R. 1997. Rock Art and the Prehis- north side of Beitstadfjord basin while the tory of Atlantic Europe. London, Routledge. main Bronze Age burial site was located Brøgger, A.W. 1937. Opdagelsenes nye at the south side of this basin. We may ask århundre. Norsk geografisk tidsskrift vol. 6, whether Beitstadfjord represented a cul- p. 171-203. tural or ethnic border zone at the transition Broholm, H.C. 1965. Lurfundene fra from Stone Age to Bronze Age with the Bronzealderen. Copenhagen, Nyt nordisk large Bardal site as a place where different forlag Arnold Busch. groups met during ceremonies where the Christensen, A.E. 1989. Begynnelsen fram use of lures for some time played a signifi- til middelalderens slutt. In B. Berggren, A. cant role. E. Christensen and B. Kolltveit (eds.): Norsk For this model, there is, however, one sjøfart vol. 1, p. 40-109. Oslo, Dreyer. obstacle to be solved. While the ship im- Christie, J. F. K. 1837. Om Helle-Ristnin- ages in question according to the currently ger og andre Indhugninger i Klipper, især i accepted chronology were made at the Bergens Stift. Urda vol. 1, p. 91-96. beginning of the Bronze Age (Kaul 1998; Coles, J. 2003. And on they went … pro- Lind 2008; 2013), the lures are dated to the cessions in Scandinavian rock art carvings. middle and later parts of this era. Thus, Acta Archaeologica vol. 74, p. 211-250. the many lures on the Bardal ships may be Coles, J. 2005. Shadows of a Northern later additions on existing carvings. Was this Past. Rock Carvings of Bohuslän and Øst- done because it became necessary to create fold. Oxford, Oxbow Books. a new mythical past? Or, is there something Darwill, T. 2008. The Concise Oxford wrong with currently accepted rock art Dictionary of Archaeology (second edition). chronology? Oxford, Oxford University Press. Earle, T., J. Ling, C. Uhnér, Z. Stos-Gale and L. Melheim 2015. The political economy Acknowledgements and metal trade in Bronze Age Europe: Un- I thank Helle Vangen Stuedal, Stjørdal Mu- derstanding regional variability in terms of seum for inviting me to talk about the lure comparative advantages and articulations. images on rocks in Trøndelag. Without this I European Journal of Archaeology vol. 18, p. would not have started the thinking that is 633-657. presented here. Fett E. and P. Fett 1941. Sydvestnorske helleristninger: Rogaland og Lista. Stavan- Kalle Sognnes, professor emeritus ger, Stavanger museum. Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Univer- Gjessing, G. 1935. Die Chronologie der sitet, Trondheim Schiffdarstellungen auf den Felsenzeichnun- [email protected] gen zu Bardal, Trøndelag. Acta Archaeo- logica, vol. 6, p. 125-139. Gjessing, G. 1936. Nordenfjelske ristnin- ger og malinger av den arktiske gruppe.

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