Jens Hilbig Ship propulsion with water waves instead of sails in the Neolithic and Bronze Age A technological interpretation of ship representations in the Scandinavian Rock art Abstract Motivating for this work is the discrepancy ogy way. The latter can be surely assumed between the very late use of sails in Scan- for the coasts of Scandinavia due to ar- dinavia compared to the rest of Europe chaeological finds. This model was already and the archaeologically indirectly deter- ethnological validated by Thomas Gladwin mined deep sea transports and hunts of a for the multihull ship stone age technol- maritime-oriented, Neolithic and bronze ogy from Oceania and its navigation. age culture, of which more than 70000 In order to confirm also a technology- petroglyphs with ship representations carrying, inventive climate in this Scandi- have been handed down. In addition, navian culture, the comparison with an there are very few representations with egalitarian technophile, old European paddlers or rowers, mostly in unphysio- predecessor culture from the Danube re- logical positions and postures, despite the gion finds many parallels: Among others enormous number of petroglyphs, which in animistic cultural habits of a water and are called „rock art”- because of their ar- ship cult with a wandering Mother Nature tistic presentation. Goddess who ruled all water sources and Since sailing technology is required was represented by animal pairs especially for such extended voyages according to elk, which is also the mostly depicted ani- today’s experience with replicas of pre- mal in the rock art. Confirming such an historic ships, the thesis is established approach, Scandinavian rock art is typically that in the culture behind the rock art an located in places that are, or had been in advanced propulsion technology that is former times, overflowed by water. The now forgotten was used instead of the difficult accessibility and visibility for hu- sail - technical decipherable today by man beings of some pictures gives rise to means of prehistoric iconographic mate- an interpretation of rock art as a medium rial. This may have been expected accord- for water information. Astonishingly this ing to Louis Liebenberg’s evolutionary approach is today in principle technologi- model for the development of technology cally correct, because information storage in his book „Origin of Science“. It makes in water has already been confirmed in advanced technology development for research on space travel by the University hunter cultures in demanding environ- of Stuttgart. Perhaps in this prehistoric ments probable, constitutes the modern culture a direct dialogue with mother humans even, especially if such hunting nature should take place through water yields can only be achieved in this technol- flowing over the pictures. In this sense 2020 1 rock art may also have been understood can now be found in the rock art pictures in prehistoric times as a notably religiously and on Danish bronze artifacts looked connotated, water-orientated information over. The design and interconnections of technology, or, rather, the ‚water prayer bellow pumps reveals systems for pres- mill of the north’. sure increase and pneumatic storage as With the reading direction follow- well as hydraulic components to increase ing the flow of the water, many detailed propulsion performance. The many pic- representations in the extensive rock tures of „feet”, „wheels“ and „carriages“ art images can then be interpreted as together with the „circles“ in the rock short construction manuals for a special art get so a technical explanation which ship structure using water wave energy. also includes the „armament“ and the The distinctive vertical strokes on most non-physiological misshaped annexes and ship decks representations in the rock the long and strong legs of these anthro- art images, are usually referred to as the pomorphic forms in the rock art. In addi- number of paddlers symbolizing “crew tion, the displayed use of a special mobile strokes“, because they are today not hydraulic ram in the rock art by means of technically understood. By means of the „bulls“, technically recognizable in many used technical approach instead they can pictures by means of special return lines or be mechanically determined as tiltable anthropomorphic metaphors with horns, mounts attached to an inner skeleton helps to use stored pneumatic energy eas- structure of a skin-covered vessel. The ily and self-controlled for automotive ship energy to move the rock art ships is ex- propulsion. tracted from the water waves by means of Probably due to this special automo- these mounts which carry long pump like tive characteristic of these self-propelled skin bellows. In addition, the derived inner vessels, their pictures can now be seen skeleton structure for the rock art ships, so predominantly with their parts and explains also technically plausible the de- metaphors on the rocks, the last pointing sign of very long ships which can also be to different used ship techniques -today seen sometimes in the rock art. novel. The mechanical benefit of a skin vessel These techniques reveals the technolog- is supported by observations on a well- ical and iconographic knowledge of this known skin-ship replica, the “Brendan prehistoric people and technophile seafar- Voyage”, which crossed the North Atlantic ers and in addition their performing of the in 1976. The fact that water wave energy rock art with usage of different symbolic usage for ships is principally possible was abstraction levels. also demonstrated with an experimental Together with the overflowing, infor- catamaran, the „Mermaid II“, crossing the mation storing water the rock art images Pacific in 2008. can in this way culturally understood as a Anthropomorphic representations, prehistoric technology system, informing which appear especially in the more re- the seas and the Goddess of all water - cent rock drawings, are explained now perhaps for the wellbeing of these special by means of the evolutionary technol- „quasi living“ ships, thus confirming the ogy development model by Liebenberg assumed animistic but also technically ori- as metaphors. This are iconic pointers to entated worldview behind the rock art. advanced new technology, in the rock Ship propulsion with water waves was art turned up after the long use of the the basis for a central prehistoric long dis- basic “crew strokes” technology - usually tance mobility system. such pictures are interpreted today just as The shown technological approach to simple misshaped warrior images. Guided the interpretation of rock art culture, with by means of these metaphors, pneumatic the technical analysis of the various de- and hydraulic components and indica- picted ships and their iconic environment, tions of detailed technology in the ships confirms that the maritime rock art culture 2 2020 had an alternative, sail-superior, even cul- Schiffsantriebe mit Wasserwellen statt ture supporting propulsion technology, for Segel in Neolithikum und Bronzezeit a very long time - widely used and inno- Eine technologische Deutung der vatively developed - thus confirming the Schiffe in der skandinavischen Rock Art. evolutionary model for technology emer- Hausarbeit im Studiengang Kultur der gence with anthropomorphic metaphors technisch wissenschaftlichen Welt (KTW) for special advanced techniques adopted WS 2019/2020 am Institut für neuere Ge- in this paper. schichte Abteilung Wissenschafts- und What is more, new technological po- Technikgeschichte Technische Universität tential for today carbon free sea transport Braunschweig could be found in the prehistoric rock art. von Dr.-Ing. Jens Hilbig, [email protected] Dr.-Ing. Jens Hilbig, [email protected] The paper is in German – available by con- tacting the author. The technical approach for (automotive) ship propulsion exhibit in rock art by means of the potential part (left) and the kinetic part (right) of water wave energy. Panel Simris 23, Simrishamn, Sweden. Photo and rubbing: Tanum Rock Art Museum. 2020 3.