I was in Nyköping yesterday and took the opportunity to visit the nearby Släbro rock carvings, not far from the freeway. I’ve used one of the images from Släbro in my game Petroglyph and I want to see if I can find it.
While rock carvings elsewhere in Sweden features boats and objects that can be used to date the carvings to late Stone Age and Bronze Age, the rock carvings at Släbro are like no other. Cup marks, yes, but in patterns and shapes that are something between a geometrical calendar systems and mythological creatures. Cup marks is the most common type of rock carving found in Sweden but only at Släbro are they arranged in patterns that form a higher whole.
I don’t find the one I’m looking for, but I find the place where it should be according to the nearby information board.
It’s late afternoon on a sunny autumn day. The rock surfaces protrude on top of grassy hills, partly in shadow. The carvings are hard to see. Look closely though and you will see shapes pop where the sunlight comes in at a low angle. But not the one I’m looking for.
Only in one place have the Släbro rock carvings been painted in. They were coloured in when originally discovered in 1985, but the paint has not been refreshed except in one place. A sign explains why. For one thing, the paint may damage the rock carvings. When the paint wears off, it can take away particles from the bedrock. More interestingly, the text argues that rock carvings are 3d objects. By painting it, you make a modern day 2d interpretation of something we don’t really know much about. We have no evidence that the rock carvings were painted by the original artist.
On one of the information boards there is a 3d reproduction of a rock carving. Here you can explore the rock carving with your fingers. Maybe that is how they were supposed to be enjoyed? Maybe the original artist was blind?
Regardless of their purpose, who created them and why, the Släbro rock carvings are playful and evocative forms and shapes to take in even today. Next time you need to stretch your legs while driving past Nyköping, make a stop and see for yourself.
More about the Släbro rock carvings (in Swedish).
Släbro, such a cool site, so difficult to understand since it’s unique so far! The best explanation I’ve read is that it pre-dates the Bronze Age by a bit.