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Meetings Between Strangers in the Nordic Bronze Age: The Evidence of Southern Swedish Rock Art

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2020

Richard Bradley ,
Courtney Nimura  and
Peter Skoglund
Richard Bradley
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Whiteknights Box 227, Reading RG6 6AB, UK. Email: r.j.bradley@reading.ac.uk
Courtney Nimura
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 34–36 Beaumont St, Oxford OX1 2PG, UK. Email: courtney.nimura@arch.ox.ac.uk
Peter Skoglund
Affiliation:
Department of Cultural Sciences: Archaeology, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden. Email: peter.m.skoglund@lnu.se
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Abstract

Recent research has established that south Scandinavia during the Nordic Bronze Age was entirely dependent on imported metal. It was obviously in contact with other parts of Europe and must have participated in a system of long-distance exchange. It is not clear how it would have operated, but it helps to explain the importance of watercraft and drawings of distinctive artefacts in the rock art on the Baltic and Atlantic coasts. A different group of images can be associated with inland areas where the art has a more restricted lexicon. Can the borderland between these traditions shed any light on the relationship between the seashore and the interior, and might this help to identify places where artefacts changed hands? This paper presents the results of fieldwork between Lakes Vänern and Vättern in Västra Götaland county, southern Sweden. It considers the character of inland rock art and whether some locations with more complex panels were used as ‘aggregation sites’.

Résumé

RÉSUMÉ

Rencontres entre étrangers à ‘l’âge du bronze nordique: Témoignages d’art pariétal du sud de la Suède, de Richard Bradley, Courtney Nimura et Peter Skoglund

De récentes recherches ont établi que le sud de la Scandinavie, pendant l’âge du bronze nordique, dépendait totalement de métal importé. Ill était évidemment en contact avec d’autres parties de l’Europe et doit avoir fait partie d’un système d’échanges sur de longues distances: Il n’est pas clair comment cela d fonctionnait mais il est utile d’expliquer l’importance des des gravures d’embarcations et les dessins d’artifacts distinctifs dans l’art pariétal des côtes de la Baltique et de l’Atlantique. Un groupe de signes différents peut-être associé à des endroits à terre où cet art a un lexique plus restreint. Est-il possible que la bande frontière entre ces traditions fasse la lumière sur la relation entre la côte et l’intérieur? Et est-ce que cela pourrait nous aider à identifier les lieux où des artifacts sont passés d’une main à une autre? Cet article présente les résultats d’arpentage entre les lacs de Vänern a et Vättern dans le comté de Västra Götaland, Suède du sud. Il considère le caractère de l’art pariétal à l’intérieur des terres et si certains des lieux avec des panneaux plus complexes étaient utilisés comme sites d’aggrégation.

Zusammenfassung

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG

Treffen unter Fremden in der Nordischen Bronzezeit: Hinweise aus der südschwedischen Felsbildkunst, von Richard Bradley, Courtney Nimura und Peter Skoglund

Neuere Forschungen haben ergeben, dass Südskandinavien während der Nordischen Bronzezeit vollständig von importiertem Metall abhängig war. Es stand offensichtlich in Kontakt mit anderen Teilen Europas und muss an einem System des Fernaustauschs teilgenommen haben. Es ist nicht klar, wie dieses System funktioniert haben mag, aber es hilft, die Bedeutung von Wasserfahrzeugen und Zeichnungen von charakteristischen Artefakten in der Felskunst an der Ostsee- und Atlantikküste zu erklären. Eine weitere Gruppe von Bildern kann mit Binnengebieten assoziiert werden, in denen die Kunst einen eingeschränkteren Wortschatz hat. Kann das Grenzgebiet zwischen diesen Traditionen Aufschluss über die Beziehung zwischen Küstengebiet und Binnenland geben, und könnte dies dazu beitragen, Orte zu identifizieren, an denen Artefakte den Besitzer gewechselt haben? In diesem Artikel werden die Ergebnisse von Feldforschungen zwischen den Seen Vänern und Vättern in der südschwedischen Provinz Västergötland vorgestellt. Der Charakter der Felskunst des Binnenlandes wird erörtert und ebenso, ob einige Stellen mit komplexeren Paneelen als “Aggregationsorte” dienten.

Resumen

RESUMEN

Encuentros con extraños durante la Edad del Bronce en el Nórdico: evidencia de arte rupestre en el sur de Suecia, por Richard Bradley, Courtney Nimura y Peter Skoglund

Las investigaciones recientes han demostrado que el sur de Escandinavia fue totalmente dependiente del metal importado durante la Edad del Bronce nórdica. Estuvo obviamente en contacto con otras partes de Europa y debió de participar en un sistema de intercambio a larga distancia. Aunque no está claro cómo debieron operar, esto ayuda a explicar la importancia de las embarcaciones y las presentaciones de artefactos peculiares en el arte rupestre de las costas del Báltico y Atlántico. Un grupo diferente de imágenes se puede asociar con las áreas de interior donde el arte tiene un léxico más restringido. ¿Puede la zona fronteriza de estas tradiciones arrojar luz sobre la relación entre las regiones costeras y el interior y podría esto contribuir a identificar los espacios en los que estos artefactos se intercambiaron? Este artículo presenta los resultados de campo entre los lagos de Vänern y Vättern en el condado de Västra Götaland, sur de Suecia. En él se considera el carácter de la actividad gráfica en la zona interior y si algunos lugares con paneles más complejos pueden ser considerados ‘lugares de agregación’.

Keywords

Nordic Bronze Agemetalworkwatercraftweaponsrock artaggregation sitesexchange systemscup marksfootprints
Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 86 , December 2020 , pp. 261 - 283
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Prehistoric Society

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