Nämforsen Rock Carvings
Sweden · Europe
Twenty-six hundred carvings crowd the islands of a roaring salmon rapid
Age
~4,000–7,000 yrs
Period
Neolithic–Bronze Age
Setting
Open-air
Art form
Petroglyphs
Discovered
1907
Status
Open to Visitors
Where the Ångerman river narrows into the Nämforsen rapids, Stone Age hunters pecked around 2,600 figures into the smoothed rocks of its islands and shores — elk above all, with boats, fish and human figures, accumulating from about 5000 to 1800 BC. The falls were a great salmon-fishing gathering place, and the carvings read like the guest book of northern Sweden’s hunter world.
Notable Features
- ◦ Elk panels of the rapids islands
- ◦ Boat and fish carvings
- ◦ Riverside walkways at Näsåker
Depicted Subjects
ElkBoatsFishHuman Figures
Plan a Visit
AccessThis cave can be visited.
Sources & Further Reading
Hours & prices change — always confirm on the official site before travelling.
Photographs via Wikimedia Commons — image credits. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.