Finnish Rock Art

Rock paintings created during the Stone Age have been found at 127 sites around Finland. They mainly consist of brownish-red figures and markings painted onto steep granite walls, often overlooking waterways. There are scenes feature people, boats, elk, fish and mysterious part human figures. Their survival in an adverse climatic conditions is due to their protection by a naturally forming thin layer of silicon dioxide on the rock surface.

The Comb Ceramic Culture who lived in what is now Finland between 5000 BC and 2000 BC is credited with their production. And the paints used included a mix of iron oxide, blood, animal fat or egg, although traces of these organic materials are no longer detectable.

The first paintings to be recognised as Stone Age were reported in 1911 by a Jean Sibelius, whose eye was caught by strange patterns on a lakeside cliff near Hvitträsk, the home of his architect friend Eliel Saarinen.

More paintings were discovered in the 1960s a few miles west of Hvitträsk at Juusjärvi. At first they were thought to be recent graffiti daubed by power line workers, but they were soon realised to be several thousand years old.

Most of the paintings lie in the Saimaa Lake District. By far the best-known site, at Astuvansalmi, has been proposed for UNESCO’s world heritage list.

Another site is the Hossa Hiking Area. This has freakish figures with triangular heads. [Weaver, Fran (2008) Rock Art From 5,000 Years Ago, Helsinki Times, 31 March]

See also

*Petroglyph
*Rock art

Footnotes