The rock carving area of Aspeberget
The carvings at Aspeberget, 700 metres to the south of Vitlycke Museum, include images of bulls, warriors and ships. There is also a walking trail on the hill with a number of additional carving sites.
Several panels
Aspeberget does not have just one panel; from the car park there is a path that takes you past a number of carvings, both painted and unpainted. At the top of the hill there is an excellent view of the Tanum plain and the World Heritage area.
Damaged bulls
The first carvings reached after leaving the car park are dominated by deeply cut images of bulls, boats and people. This panel has been much damaged by weathering and is during the winter to save it for generations to come. It is thanks to the depth of the images that the carving can still be seen today. Along the path there are more damaged carvings that are permanently covered. Read more about why the granite weathers and what can be done to preserve the rock carvings here.
Weapons and cupmarks
If you continuing to the left you will find a smaller carved surface lying in the middle of the hillside; a bridge has been built to give access to the images. Here can be seen warriors whose weapons have been upgraded; at some point during the Bronze Age they have been given spears that go straight through their arms. To the left of the warriors a person is holding a group of cupmarks in his enormous hand. There are four rows of cupmarks, plus an extra one that has been squeezed in between the rows. Does every mark represent one day and is the total of 29 a month, is this a calendar?
Along the path
Follow the steps up the rock. Most of the carvings there are unpainted; if you visit them on a rainy day they are easier to see. But there is also a large panel that is painted on which the best known carving is a row of eleven people who seem to be marching to the right. Can this be a wedding procession or some other ritual, perhaps? Beside the human images there are numerous boats, together with cupmarks and a number of animals, bulls in particular.
Directions
The parking lot is located on road 914, 700 meters south of the Vitlycke Museum. An accessible parking area is available, from where you can reach the first panel by wheelchair.
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3D-model of Aspeberget rock carvings
If you're using a computer, it's best to use a mouse. You can move around by clicking the right mouse button, turn things by clicking the left mouse button, and zoom in and out using the scroll wheel.
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