As in many other areas in south Scandinavia, the region surrounding the city of Simrishamn in south-east Scania has a great many Bronze Age mounds that are still visible in the landscape, and records from the museums demonstrate that the area is rich in bronze metalwork. Nevertheless, it is the figurative rock art that makes this region stand out as distinct from surrounding areas that lack such images. The rock art constitutes a spatially well-defined tradition that covers the Bronze Age and the earliest Iron Age, c. 1700–200 BC and, although the number of sites is comparatively small, a characteristic and unusual feature is the large representation of various kinds of metal axes. Significantly these images are tightly distributed inside the core zone of metal consumption in southernmost Scandinavia. This beautifully illustrated new addition to the Swedish rock Art series presents a detailed reassessment of the Simrishamn rock art and examines the close relationship between iconography displayed on metals and that found in rock art. In so doing it raises some important questions of principle concerning the current understanding of the south Scandinavian rock art tradition.
Introduction
Rock art in south-east Scania
Earlier research on rock art in south-east Scania
Methods used in the present project
Rock art chronology
Time and periodization
Reading landscapes through excavations
Interpreting rock art
The ordering of images
Images and narratives
Outline of this study
The chronological framework
The data – an overview
Phase 1, 1700–1400 BC
Phase 2, 1400–1100 BC
Phase 3, 1100–800 BC
Phase 4, 800–200 BC
Chronology on site level
Summary and perspectives
Rock art and long-distance trade, 1700–1400 BC"
