Helleristninger

300 petroglyph sites in Scandinavia and the 3 artists who engraved them

Allan Krill, Professor of Geology
Trondheim, Norway

'Deep Dive' podcast   (30 minute audio, December 25, 2024)

In June 2021, while looking at the Alta petroglyphs (helleristninger) with my geology students, I realized that those engravings could not have been pecked with Stone Age tools. Stone points are brittle and shatter when struck. We can see that the pecking tool was as sharp as a nail and could be accurately positioned and hammered. The point kept its shape without breaking, strike after strike. An iron nail would be the ideal tool. I hypothesized that the Alta petroglyphs were made with boat nails in the Iron Age, not with pointed stones in the Stone Age.

Nailpoint marks are clearly visible at Alta. 

Left: Longship with animal-head prow and a crew of 15 or 30 men.
     Center: Cervid (reindeer, moose, or elk.)
          Right: 'Bronze Age'-style boat, and 10,000 year old glacial striations.

Some of the rock art images are Viking-style longships with animal-head prows and large crews. Such boats are for long-distance travel, not for fishing. It would probably take about two weeks for a crew to paddle to Alta from southwestern Norway. There would always be a hammer and spare nails on a longship for necessary repairs. A petroglyph artist who was a strong paddler would be welcome to join such trips. People with longships would not spend winters in arctic Alta, where the sun sets on November 24th and doesn't rise again until January 16th. They would probably visit Alta in the midnight-sun season, like I do. Some images among Alta petroglyphs suggest that Sámi people kept domesticated reindeer in corrals, and the visitors were obtaining reindeer skins from them.

I have studied photographs and tracings of petroglyph images and tried to recognize individual artists by their quirks. I now think that only three artists —whom I call Steinn Stikkmann, Ingi Innrisser, and Oddr Omrisser— made nearly all the petroglyphs in Norway and Sweden. There are no pecked petroglyphs in Finland, and none in large parts of Sweden, or in Aust-Agder Norway. In my paradigm, that is because none of the three petroglyph artists visited those places. There are a few sites in Russia, engraved by one or more other artists.

I think that Steinn Stikkmann invented the nailpoint technique, and Innrisser and Omrisser got the idea from him. There are runes at eight of Stikkmann's sites —at Stuberg, Ytterøya, Tessem, Kårstad, Myklestad Tysnes, Askum, Herrestad, and Himmelstalund. Except for Stuberg and Kårstad, the runes are undeciphered, and some may have been meaningless. But they show characters of the Elder Futhark alphabet, which was in use about 400 CE. Iron Age swastikas are engraved at some of his sites —at Stuberg, Bjørngård, Inderøya, Kårstad, Øygarden, Askum, Svarteborg, and Tossene. The runes give us the age of Stikkmann's petroglyphs. All three artists sometimes showed longships with animal-head prows, which were probably precursors of Viking dragon-head prows. The petroglyphs were surely made before 800 CE, since none of the boats show sails. I hypothesize that Stikkmann lived about year 400 and Innrisser and Omrisser sometime between 400 and 600 CE.

It is possible to consider the skills, motifs, and styles of the artists, and speculate about their artistic careers and travels. I explain my current interpretations here. In the blog posts at the bottom of this page, I link to the sources and explain my reasoning over the past three years. I write my interpretations as if they are certain, but they are all hypotheses that are subject to change.


Steinn Stikkmann discovered how to use a nail as a 'stabbing tool' (stikkvåpen) to engrave relatively soft rocks in Gauldalen, central Norway. He also tried engraving with a knife point. Archaeologists have noted that the petroglyphs in Gauldalen are relatively crude. Stikkmann practiced engraving by making round 'cup marks' and sets of matching shoe prints that never show a pattern of walking. His favorite motif was boats. He drew some symmetrical longships with two extensions fore and two extensions aft, like the Iron Age boat that was buried at Hjortspring, Denmark in about 350 BCE. But most of Stikkmann's longships were more seaworthy, with high bows and sterns. He drew a few thousand of them. The boats are asymmetrical, with long keel-extensions fore and short keel-extensions aft. They are said to be Bronze Age boats (before 500 BCE), but I think they are from about 400 CE. Curiously, Stikkmann showed the complete hull of every boat, never indicating water or the water line.


       Stikkmann's art is highly stylized and easy to recognize. He drew extremely skinny horses, men with exaggerated calf muscles, long necks, and often with penises —sometimes an erect penis and scrotum, but usually disguised as a possible knife, sword, stick, or extraneous line. He used a ponytail hair style to indicate women. He exaggerated some things, such as extra-long longships with over a hundred crew members, and captains shown as giants standing in ships. Some of the captains have Viking-style helmets with horns. At a few places he showed an acrobat doing a backward somersault.


       Stikkmann's petroglyph sites show where he traveled. I think he started at Foss in Gauldalen (area 'A' on the map below) where he practiced engraving by making mostly cup marks on over 50 different panels. Foss was a wealthy settlement in 400 CE. Because of the rapids ('foss') on the Gaula River, the chief of a travel station there could serve people traveling along this major river valley between central Norway and southern Norway. Archaeologists have found a chief's burial site at Foss containing artifacts of gold, and dated it to about 400 CE. A bog-iron smelting facility has also been found. Stikkmann may have been a chief's son, and learned runes from an educated traveler. Very few people knew runes in 400 CE.


       From Foss, Stikkmann went via Gauldalen (area B) to Selbustrand (C) where he found boulders of granite that had been transported from Sweden during the Ice Ages. I think he was impressed with the qualities of granite, which is practically nonexistent in the bedrock of central Norway. He then went to Trondheims fjord, where he must have stayed for a few years. He made petroglyphs at dozens of sites between Stjørdal (D) and Steinkjer (E). During that time, he hopped on a boat and took a trip to Tjøtta (F), which was an important settlement in the Iron Age.
       Below is a typical Stikkmann panel at Tessem in the Steinkjer area (E). Note the shoe prints, two cup marks, skinny horses, and two phallic men with outstretched arms and exaggerated hands. There are two of his typical boats —one with 10 crewmen (or perhaps 20) and the other with 15 (or 30). Another panel nearby shows a boat and Elder Futhark runes.



       Stikkmann undertook a great journey, maybe looking for bedrock panels (not just boulders) of granite. He may have begun at Foss (area A) in the spring. He walked to Rennebu (G) and Oppdal. He left only a few petroglyphs on this part of his trip, maybe because there was still snow on the ground. He avoided the high snowy mountains of Dovrefjell by walking west to Gravem (H) and out to the fjords. Then he traveled by longship around the coast (I,J,K) all the way to the southern tip of Norway (L). He did not continue further east along the coast, which helps explain why no petroglyph has ever been found in Aust-Agder. Instead, he made a U-turn and went back to Stavanger (K) and then traveled inland to Røldal and Sporanes (M) to Skien (N). From there he went wide around Oslofjord (N-O-P) and then came to the Østfold-Bohuslän area (P).
       Stikkmann spent most of his life in the Østfold-Bohuslän area (P,Z), working with the Bohus Granite. He made petroglyphs on thousands of rock panels there. The Bohus Granite was ideal for his petroglyphs. The granite panels are hard and smooth, with no layering and relatively few fractures. (Gustav Vigeland used Bohus granite to carve the monolith and statues in Frognerparken.)
       Stikkmann went beyond the Bohus Granite, to try rocks in other areas (Q-X). He visited eastern Sweden (R, S, T, U) and the southern tip of Sweden (V), and the islands Bornholm (W) and Gotland (X). He must have been famous, because he was invited to engrave rock slabs for the monumental 'King's Grave' of Kivik (V).
       Stikkmann liked the motif of horses pulling a chariot, and showed this at Staveneset (I), Begby (P-Z), Björneröd (P-Z), Brastad (P-Z), Frännarp (Q), and Kivik (V). He also liked to show processions (see the photos below.) He engraved his first procession at Leirfall (D) and maybe his last at Kivik (V) or Tanum (P,Z).


       I suppose that Stikkmann owned no house or property, and that people gave him room and board wherever he went. Being well traveled and educated he was probably a popular house guest. He repeated his favorite motifs at site after site. He especially enjoyed making ships, cup marks, shoe soles, phallic men, and skinny horses. He made so many similar ships that we might say "Same ship, different day." If there had been many artists in these areas, I think there would be other motifs, such as fishing boats, hunting scenes, activities involving women and children, domestic items such as tents or houses, tables, chairs, people eating and drinking, etc.


Ingi Innrisser had a childlike or primitive artistic style. He drew mostly cervids —deer, reindeer, moose, or elk. They often have small pointed heads and square rumps. A few at Vingen may be reindeer or horses, since they seem to have riders. He liked to decorate the bodies of animals and humans with ribs or various patterns, including geometric designs.
        In my opinion, Innrisser's best work, and perhaps his last, was the large panel at Kåfjord, Alta. A small part of that panel is shown below. It shows a corral of domesticated reindeer, where a bear has wandered in from its winter den.


       From analysis of Innrisser's motifs and styles, I am trying to follow his career. I think that his first work was at Vingen, where there are about two thousand engravings. I think he made them all. They include his new-beginner attempts on loose rocks that he could hold on his lap while engraving. The page below, from Johannes Bøe (1932), shows some of these loose practice rocks. The scale bars for the rocks are 10-30 cm. Note the curious hook figures.


       Innrisser engraved hundreds of hook figures at Vingen. They comprise about 20% of his images there. He may have engraved the hook figures simply to practice engraving. He also made a few hook figures at Nämforsen. He made many at Alta, such as in the figure below. There we can see that they are animal-head sticks, as are the ones at Nämforsen. Knowing that, we can also see that many of the hooks at Vingen have an 'ear'. The sticks at Alta are typically being held up by men in poses of power. Maybe Innrisser was inspired by an animal-head walking stick that his father or grandfather had owned.


       Vingen is an isolated place, and I think there has never been a settlement there. I suspect that Innrisser actually lived in the populated Skatestraumen area, about ten kilometers by row boat from Vingen. (Tidal currents make the boat trip easy at certain times each day.) He probably learned about Stikkmann's nailpoint engravings from seeing them other places nearby.
       After engraving petroglyphs at Vingen, Innrisser probably took his first long trip to Tennes and Alta. I think he showed Oddr Omrisser how to engrave rocks on that trip. Both his engravings and Omrisser's at Tennes are quite crude. His next major work was probably at Ausevik. His human figures at Vingen, Alta (Storsteinen/Amtmannsnes), and Ausevik are all wildly abstract. So were many of his cervids. He was experimenting with creative ways of drawing. The compilation below by Lødøen (2012) shows 27 of the 61 humans that Innrisser engraved at Vingen. No two figures look alike.



        The tracing below shows one abstract human and about 10 cervids at Ausevik, all drawn by Innrisser in his experimental phase.

       At most of Innrisser's sites (but not Vingen or Ausevik) he was together with Oddr Omrisser. Omrisser encouraged Innrisser to make his cervids more anatomically correct —with shoulder humps, muscular legs, and larger heads. At Holtås I in Trøndelag (see the tracing below left), I think Innrisser mocked Omrisser by adding silly looking shoulder humps to the straight backs of his cervids. Innrisser and Omrisser took a long trip to eastern Norway (Oslo and Drammen), following one river valley south, and another back north. Innrisser added shoulder humps at those sites as well, such as at Skogerveien (see the tracing below right).


       Recognition of Innrisser's motifs helps interpret some petroglyph oddities. Innrisser drew snowshoes or snowshoe tracks many places at Alta. So in the tracing above right (Mikkelsen 1977), the strange objects at Skogerveien (Drammen) are probably snowshoe tracks. Snowshoes in Alta do not imply that engravings were made in winter. Snowshoe season lasts in the spring until about the beginning of midnight-sun season (May 18). In the tracing below, a man standing in the animal-head boat is probably holding up a pair of snowshoes. The objects below that man may be an animal-head stick, and a bundle of reindeer hides to be taken by longship to southern Norway. I have colored two animals in blue, because they were added by Omrisser, and not really part of Innrisser's panel.



Oddr Omrisser usually made outlines of his objects —of animals, of boats, of people, and even of the antlers of reindeer and the penises of men. He made images large and even life size when possible. He was a naturalist, and many of his animals are amazingly well drawn. The species of his cervids, birds, fish, and whales can often be identified. He had his quirks. He liked to draw a line for the mouth, but no eye. He often ignored the feet, leaving the legs unfinished or ending as points. He usually drew animals in profile, but often gave them two ears that form a V. He showed only one foreleg and one hind leg on four-legged animals. (Innrisser usually drew all four legs.) He sometimes indicated internal organs of animals.
       Omrisser's engravings are typically overlapping and incomplete. He had the curious habit of defacing rock panels by carving large and inappropriate images right on top of others. He cluttered most of his own panels in that way, and Stikkmann's panels at Bardal I and Stavanger, and Innrisser's panels at Alta, Bogge I, and Holtås I.




       At Bogge I, Innrisser carved many cervids, and then Omrisser put a moose on top of some. He engraved a deer's head there as well. Below is part of the tracing by Gjessing (1936) of the defaced panel, where I have colored Omrisser's two images blue. I think Innrisser told Omrisser to get away and find another place to work. So Omrisser went down the hill and made two panels of his own (Bogge II, Bogge III). The same thing happened at Holtås, and maybe at Skavberget.


       Below on the left is a tracing by Fett & Fett (1941) of a panel of typical boats and shoe prints by Stikkmann at Stavanger (Åmøya). Omrisser put several outline images (which I have changed to blue) on top of Stikkmann's images. On the right is a tracing by Tansem (2022) of a panel by Innrisser at Kåfjord (Alta), where Omrisser put his outline images on top of Innrisser's images. Note that Omrisser drew the same fish at Stavanger and Kåfjord, and the same incomplete deer's head at Bogge I and Kåfjord. He made that same distinctive deer's head (often without the body of the deer) many places in Norway and Sweden.


       Some of Omrisser's added images almost fit in. At Bergbukten (Alta), Omrisser added his own reindeer to Innrisser's panel of reindeer and a corral. All the images are painted red by Alta Museum, but I have changed Omrisser's images to blue in my photo (June 2022).



Omrisser usually made humans as small stick figures. But some of his humans are large and outlined, like his animals. Below is a collection of Omrisser's outlined humans. In the three sex scenes, at Lånke, Bardal, and Alta, the man has scrawny legs; and at Bardal and Alta the female has the size and proportions of a child. Interesting quirks.


       Early in his career, Omrisser painted rock panels at dozens of sites in northern Sweden, and a few sites in central Norway. He used red ocher pigment, probably mixed with fat that penetrates the rock surface, leaving red traces that are still visible after more than a thousand years. He must have worked during the winter or spring in Sweden, when he could stand on ice-covered lakes and paint rock panels at the lake edge. Later, he also made engravings while standing on frozen lakes. I suspect that he was born south of Strömsund Sweden, where there is a cluster of rock paintings, all within skiing distance from each other. That is not far from Nämforsen, where he and Innrisser made nailpoint petroglyphs.
       Omrisser's earliest engravings may have been the crude ones at Tennes. We see this most clearly in his porpoises, a motif that he liked to draw. Some of his porpoises are shown below. Note the porpoises tails are always pointing down. Also note that he used two short lines to indicate flippers on porpoises at Tjøtta, Salsnes, Hammer, Tennes, and Amtmannsnes (Alta Phase 3). Such quirks indicate the work of a single artist.


       Omrisser used four different petroglyph techniques during his career. He started with red ocher stain, but mostly he used the nailpoint technique. On two panels of soft rocks (at Gärde and Hell) he used a knife point. Late in his career, at the peak of his anatomical knowledge and drawing skill, he discovered that he could quickly and easily make large petroglyphs by scraping away black lichen that covers the surfaces of hard white granites. He made life-sized images of animals (and a 4.3 meter long boat) using that technique at seven coastal sites in Nordland —Leiknes, Fykanvatn, Mjønes, Nes, Sagelva, Valle, and Åmøya.
       Omrisser made Scandinavia's largest images. His outlined orca whale at Leiknes (below left) is 7.5 meters long, and his outlined boat near Stavanger on one of Stikkmann's panels (below right) is 5.5 meters long.


       Omrisser 'signed' many of his panels with rhombic designs. The ones at Fångsjön (Jämtland), Hell (Trøndelag), and Forselv (Nordland) have a unique 3D-look.




Tryggvi Tagger.  In our 'Urban Age' we are familiar with graffiti and tagging. Petroglyphs were graffiti art, and Stikkmann, Innrisser, and Omrisser were Iron Age 'Banksys'. A fourth person, whom I call Tryggvi Tagger, made cup marks on boulders in high mountain areas of southern Norway. The photo below of Tagger's cup marks was published by Johannes Bøe (1932) and reproduced as Fig. 156 in The Rock Art of Norway by Lødøen & Mandt (2010).


       Tagger's engravings were not artistic, but simply marked his presence. I think he learned the nailpoint technique and the joy of making cup marks from seeing Stikkmann's engravings in Ullensvang on the east side of Hardangerfjord. Tagger made hundreds of cup marks on about 50 boulders near Stikkmann'a sites. From there he went north and northeast, tagging cup marks on over a hundred boulders over a huge area, as far away as 150 km from Ullensvang.
       Tagger and Stikkmann made lots of cup marks, but Innrisser and Omrisser never made any.

Runestones were engraved by other artists who also used the pecking technique, with hammers and nails or chisels. There are about 10 runestones with Elder Futhark runes (24 character alphabet) in Norway and Sweden. I know of none that include images. There are over 2000 runestones with Futhark runes (16 character alphabet) from the Viking age, 800-1030 CE. Many of these runestones have images, but none resemble the images of Stikkmann, Innrisser, or Omrisser. There were probably rather few runestone artists who made runestones for many customers.

Petroglyphs cannot be dated directly, and that has been a problem, because people expect archaeologists to tell just how old an artifact is. Part of archaeologists' job is to make artifacts as valuable as possible. Everyone appreciates an artifact more if it is very old. Norwegian archaeologists adopted the 'shoreline dating method' a century ago. It gives an age, and that age maximizes the value of an artifact. But it is a geologic age, not an archaeologic age. Shoreline dating gives the time that the land area rose above the sea during post-glacial uplift. That is the oldest possible time of human activity on that land —not the most likely time.
       At many petroglyph sites, images high on a rock panel are said to be hundreds of years older than similar images a few meters lower down. At Alta, the age difference is said to be over 5000 years. The figure below from Gjerde (2024) shows four supposed phases of rock art at Alta. I have added in red the ages that are claimed for those phases. The ages apply only to the shore levels, not the images. I think that petroglyphs would not have been made on the slippery rocks at shorelines. As a geology teacher, my students and I cannot work with shoreline rocks. Ignoring the elevations of Alta engravings, I can confidently assign most of them to either Innrisser (brown) or Omrisser (blue).


       I think that the positions of engravings on a rock panel have no chronological significance, other than within a single day's work. Petroglyph artists probably tended to move upward on a hillside as they worked, as geologists often do. Look again at the tracing at Leiknes with the 7.5-meter orca whale. I suppose that Omrisser produced those lichen-scraped images in a single day, working from the lowest image to the highest. In contrast, Gjerde (2010) suggested that the lower images were newly drawn several hundred years after the upper images, about 8,000 years ago.
       Shoreline dating, and the belief that people inhabited the Norwegian coast while Ice Age glaciers were melting away 10,000 years ago, was established by Anders Nummedal. He was a school teacher with an education in geology. He knew the ages of uplifted beach terraces and he knew how to chip rocks. I contend that from 1909 to 1939 he made stone implements himself, and then said he found them on beach terraces. He went straight to the newspaper with his exciting discoveries, and skeptical archaeologists would not disappoint the public. There are no rust stains or lichens on the chipped surfaces of Nummedal's artifacts. That tells me that they were freshly made, not 'found' on the surface or beneath it. Nummedal's goal was to create a belief in Stone Age inhabitants (his Komsa and Fosna Cultures), and to create an archaeology career for himself. I am certain that he falsified finds on uplifted Stone Age beaches at over 200 sites in central Norway and at his 61 numbered sites in Finnmark. He wrote that he easily found artifacts, and that it was his fate to discover Norway's prehistoric settlements. In Finnmark, his coauthor noted that many of the artifacts were chipped from rounded beach cobbles of poor quality stone. There was no evidence of quarrying or transport of high quality stone. He found no human bones or worked tools of wood, antler, or bone (which could now be dated using the radiocarbon method.)
       Archaeologists were fooled by Nummedal's deceit for many years. Then they stopped including references to his pioneering publications in their own works, and stopped encouraging students to read his reports. Scrutiny of his claims would jeopardize their own careers and Norwegian Stone Age archaeology. I have translated his book Le Finnmarkien: Les origines de la civilisation dans l'extrême-nord de l'Europe and delved into archaeological hoaxes (see Hoaxyz.com). My goal is to alert impartial archaeology students to the existence of errors and falsifications, which are continuing. I hypothesize that there was no flint, and no permanent inhabitants in Norway in the Stone Age. (Flint could not have been transported to Norway by glacial ice or floating ice, as archaeologists claim. Flint is known to have come by longship in Viking times, and other ships in the Middle Ages. A typical Viking longship from Denmark would have hundreds of kilos of flint boulders as ballast, which would be dumped on the first Norwegian beach it visited. Such flint was found by Nummedal and can still be found today.)

The two maps below show all the areas with petroglyphs in Scandinavia. If there were ancient cultures that made the petroglyphs, as archaeologists have maintained, I think petroglyphs would not be absent in areas that would naturally have been populated. The map patterns suggest that only a few artists worked at places during their travels. I contend that Stikkmann made all the supposed 'Bronze Age' petroglyphs, except for a few made by Omrisser at Nämforsen, Stavanger, and Alta. Innrisser and Omrisser made all the supposed 'Stone Age' petroglyphs, except for those at Sporaneset, which were made by Stikkmann. They were all made in the Iron Age, between years 400 and 800 CE. Scandinavian geography must have been well known by early Vikings, even before their longships had sails.


       Some rock panels with 'Bronze Age' petroglyphs were partially below sea level during the Bronze Age. A petroglyph panel discovered in 2023 at Edsten (see the pictures below) is 12 meters above sea level. It would have been under water until the very end of the Bronze Age (500 BCE). It is said that Bronze Age artists worked in boats to engrave such low-lying panels. I cannot believe that an artist would or could climb up and down in an unstable boat to engrave the hard Bohus Granite at the shoreline. It was easy to engrave the images in 400 CE, when the panels and meadows were well above sea level, and the artist could move up and down on a ladder. In any case, if engravings were pecked with brittle stone points, broken tool fragments would have fallen to the ground, and might be found. Bronze is also too brittle to be used as a chisel.


Three artists — why did they do it?   Ingi Innrisser’s and Oddr Omrisser’s petroglyphs have been called veideristninger, or hunters’ engravings. Steinn Stikkmann’s petroglyphs have been called jordbruksristninger, or farmers’ engravings. Actually, there are almost no depictions of hunting or farming. Therefore the images have been thought to reflect mysterious cults and rituals in the distant past. Now we can consider more mundane motivations for them.
       Steinn Stikkmann loved the technical process of careful engraving, and he liked putting his mark on new places, like Tryggvi Tagger did. On most of Stikkmann's panels he made lots of round and smooth cup marks, and sometimes many matching shoe prints. In Bohuslän, where he carved a few thousand panels, over half the carvings were cup marks. On the island of Orust the rock quality was relatively poor (not Bohus Granite), so he made nothing but cup marks. There are 192 documented panels there, with 2175 cup marks, and little else: only 35 shoe prints, 4 ships, and 3 men. Stikkmann usually had no special message to deliver, but simply enjoyed moving around and engraving new panels. He drew many men, usually with penises, and he rarely drew a woman or a child. The penises do not reflect a fertility cult, as has been claimed. They simply indicate the people are male. (Innrisser sometimes did this at Alta, and the artist at Kanozero and Vyg did also.) Some of Stikkmann's men have erect penises (phalluses), which indicated they were powerful men.
       Stikkmann wanted his visit to be noticed and his art to be seen. His sites were in populated areas. In the Stjørdal area, it seems that he decorated around the farms and some of the pathways between them. In contrast, Ingi Innrisser and Oddr Omrisser worked at remote places. They were not really interested in exhibiting their art or showing where they had been. Many of Omrisser's sites are inaccessible. He had no fear of heights. I would need ropes or a safety net just to visit some of them.
       Innrisser and Omrisser were mainly interested in animals, but not hunting. They cared more about what animals eat, than about animals being eaten by people. They were both fascinated by domesticated animals. Omrisser put collars on many of his reindeer, and Innrisser documented Sámi reindeer husbandry at Alta. Omrisser noticed external and internal animal anatomy. He made only a few animals at many sites, carefully drawing each one. Innrisser mass produced deer many places, and made scores of people gathering at Kåfjord (Alta.) It is clear that Innrisser enjoyed the process of engraving, whereas Omrisser did not. He typically left his drawings without completely engraving them. He did not care how his panels looked when he was finished. He made images incomplete and overlapping most of the time.

Archaeologists are committed to their paradigm that petroglyphs document enigmatic cultures of the Stone Age and Bronze Age. Professionals have expertise that is suited to an established paradigm, and most of them will not shift paradigms or even acknowledge an alternative paradigm. I know this from research for my book Not Getting the Drift about the paradigm shift from fixed continents to plate tectonics in geology. It's like American football players who now know about CTE brain disease, but their expertise is in football, and they can't shift to basketball or some other sport. Another example is Jesuit priests, who are often excellent scientific researchers, but if they discussed whether Jesus really walked on water, they would lose their funding.
       No one likes an outsider telling them that they are wrong. Archaeologists have not answered my emails or come to my lectures, and journal editors have avoided sending my manuscripts to peer review. But as a professor, I want to document my research, and warn new students to be wary of Scandinavian Stone Age archaeology. I do that here and at Groups.io, a discussion web site where anyone can contribute. If you would like to discuss pros and cons of this new paradigm, you may share your hypotheses and evidence there.

Allan Krill
allankrill@gmail.com

PS: Differing mindsets in geology and archaeology.  I map petroglyph artists in the way that geologists map rocks. A geologic mapper studies a rock’s minerals and textures at a key site and invents a name for that rock. (For example the 'Jergul Gneiss', a name I invented in 1985.) Rocks vary from place to place. If the rock at another site seems about the same, a mapper uses the same color on the map, and the same rock name. If the rock seems too different, another color and name are used. Geologists who prefer few names are humorously called lumpers, whereas those who prefer many names are splitters. I am a lumper; I currently think there are only three petroglyph artists.
Below is a geologic map of Fennoscandia (Norden) from 1933. The rocks vary in age and appearance, and have been given various names. Note the Bohus Granite —Stikkmann's favorite rock.

       Geologists and archaeologists interpret past events. One of the guidelines in geology is: “The present is the key to the past.”  Another might be: “An explanation should answer questions and require no further discussion.”  Guidelines in archaeology seem to be: “Present oddities may have been normalities in the past.”  And: “An explanation should introduce questions and maximize public interest.”  For archaeologists, petroglyph images indicate cultures that performed rituals at significant places. Archaeologists make oddities such as cup marks, shoe prints, hook figures, phalluses, and fluky site locations mysterious and interesting. They often write that petroglyphs and their creators will never be fully understood. Geologists write as if everything is understood, now that their work is published.


Click on a site name to see some of the petroglyph images.
  300 sites. Helleristning/helleristninger, helleristningar, hällristning/hällristningar.
Almfjellet, Trøndelag (Omrisser) [ocher technique]
Alta, Finnmark (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Alta Bergbukten 1, Finnmark (Innrisser shown in red) (Omrisser shown in blue)
Alta Kåfjord, Finnmark (Innrisser shown in black) (Omrisser shown in blue)
Alta Amtmannsnes, Finnmark (Innrisser)
Alta Apanes, Finnmark (Omrisser)
Arnstad, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Askum, Bohuslän +page (Stikkmann) [runes]
Askvoll, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Aspeberget, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Aubeberget, Rogaland +page (Stikkmann)
Auran, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Ausevik, Vestland (Innrisser)
Backa, Bohuslän +page (Stikkmann)
Bakke, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Bakke-Kalhagen, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Balken, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Bardal I, Trøndelag (Stikkmann + Omrisser)
Bardal I, Trøndelag (Omrisser, with Stikkmann's work not shown)
Bardal II, Trøndelag (Stikkmann + Omrisser) [39% cup marks, 21% shoe soles]
Bardal III, Trøndelag (Innrisser)
Bavnehøj, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [99% cup marks]
Begby, Østfold (Stikkmann)
Berga, Västmanland (Stikkmann)
Berget, Buskerud (Stikkmann)
Bingsfossen, Akershus +page (Stikkmann)
Björksta, Västmanland (Stikkmann)
Bjørngård, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Bjørset, Møre og Romsdal (Omrisser?)
Blindern, Oslo (Stikkmann)
Blåholt, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [44% cup marks]
Bogge (Boggestranda) I, II, III, Møre og Romsdal (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Bogge I, Møre og Romsdal (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Bogge II, Møre og Romsdal (Omrisser)
Bogge III, Møre og Romsdal (Omrisser)
Boglösa, Uppland (Stikkmann)
Boglösaby, Uppland (Stikkmann)
Bokenäs, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [95% cup marks]
Borgenveien, Østfold (Stikkmann)
Bornholm, Denmark (Stikkmann)
Brandskog, Uppland (Stikkmann)
Brastad, Bohuslän +page (Stikkmann) [36% cup marks]
Bremset, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Brennholtet, Nordland (Omrisser)
Brillinge, Uppsala (Stikkmann)
Bro, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [74% cup marks]
Brobakken (Hvittingfoss), Buskerud (Stikkmann)
Brogård, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [28% cup marks]
Bru, Rogaland (Stikkmann + Omrisser)
Bruteigsteinen (Etne), Vestland (Stikkmann)
Brændesgård, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [72% cup marks]
Buøy, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Bärfendal, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [57% cup marks]
Bø, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Bøla, Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Dalbo (Kolsås), Akershus +page (Stikkmann)
Disåsen, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Dokkfløyvatnet, Innlandet (Innrisser? + Omrisser?)
Drotten, Innlandet (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Duved (Åresjön), Jämtland (Omrisser)
Egna hem, Norrköping (Stikkmann) [45% cup marks]
Eidefossen, Innlandet (Omrisser)
Ekeberg (Sjømannsskolen), Oslo (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Ekeberg (Ekebergsletta), Oslo (Stikkmann) [>90% cup marks]
Ekenberg, Norrköping (Stikkmann)
Emelieborg, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Etne, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Evenhus, Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Evjestien, Østfold (Stikkmann)
Finntorp, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Fiskeby, Norrköping (Stikkmann)
Fjøsnaneset, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Flatruet, Jämtland (Omrisser)
Flatøya, Nordland (Stikkmann)
Fluberget, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Flyhov, Västergötland (Stikkmann)
Fordal, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Forselv (Skjomen), Nordland (Omrisser) [3D rhombic 'signature']
Forshälla, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Forså (Efjord), nordland (Omrisser)
Foss, Trøndelag (Stikkmann) [68% cup marks]
Foss, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [67% cup marks]
Fossum, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Frännarp, Skåne (Stikkmann) [45% cup marks]
Fykanvatn, Nordland (Omrisser) [lichen-scraping technique]
Fåglum, Västergötland (Stikkmann) [30% cup marks, 70% footprints]
Fångsjön, Jämtland (Omrisser) [ocher technique] [3D rhombic 'signature']
Fårö, Gotland (Stikkmann) [58% cup marks]
Gamnes, Finnmark (Innrisser)
Gardshaug (Ølberg), Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Geithus, Buskerud (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Gerum, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Gjettum, Akershus (Stikkmann)
Gjerpen (Løberg, Skien), Telemark (Stikkmann)
Gjeving, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Glemmestad, Innlandet (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Glömminge, Småland (Stikkmann) [69% cup marks]
Glösa, Jämtland (Innrisser)
Granaune, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Gravem, Møre og Romsdal (Stikkmann)
Grinneröd, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Grødby, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [99% cup marks]
Gråbrekk, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Gärde, Jämtland (Omrisser) [knife-point technique]
Görlöf, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Gåshopen, Finnmark (Innrisser)
Hafslund, Østfold (Stikkmann)
Haga, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Hagen, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Hallinge, Stockholm (Stikkmann)
Hamarhaug, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Hammer I, IV, V, VI, VIII, X, XIII, XIV, XV, Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Hammer II, III, XI, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Hammer IX, Trøndelag (Stikkmann + Omrisser)
Hammersholm, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [90% cup marks]
Hananger, Agder (Stikkmann)
Harastad, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Hasslöv, (Lassahussteinen), Halland (Stikkmann)
Hauge, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Haugen, Vestfold (Stikkmann)
Hegre, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Helgaberget, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Hell, Trøndelag +page, (Omrisser) [knife-point technique] [3D rhombic 'signature']
Hellestø, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Hemsta, Uppland (Stikkmann)
Hennebygda, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Herjangen, Nordland (Omrisser)
Herrebro, Norrköping (Stikkmann)
Herrestad, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [runes, 81% cup marks]
Himmelstalund, Norrköping +page (Stikkmann) [runes]
Hinna (Honhammer, Tingvoll), Møre og Romsdal (Omrisser) [ocher technique]
Hjulatorp, Kronobergs län (Stikkmann)
Hodnafjell, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Hogdal, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Holtås I, Trøndelag (Innrisser)
Holtås I, II, Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Hommelvik I, II (Steinaldervegen), Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Hommelvik III (Flathomen, Muruvik), Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Honnhammerneset (Tingvoll), Møre og Romsdal (Omrisser) [ocher technique]
Horjem, Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Horsahallen, Blekinge (Stikkmann)
Husebø, Agder (Stikkmann)
Hvitlycke, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Häljesta, Västmanland (Stikkmann) [50% cup marks]
Hästhallen, Skåne (Stikkmann)
Hästholmen, Östergötland (Stikkmann) [61% cup marks]
Hästskotjärn, Jämtland (Omrisser) [ocher technique]
Högadal, Blekinge (Stikkmann)
Högsbyen, Dalsland (Stikkmann)
Håby, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [96% cup marks]
Håhaugsteinen, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Ingstad, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Isnestoften (Langnesholmen), Finnmark (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Jondal (Herand), Vestland (Stikkmann)
Josarsaklubben, Kanstadfjorden, Lødingen, Nes), Nordland (Omrisser) [lichen-scraping technique]
Järrestad, Skåne +page (Stikkmann) [58% cup marks]
Jätteberget, Älvsborg (Stikkmann)
Jörlov, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Kalleberg, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Kalleby, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Kanozero, Russia
Karlsberget, Norrköping (Stikkmann)
Kattaberget (Bø i Sokndal), Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Katthammar, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Kil, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Kivik (King's Grave, Bredarör), Skåne (Stikkmann)
Kjernevik (Kjøbenhavnerbukta), Rogland (Stikkmann)
Klockaretorpet, Norrköping (Stikkmann)
Klokkesteinen (Ytterøya), Trøndelag (Stikkmann) [runes]
Krabbestig (Husevågøy), Vestland (Stikkmann)
Krokstad, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [100% cup marks]
Kråkenes (Lundeveien), Agder (Stikkmann)
Kråkhaug (Helland), Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Kvennavika, Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Kvernevik, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Kviljo, Agder (Stikkmann)
Kville, Västergötland +page +page (Stikkmann)
Kyrkstigen, Västergötland (Stikkmann)
Kårstad, Vestland (Stikkmann) [runes]
Ladvik, Stockholm (Stikkmann)
Landverk (Ånnsjön), Jämtland (Omrisser)
Lane-Ryr, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Langeland, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Langnesholmen (Isnestoften), Finnmark (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Leiknes, Nordland (Omrisser) [lichen-scraping technique]
Leirbukt, Finnmark (Innrisser)
Leirfall, Trøndelag (Stikkmann) [11% cup marks, 41% shoe prints]
Leirvåg, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Leonardsberg, Norrköping (Stikkmann)
Lier (Bygdetun), Buskerud (Stikkmann)
Lier (Utenga), Buskerud (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Lille Strandbygård, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [77% cup marks]
Litlevåg-Meling (Åmøy), Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Litsleby, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Ljung, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Lommeland, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Lunde, Agder (Stikkmann)
Lur, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Lycke, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Lyse, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [47% cup marks]
Lärbro, Gotland (Stikkmann) [13% cup marks, 78% shoe prints]
Løkeberget, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Løland, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Lövåsen, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Lånke (Tønsåsen), Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Madsebakke, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [81% cup marks]
Maresø, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [73% cup marks]
Massleberg, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Melhus, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Melingsjøvegen (Åmøy), Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Mjønes (Vågan), Nordland (Omrisser) [lichen-scraping technique]
Mo, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Molteberghellene, Østfold (Stikkmann)
Mona, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Møllerstufossen, Innlandet (Innrisser)
Nag, Rogaland (Stikkmann + Omrisser)
Naverstad, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Nedre Tasta, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Nexø (Fandens keglebane), Bornholm (Stikkmann) [97% cup marks]
Norr Edsten 15 (Kville), Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Norrfors, Norrland +page (Omrisser)
Nytjønna, Trøndelag (Innrisser)
Nämforsen, Västernorrlands län (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Näsinge, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Okkenhaug, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Ombo (Trettestykkje), Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Onega, Russia
Onsbæk, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [99% cup marks]
Oppauran, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Oppeby, Södermanland (Stikkmann)
Orust, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [96% cup marks]
Otterbäcken, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Penne, Agder (Stikkmann)
Pryssgården, Norrköping (Stikkmann) [100% cup marks, 520 total]
Pyntelund/Bjørnstaskipet, Østfold (Stikkmann)
Ramberg, Akershus +page (Stikkmann)
Rauhammer, Trøndelag (Omrisser) [ocher technique]
Re, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Reitaneset, Møre og Romsdal (Innrisser?)
Rennebu, Trøndelag (Stikkmann) [100% cup marks]
Revheim, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Rickeby, Uppland (Stikkmann)
Ringeby, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [99% cup marks]
Roskar (Gurskøya), Møre og Romsdal (Stikkmann)
Rudlo, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Rykkje (Kvam), Vestland (Omrisser)
Røkke, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Røsand, Møre og Romsdal (Omrisser)
Råhaugen, Østfold (Stikkmann)
Sagaholm, Jönköping (Stikkmann)
Sagelva (Tømmerneset), Nordland (Omrisser) [lichen-scraping technique]
Salsnes (Reppen), Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Salthammeren (Vangdal), Vestland (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Salthammeren (Vangdal) upper panel, Vestland (Omrisser)
Salthammeren (Vangdal) lower panel, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Samnøy, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Sandane (Gloppen, Austrheim), Vestland (Stikkmann)
Sandhalsen, Trøndelag (Omrisser) [ocher technique]
Sandåker, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Sanne, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [100% cup marks]
Selbustrand, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Simrislund, Skåne (Stikkmann)
Sjøhagen-Meling (Åmøy), Rogaland (Stikkmann + Omrisser)
Skavberget 3, Troms (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Skavberget 1,2, Troms (Omrisser)
Skee, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Skepplanda, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Skien (Gjerpen), Telemark (Stikkmann)
Skogerveien, Buskerud +page (Innrisser)
Skredsvik, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [75% cup marks]
Skälv, Norrköping (Stikkmann)
Slagsta, Södermanland +page (Stikkmann) [84% cup marks]
Slavlo, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Slettjord, Nordland (Omrisser)
Slettnes, Finnmark (Innrisser)
Sola, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Solbakk, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Solberg, Østfold +page (Stikkmann)
Sotorp, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Sporanes (Sporaneset, Rauland), Telemark (Stikkmann)
St Almegård, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [99% cup marks]
Stavenes (Staveneset, Askvoll, Unneset, Mjåset), Vestland (Stikkmann)
Stein (i Ringsaker, Steinsholmen), Innlandet (Innrisser) (+Omrisser)
Stokkan, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Storløkkebakke, Bornholm (Stikkmann) [69% cup marks]
Storsteinen Alta, Finnmark (Innrisser) (+Omrisser)
Strand, Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Stuberg (Støberg), Trøndelag (Stikkmann) [runes]
Stugåsberget, Älvsborg (Stikkmann)
Stykket, Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Sundvollen, Buskerud +page +page (Stikkmann)
Surnadal, Møre og Romsdal (Innrisser)
Svanhalla, Blekinge (Stikkmann)
Svarteborg, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [57% cup marks]
Sverstad Søndre, Vestfold (Stikkmann)
Søbstad, Møre og Romsdal (Omrisser)
Sør-Sunde, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Tanum, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Tegneby, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Tennes (Prestegård), Troms (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Tennes (Gråbergan, Kirkely, Bukkhammarn, Venset), Troms (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Tjøtta (Tro, Rødøya), Nordland (Stikkmann)
Tjøtta (Valen, Rødøya, Røøyen), Nordland (Omrisser)
Tessem, Trøndelag (Stikkmann) [runes]
Tjursåker, Uppland (Stikkmann)
Torhamn, Blekinge (Stikkmann)
Torsbo, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Tose, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Tossene, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Ullshelleren/Valldalen, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Unneset, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Utsikten-Alvim, Østfold (Stikkmann)
Valla, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Valle (Finnhågen, Efjord), Nordland +page +page (Omrisser) [lichen-scraping technique]
Vallen, Västmanland (Stikkmann)
Vangdal (Salthammeren), Vestland (Innrisser + Omrisser)
Verdal, Trøndelag (Omrisser)
Vigdel, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Vik on Rolla, Troms (Omrisser)
Vikan, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Vitlycke, Bohuslän (Stikkmann)
Vingen, Vestland (Innrisser)
Vinja, Vestland (Stikkmann)
Vistnesdalen (Vistnes, Vevelstad), Nordland +page (Omrisser)
Vrångstad, Bohuslän (Stikkmann) [77% cup marks]
Vyg (Zalavruga), Russia
Värmlandsnäs (Ulvudden), Värmland (Stikkmann)
Vågan (Mjønes), Nordland (Omrisser) [lichen-scraping technique]
Vågholmveien, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Ydstines, Trøndelag (Stikkmann)
Ytterøya, Trøndelag (Stikkmann) [runes]
Ølbør, Rogaland (Stikkmann)
Örsta, Uppland (Stikkmann)
Åbodsjön, Ångermanland (Omrisser) [ocher technique]
Åby, Bohuslän+page (Stikkmann)
Åby, Norrköping (Stikkmann) [22% cup marks]
Åkirkeby (Fandens keglebane), Bornholm (Stikkmann) [94% cup marks]
Åmøy, Rogaland (Stikkmann + Omrisser)
Åmøy (Meling), Rogaland +page +page (Stikkmann)
Åmøya (Klubba), Nordland +page (Omrisser) [lichen-scraping technique]
Årby, Västmanland (Stikkmann + Omrisser)
Åskollen, Buskerud (Innrisser)
Åsvittinge, Norrköping (Stikkmann) [97% cup marks]

Internet resources.
The Megalithic Portal.
Kulturminnesøk, Norway.
Swedish Rock Art Research Archives.
Swedish Rune Map.

Multi-site descriptions. (More references).
Andersson, Tommy & Andreas Toreld. Fältrapporter, Stiftelsen för dokumentation av Bohusläns hällristningar.
Engelstad, Eivind, 1934. Østnorske ristninger og malinger av den arktiske gruppe.
Fett, Eva N. & Per Fett, 1941. Sydvestnorske helleristninger: Rogaland og Lista.
Gjerde, Jan Magne, 2010. Rock art and landscapes. Studies of Stone Age rock art from Northern Fennoscandia.
Gjessing, Gutorm, 1932. Arktiske helleristninger i Nord-Norge.
Gjessing, Gutorm, 1936. Nordenfjelske ristninger og malinger av den arktiske gruppe.
Hagen, Anders, 1965. Rock carvings in Norway.
Hagen, Anders, 1976. Bergkunst: Jegerfolkets helleristninger og malninger i norsk steinalder.
Hagen, Anders, 1990. Helleristningar i Noreg.
Helberg, Bjørn Hebba, 2016. Bergkunst nord for Polarsirkelen.
Mandt, Gro & Trond Lødøen, 2005. Bergkunst. Helleristningar i Noreg.
Mandt Larsen, Gro, 1972. Bergbilder i Hordaland.
Marstrander, Sverre & Kalle Sognnes, 1999. Trøndelags jordbruksristninger.
Mikkelsen, Egil, 1976. Østnorske veideristninger: Kronologi og øko-kulturelt miljø.
Moe, Steinar & Einar Østmo, 1994. Norske helleristninger.
Simonsen, Povl, 1958. Arktiske helleristninger i Nord-Norge II.
Sognnes, Kalle, 1999. Det levende berget.
Sognnes, Kalle, 1999. Helleristninger i Stjørdal.
Tansem, Karin, 2022. Helleristningene i Alta: Estetikken, geologien og figurene.
Vogt, David, 2012. Østfolds helleristninger.

The links below explain my evidence and hypotheses (including hypotheses that I have abandoned).
   Index of the website https://groups.io/g/VikingRockArt

307. Brandskogsskeppet may have been an engraved copy of another artist’s drawing

293/296/306. Steinn Stikkmann's sites in eastern and southern Sweden  (5/2025)

305. Steinn Stikkmann wanted his art to be seen and appreciated  (9/2025)

304. List of references for Scandinavian rock art  (9/2025)

303. Archaeologists have never found chips from supposed stone pecking tools  (6/2025)

302. Steinn Stikkmann visited Tjøtta, north Norway’s main pre-Viking settlement  (6/2025)

301. Steinn Stikkmann left boats, cup marks, and runes on Ytterøya  (6/2025)

300. Map of Steinn Stikkmann's travels  (6/2025)

298/299. Fluky site locations: Absence of evidence is evidence of absence  (5/2025)

297. I now know of runes at six of Steinn Stikkmann’s petroglyph sites  (5/2025)

294. Differing mindsets in geology and archaeology  (5/2025)

290. Rennebu and Gravem petroglyphs show that Stikkmann began his long journey on foot

289. Steinn Stikkmann left his mark on the island Bornholm  (4/2025)

287. "Same ship, different day"  (4/2025)

286. Mostly cup marks on Orust, because there is no Bohus Granite there  (4/2025)

285. Percentages of Stikkmann’s figures at sites in Bohuslän, and at Lista, Leirfall, & Foss

284. Steinn Stikkmann made a U-turn at the southern tip of Norway  (4/2025)

283. Only three traveling artists (not four)  (4/2025)

282. Steinn Stikkmann loved engraving cup marks  (4/2025)

281. Sites in Bohuslän with swastikas and Elder Futhark runes by Steinn Stikkmann  (4/2025)

279. The maypole (majstången) of Tanum was probably not engraved by Steinn Stikkmann

278. Stikkmann’s art at Kivik is from about 400 CE, but the monument is probably older

277. Tryggvi Tagger probably learned nailpoint technique from Stikkmann at Børve

276. Innrisser and Omrisser were together at Glemmestad (2/2025)

275. Stikkmann’s phalluses were about masculinity and power, not fertility  (2/2025)

274. Innrisser and Omrisser were together at Ekeberg, Oslo (2/2025)

273. Innrisser and Omrisser were together at Salthammeren, Hardangerfjord  (2/2025)

272. Petroglyph sites record Stikkmann’s journey from Bergen to Stavanger to Telemark

271. Four traveling graffiti artists and one traveling graffiti tagger (2/2025)

270. Petroglyph sites show how Stikkmann traveled from Skien to the Bohus Granite

269. At Bardal, Innrisser’s deer got humps and bigger heads (2/2025)

268. How Innrisser's deer (finally) got their humps (2/2025)

267. At Selbustrand, I imagine Stikkmann thinking: 'These boulders are like from heaven!'

264. Innrisser and Omrisser were together on the island Langnesholmen in Altafjorden

263. Ingi Innrisser’s early styles of drawing humans at Vingen, Storsteinen, and Amtmannsnes

262. Ingi Innrisser’s birthplace was probably Skatestraumen near Vingen (1/2025)

261. Innrisser’s powerful animal-head sticks (Alta, Vingen, and Nämforsen) (1/2025)

258. Oddr Omrisser’s birthplace was probably between Strömsund and Nämforsen, Sweden

257/259. Porpoise images show that Omrisser visited Tennes early in his career (1/2025)

256. Stikkmann’s birthplace was probably Foss in Gauldalen, central Norway (1/2025)

  ResearchGate PDF with links to 220 petroglyph sites (12/2024)

220/252. Elder Futhark runes (c. 400 AD) at Stuberg, Tessem, & Kårstad, by Stikkmann

248/249/250. Stikkmann preferred Iddefjord (Bohus) Granite panels for his petroglyphs

247. Petroglyphs in Skien, tracings by Marstrander (1969) (12/2024)

246. Examples (2) of petroglyphs from the book 'Hällristningar och Kultbruk'

245. Examples of petroglyphs from the book 'Hällristningar och Kultbruk' by Almgren (1927)

244. Stikkmann's petroglyphs date the Kivik King's Grave to about 400 CE (12/2024)

242. Petroglyphs of supposed 'Bronze Age boats' are all from the Iron Age (12/2024)

241. Distinctive images: Another huge Stikkmann longship discovered this month (11/2024)

238. Ingi Innrisser could have made all the 'Østnorske veideristninger' in a single summer

237. Distinctive images: Outlines of bears, by Oddr Omrisser (11/2024)

236. Alphabetical list of petroglyph sites and artists (11/2024)

235. The rock art painting motifs in Finland are very different than those in northern Sweden

234. Ramqvist map shows limited motifs of ocher petroglyphs in northern Sweden (11/2024)

233. Map from Jamtli.com of all known ocher-paint petroglyph sites in northern Sweden

232. Ocher-paint petroglyphs in Mid-Norway (11/2024)

231. Distinctive images: Porpoises, by Oddr Omrisser (11/2024)

230/239. Omrisser made ocher paintings in Sweden in winter, standing on ice-covered lakes

226/227/228/229. Did Innrisser carve the 'Surnadal man' before or after the 'Ausevik men'?

225. Stikkmann traveled to Østfold-Bohuslän via Sporaneset, missing Aust-Agder (11/2024)

224. Maps of Bårdr Båtmann's sites in Stavanger and SW Norway, from Fett & Fett (1941)

223. Oddr Omrisser’s sites and works in Mid Norway and Sweden (11/2024)

222. Stikkmann, Båtmann, Innrisser & Omrisser were 'pre-Viking Banksys'

221. Distinctive images: A big fish (by Omrisser) on top of petroglyphs at Alta and Stavanger

219. How could one artist produce petroglyphs at 2700 sites in the Østfold-Bohuslän area?

216. Distinctive images: Deer looking back, by Oddr Omrisser (11/2024)

214/217. Distinctive images: A few 'giants' on a longship, by Steinn Stikkmann (11/2024)

213/215. Distinctive images: Complex scenes, by Ingi Innrisser (10/2024)

212/260. Distinctive images: Large, naturalistic animals, by Oddr Omrisser (10/2024)

211. Distinctive images: Chariot pulled by 2 thin horses, by Steinn Stikkmann (10/2024)

209. Distinctive images: Isolated deer head, by Oddr Omrisser (10/2024)

208. Distinctive images: Man approaching tiny woman from behind, by Oddr Omrisser

207. Distinctive images: Rhombs with 3D effect, by Oddr Omrisser (10/2024)

206/243. Distinctive images: Processions, by Steinn Stikkmann (10/2024)

204. Map of sites where 4 petroglyph artists worked, and 3 areas with no known petroglyphs

199. Petroglyphs tell about the 'Pre-Viking Age' in Scandinavia (10/2024)

198. Photos from Bøe (1932) show that a sharp point was used to peck Vingen petroglyphs

197. 'Omrisser' (Outliner) never visited Vingen (10/2024)

196. All the helleristninger at Vingen were made by one visiting artist: 'Innrisser'   (10/2024)

195. 'Inliner' may have used boat nails from Slettnes III at Slettnes IV (5/2024)

194. Inliner's work now recognized on boulders at Slettnes (5/2024)

193. Stickman (the first) and Outliner (the last) of the great petroglyph artists (12/2023)

191. Lecture on Stickman and Outliner (20 figures) (11/2023)

(Video) Lecture on Stickman and Outliner (first 40 seconds in Norwegian)

190. Map of 90 petroglyph sites and typology used to identify 7 artists (10/2023)

181. Red-ochre painting at Tingvoll and at Fångsjön: a fourth technique used by Outliner

178. Map of 90 sites where petroglyph artists worked, and 3 areas where none are known

173. Stickman may have made all of the petroglyphs in the Østfold-Bohuslän area (8/2023)

172. Why are there no known petroglyph sites in Aust-Agder? (8/2023)

171. Outliner's large humans at Alta, Bardal, Bøla, Evenhus, Forselv, and Lånke (8/2023)

170. Futhark runes and a swastika independently date the Kårstad petroglyphs to 400 AD

165. Kårstad petroglyphs (200-500 AD) show runes and Hjortspring-style boats (7/2023)

163. Outliner learned to draw longships at Stavanger and then drew them at Alta

161. At Bogge, chasing after petroglyph artists (7/2023)

158. Longship and boat petroglyphs at Apana gård Alta (7/2023)

155. Matching images at 9 and 23 meters above sea level at Alta (7/2023)

121/154. Lumpers and splitters: I am a lumper, whereas archaeologists have refused to lump

152. Who made the longships of Iron-Age-style at Apana, Alta? (7/2023)

148. Learn to recognize Outliner's boats (7/2023)

147. "...depictions comparable to the South Scandinavian Bronze Age and Iron Age boats"

146. Bergbukten 1 (Alta): two artworks for the price of one (7/2023)

141/145. Inliner's 'nailpoint' reindeer at Apana gård (8-10 m. above present sea level) (7/2023)

144. The famous petroglyph 'Man on skis' was probably a man standing in a boat

143. Two 'owners' of reindeer at Bergbukten 4B Alta ('Inliner' and 'Outliner') (7/2023)

142. Animal-head sticks and animal-head boats in Alta petroglyphs (7/2023)

140/149/153. Map of six petroglyph artists and sites where they worked (3) (7/2023)

139. Amtmann — another petroglyph artist that can be recognized at Alta (7/2023)

137/138. A few hours' work by Outliner at Kåfjord, Alta (2) (7/2023)

136/150. Outliner carved petroglyphs on top of previous artworks at Bogge, Bardal, Alta

133. Outliner's petroglyphs are easy to recognize, and found only in the north (2) (7/2023)

132. Stykket is an example of 'distressed' art by Outliner (7/2023)

131. Petroglyphs at Leiknes: rock art from one year, or from five hundred years? (2) (7/2023)

130. Petroglyphs at Alta that I ascribe to Outliner and Inliner (tracings in the book by Helskog)

128. Some petroglyph moose at Alta that I ascribe to Outliner and Inliner (7/2023)

126. Some petroglyphs in central Scandianvia that I ascribe to Outliner and Inliner (7/2023)

124. Outliner's petroglyphs are easy to recognize, and found only in the north (7/2023)

123. Outliner drew 'bulging' eyes at Brennholtet and Leiknes, and unique mouth lines (7/2023)

122. Iron longship nails were ideal for making 'nailpoint' petroglyphs (7/2023)

120. Photos taken at Tennes (Gråberget, Balsfjord) in northern Norway (6/2023)

118. Photos taken at Tennes (Kirkely, Balsfjord) in northern Norway (6/2023)

117. Photos taken at Tennes (Bukkhammaren, Balsfjord) in northern Norway (6/2023)

116. Petroglyphs at Leiknes: rock art from one year, or from five hundred years? (6/2023)

115. No petroglyphs or Viking artifacts have been found in Finland (6/2023)

114. Outliner's nailpoint art at the Ole Pedersen site, Hjemmeluft, Alta (6/2023)

113. Why my manuscripts were rejected by the journals ‘Viking’ and ‘Primitive Tider (6/2023)

112. Stickman's early showpiece at Leirfall is currently closed to the public (6/2023)

109. Outliner's elegant pose: deer looking backward (6/2023)

108. Close-up photos of Inliner's 'nailpoint art' at the Ole Pedersen site, Hjemmeluft, Alta

106. Map of five petroglyph artists and sites where they worked (6/2023)

103. Outliner 'scraped' his petroglyphs in Nordland (he did not 'polish' them) (6/2023)

102. Ismo Luukkonen shows petroglyphs of 83 Scandinavian sites for you to study at home

101. Outliner's reindeer and moose at Fykanvatnet, near Glomfjord (6/2023)

100. Outliner's scraped moose petroglyph at Mjønes (Vågan) (6/2023)

99. Outliner's reindeer and man at Bøla, near Steinkjer (6/2023)

98. Outliner's 'design-signature' at Hell (near Stjørdal) and Forselv (near Narvik) (6/2023)

97. Inliner's 'nailpoint art' at Kåfjord, Alta (6/2023)

96. Outliner's 'nailpoint art' in a one-man show at Apanes, Alta (6/2023)

95. No petroglyphs are found in suitable rocks near the shorelines (why not?) (6/2023)

93. Map of three main petroglyph artists (6/2023)

92. It was typical of Outliner to ignore the feet (5/2023)

91. Alta - Kåfjord petroglyphs seem to show early Sámi culture and early Viking culture

89. Distinguishing between Inliner's work and Outliner's work at Alta (5/2023)

87 & 88. Outliner drew collars on some of his reindeer (2) (5/2023)

86. A boat with a square sail (5/2023)

85. Sámi people lived with domesticated reindeer also before Viking times (5/2023)

84. Stickman trained in soft sedimentary rocks in the Stjørdal area (5/2023)

82. Outliner used three different techniques to outline bodies and body parts (5/2023)

81. Three artists made nearly all the petroglyphs around Trondheimsfjorden (5/2023)

80. Runes and petroglyphs at Ystines / Ydstines near Stjørdal (5/2023)

79. Petroglyph artists probably spoke a Scandinavian language (5/2023)

78. Inliner probably traveled to Ekeberg (Oslo) by boat, not by foot (5/2023)

77. Artist's names are not set in stone (5/2023)

76. Digital caliper: a new tool for describing petroglyphs (5/2023)

75. A paradigm for Scandinavian petroglyphs (manuscript to journal Primitive Tider) (5/2023)

66. Shoe prints. Artists often learn or copy from others (2/2023)

64. Names of places where petroglyph artists exhibited their work (2/2023)

62. Five petroglyph artists recognized by their motifs and artistic styles (manus. in prep)

61. An alternative interpretation of some petroglyphs in Finnmark (manus. to journal Viking)

59. Boats with animal heads among petroglyphs at Peterborough Canada (1/2023)

56. Vikings visited many coasts and rivers in their longships (1/2023)

55. Petroglyphs in Peterborough Canada, probably made by a Viking artist (1/2023)

53. "Shoreline dates" are not really dates at all. Better to call them "Shore maximum ages"

52. Hard rocks can't be engraved using stone-age tools. Most Scandinavian rocks are hard.

51. A simple explanation for petroglyph cup marks (12/2022)

45-49. 'Iron-age Banksys': how widely did they spread their wall-art? (5) (11/2022)

44. Most petroglyphs were made within sight and shouting distance of the shoreline (11/2022)

43. Petroglyph shoreline dates should be referred to as «shore-limiting dates» (11/2022)

42. Lichen grows on all exposed rocks in Norway (11/2022)

39. Shoreline dating improperly used to date Vyg whale hunting (11/2022)

38. Petroglyph evidence for cultural exchange between Vikings and Sámi (11/2022)

36. Nämforsen petroglyphs supposedly show a 4000-year spread of carvings (7/2023)

34. Petroglyph artists (300-800 AD) were Scandinavian and did not visit Finland (11/2022)

33. What does this strange petroglyph really show? (11/2022)

32. Spoiler alert: my musings kill good stories and eliminate fun puzzles (11/2022)

31. Arctic summer hunting trips, destination Alta (11/2022)

30. The Gamnes petroglyph and knapped-flint site can be no older than 1700 years

29. See how flint arrowheads are knapped (Youtube) (11/2022)

27. Newly discovered petroglyphs at 26 m show shoreline-dating gives us falsely old ages

26. Grahame Clark (1975): The Earlier Stone Age Settlement of Scandinavia (11/2022)

24. How 'shoreline dating' has been used for Alta petroglyphs (11/2022)

21. A petroglyph of a longship with an animal-head prow nails its age (11/2022)

20. Biases maximize the age and archaeological value of Leirfall petroglyphs (11/2022)

19. The Professor's Old Claims (12/2022)

17. A Viking-age neck ring (torc) brought to Alta and abandoned there (11/2022)

16. Why Alta petroglyphs do not include women and children (11/2022)

15. "Here's our stuff. Ready to use again this summer!" (11/2022)

14. 30 rowers (15 pairs) in a longship in Alta (11/2022)

13. Ships with an animal-head prow, manned by long-distance rowers (10/2022)

12. The Kvalsund ship from 780 AD resembles an Alta petroglyph (10/2022)

11. The Hjortspring boat (350 BCE) had a crew of 20 rowers. It was built without nails

10. Alta petroglyph boats. Myth vs. reality (10/2022)

9. Could Alta boats really have been made before iron nails were available? (10/2022)

8. The words "Viking" and "Iron" are taboo in publications on Nordic petroglyphs

7. Lødøen (2015) on the experimental production of petroglyph images using a stone tool

6. The petroglyph artist at Storsteinen had no "sketchbook", only one "page" to draw on

5. Deep narrow engravings could not have been made before metal chisels were available

4. Bård Amundsen's article on the Viking-like culture that is said to be over 3000 years old

3. Jan Magne Gjerde (2010) Rock art and landscapes (10/2022)

2. Alta rock art is probably Viking rock art (10/2022)

1. Boat petroglyphs at Alta, Norway (photos at Donsmaps.com) (10/2022)

Allan Krill
allankrill@gmail.com