The case in summary The 9,000-year-old rock carvings in Nordland have been targeted for vandalism for the second year in a row. The county municipality will report the vandalism to the police. In the last four years, there have been three episodes of vandalism in this particular field, according to archaeologist Trine Johnson. Senior researcher Jan Magne Gjerde says that such destruction of rock art is an increasing trend both in Norway and internationally. Gjerde reckons that something is drawn in the vicinity of or on rock art between ten and 20 times a year in this country. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. In June, a British tourist carved the name of his lover into the historic Colosseum amphitheater in Rome. Earlier in July, someone had carved a penis at the 6,000-year-old rock carvings in Ausevik in Kinn. And now rock carvings at Leiknes in Nordland have also been drawn on. It is the second year in a row that the 9,000-year-old rock carvings have been vandalized. – We get so desperate. These are fragile things. We try our best to be careful, but the possibilities we have to control traffic are limited, says archaeologist in Nordland county municipality, Trine Johnson. It was last Thursday that she and a colleague discovered the drawing, when they were at the site to put up an intermediate belt sign in the car park. – I do not hope that there will be permanent damage, but the drawings will probably be visible during my lifetime at least. Johnson believes that it is young people who have been traveling, but emphasizes that she does not know exactly who has done it. The county municipality will nevertheless report the vandalism to the police. This is what the rock carvings looked like before a face was carved into the rock. Photo: Nordland County Municipality Not the first time Nor is it the first time that the rock carvings in the north of Nordland have been subjected to vandalism. – Last year there were a lot of typical youth expressions in the tickets, says Johnson. In the last four years, there have been three episodes of vandalism in this particular field, according to the archaeologist. – This is some of the finest old art Nordland has. It is clear that it is disappointing not to be able to overcome this. There are also several signs on the way up to the rock carvings that say that you should not leave traces. – There are so many warnings on the way up that they should take it with them. Archaeologist in Nordland county municipality, Trine Johnson is dismayed by all the destruction of the rock art at Leiknes. Photo: Amanda Åsberg / news Increasing trend Senior researcher and archaeologist in the Northern Region Department at the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research in Tromsø, Jan Magne Gjerde, says that such destruction of rock art is an increasing trend. – There has been more and more vandalism in recent years. It is a challenge that people cannot stop doing it. It is an increasing trend both in Norway and internationally, says Gjerde. Here he refers to the name-calling in Italy, and says he has colleagues from Australia, South Africa and the USA who see this happening at regular intervals. Senior researcher and archaeologist Jan Magne Gjerde says such cultural heritage crime is not taken seriously enough. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news – But we see a lot of that in Norway. Gjerde reckons that something is drawn in the vicinity of or on rock art between ten and 20 times a year in this country. – Why do people do this? – Basically, I think it’s mindless, that people don’t understand that this can destroy a cultural monument forever. Want to set up a surveillance camera The researcher thinks it is good that such vandalism is reported to the police, but he wants such vandalism to be taken more seriously. – This is cultural heritage crime, and such vandalism is not taken seriously enough, says Gjerde. With a pair of sunglasses as a yardstick, you can see how big the figure actually is. Photo: Nordland County Municipality Back in Nordland, archaeologist Trine Johnson believes that she will have to resort to surveillance cameras to overcome this. – It’s a little sad. We want to have the least possible disturbance around the rock carvings so that people can experience what it was like to be there at the time, she concludes. Information about the rock art field at Leiknes Nisene is rock art of so-called sharpened lines. It is only found in a limited area between Meløy and Lødingen. This rock art is unique to Nordland worldwide. The tile is ground or polished into the rock surface, and the ground lines seem to weather more slowly than the surrounding rock. At the same time, micro-vegetation such as lichen and algae have a poorer grip on the polished lines. In this way, the figure lines appear clear in good lighting conditions. The figures depicted are land and sea mammals; such as moose, reindeer, bears, killer whales and porpoises in almost natural size. The “artistic” line on the field at Leiknes seems to be of very high quality. The rock art type is considered to be the oldest in Norway and may be as old as 9,000 years. The pictures at Leiknes are made by an artist, or a group of artists, who describe the distinctive features of the animals depicted. Source: Nordland County Municipality
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