Unusual Rock With Ancient Paintings Discovered By Hiker In Norway

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - Tormod Fjeld was hiking with his family in the Moss area when they stopped for a rest break near a boulder, Viken County Municipality. Fjeld is no stranger to looking for past traces, which is probably why he quickly spotted there was something strange about the rock. He examined the boulder and noticed its unusual coloring and several ancient paintings.

A photo with highlighted coloring shows two human figures, possibly a hunting scene. Credit: Jan Magne Gjerde, NIKU

Using his phone, he photographed some of the ancient drawings. He contacted the county council and archaeologist Jone Kile-Vesik, with whom he has collaborated over a long period of time in connection with other petroglyphs he had found.

A team of archaeologists looked at the paintings Fjeld discovered and confirmed they were authentic ancient drawings., a press release issued by Niku informs.

The rock. It requires a trained eye, and preferably some technical help, to see the rock paintings that were recently discovered here. Photo: Jan Magne Gjerde, NIKU

Jan Magne Gjerde, an archaeologist with the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, estimated the paintings are dated to the Bronze Age.

A photo with highlighted coloring shows the rowboat painting. Photo: Jan Magne Gjerde, NIKU

The ancient scenes are easy to miss. Highlighted photos show the drawings in a red hue. One scene shows two distinctly human figures standing together, possibly a hunting scene, cultural researchers said.

Another enhanced photo shows a boat being rowed, officials said. Other scenes depicted animals.

Several human figures can be seen on the rock and, among other things, a boat with rowers. Photo: Jan Magne Gjerde, NIKU

The ancient paintings are the first of their kind found in the Moss area, the release said. Moss is a coastal region about 40 miles south of Oslo.

Officials urged people not to touch the rock due to its rarity and fragility, fearing that the paintings could be erased.

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"We are reluctant to say where in Østfold this is, except to say that it is in Moss municipality. Nothing is needed before it is lost forever, and even the touch of the uninitiated can be enough to remove the pigments. Should you still discover it, we ask you to admire it from a distance and not touch it, Jone Kile-Vesik said.

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer