The Tanum Rock Carvings

The Tanum Rock Carvings

The Bronze Age rock carvings of Tanum in northern Bohuslän date back to around 1800 BCE. At that time, the inhabitants of the area where the carvings are located mainly engaged in agriculture and fishing. These colorful petroglyphs depict humans and animals, weapons, boats, and other objects, vividly illustrating scenes from daily life. These vibrant and richly detailed carvings fully showcase their unique artistic achievements and the unity of culture and era, providing rare evidence of many aspects of life at that time for modern human research.

Eight thousand years of human history are depicted in the Tanum Rock Carvings. The Tanum area spans 50 square kilometers in southwestern Sweden, and these carvings are an invaluable part of our human cultural heritage. They were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. As the country where the Tanum Rock Carvings — a World Heritage Site — are located, Sweden has the responsibility to preserve them for the future. Due to environmental pollution, many of the rock surfaces have severely faded and weathered; an important step in preservation is to record the colors, textures, and other characteristics of these surfaces as quickly as possible while there is still time.

Rock Carvings in Tanum

Must-visit reason: One of the most precious rock carvings in human cultural heritage

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Sweden[Sweden]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Västra Götaland County [Västra Götaland County]

City where the attraction is located: Gothenburg [Goteborg]