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. Significanctly 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.

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Swedish Rock Art Series
• Contents
• Chapter 1: 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
• Chapter 2: 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
• Chapter 3: Rock art and long-distance trade, 1700–1400 BC
  • The landscape context of the Simrishamn 23:1 panel
  • The Simrishamn 23:1 panel as a micro landscape
  • Axes and overseas connections
  • The making of footprints
• Chapter 4: A wider use of the ship image, 1400–1100 BC
  • Rock art and narratives
  • The Gladsax carving – ships and axes
  • The Kivik carving – ships and death rituals
  • The Östra Nöbbelöv panel – ships and humans
  • The narrative character of Scanian rock art, 1400–1100 BC
  • Solar symbolism and martial ideals – contrasting pictures
• Chapter 5: Only ships, 1100–800 BC
• Chapter 6: The display of individuals, 800–200 BC
• Chapter 7: A history of the Scanian landscape
  • The Neolithic tradition, 1700–1400 BC
  • A new ritual landscape, 1400–1100 BC
  • Crisis and reorganization, 1100–800 BC
  • Towards an Iron Age landscape, 800–200 BC
• Chapter 8: Summary and perspectives
• Chapter 9: References