Скандинавын хойгийн хаданд сийлсэн “подоморф” буюу хөлийн мөрийн дүрстэй эртний олдворууд нь зүгээр нэг гоёл чимэглэл бус, тодорхой хувь хүмүүсийг илэрхийлдэг болохыг шинэ судалгаагаар тогтоожээ.
Стокгольмын их сургуулийн судлаач Фредрик Фахландерын “Oxford Journal of Archaeology” сэтгүүлд нийтлүүлсэн судалгаагаар МЭӨ 1700–500 оны үед хамаарах эдгээр сийлбэрүүдийг судалжээ. Скандинавын хүрэл зэвсгийн үеийн урлагт түгээмэл байдаг энгийн хонхорхойнуудаас ялгаатай нь, хөлийн мөрүүд нь гутлын оосор гэх мэт нарийн деталь бүхий, тус бүрдээ өвөрмөц онцлогтойгоор сийлэгдсэн байна. Судлаачийн дүгнэснээр, эдгээр сийлбэр нь ерөнхий бэлгэдэл бус, харин тодорхой хүмүүсийн мөрийг хаданд мөнхөлсөн үйлдэл байж болзошгүй аж.
Сийлбэрүүдийн байршил нь судалгааны чухал хэсэг болжээ. Эдгээр мөрийг ихэвчлэн ус цуглардаг байгалийн хонхорхой эсвэл эрдэстэй хадны хэсэгт сийлсэн нь ус урсах үед дүрсүүдийг илүү тод харагдуулах зорилготой байсан бололтой. Энэ нь усны тусламжтайгаар дүрсүүдийг “идэвхжүүлж”, байгалийн хувьсах нөхцөлтэй уялдуулан харуулах санаатай байсныг илтгэж байна.
Хос хөлийн мөрүүдийн тухайд ихэнх тохиолдолд хоёр мөр нь өөр өөр хэмжээтэй эсвэл өөр өөр цаг хугацаанд нэмж сийлэгдсэн байдаг нь ажиглагджээ. Энэхүү баримт нь хүмүүс хоорондын харилцаа, гэрээ хэлэлцээр эсвэл хувийн холбоог бэхжүүлэх зорилгоор мөрөө хаданд үлдээдэг байсныг гэрчилж байна. Бусад дүрсээс ялгаатай нь эдгээр хөлийн мөр нь зөвхөн усны ойролцоох хадан дээр л олддог нь тухайн нийгэмд ямар нэгэн онцгой үүрэг гүйцэтгэж байсныг илэрхийлж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Thousands of footprints carved into exposed rock across Scandinavia have long intrigued archaeologists. New research suggests these ancient markings were not simply decorative motifs.
The footprint-shaped carvings, known as podomorphs, are found throughout Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. They belong to a broader Nordic Bronze Age rock art tradition that spanned roughly 1700 to 500 B.C.E. While ships, animals, and human figures are common features of this artistic landscape, footprints occupy a category of their own.
A recent study by Fredrik Fahlander of Stockholm University, published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, examined the carvings from a different angle. Rather than asking what they symbolized, the research focused on how the footprints were placed, organized, and connected to the surrounding environment.
Carved Footprints Were Designed To Resemble Real Tracks
Footprints make up only a small portion of Nordic Bronze Age rock art, yet they stand out because of the attention given to their design. The study team found that many podomorphs contain carefully pecked details, including cross-straps and other features that resemble footwear. Some appear intended to recreate the impression a foot would leave in soft materials such as sand, clay, or snow.
That level of craftsmanship contrasts sharply with the most common form of rock art from the period. Published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, the research notes that simple cup marks account for more than 90 percent of all registered carvings in the region.
The footprints, by comparison, show significant variation. No two examples are exactly alike. Differences in size, shape, and detail led Fredrik Fahlander to conclude that these carvings were generally linked to specific people rather than serving as generic representations.
“These factors taken together are understandable if, as proposed, the Bronze Age podomorphs in general are linked to specific individuals. Another aspect is that the majority of sites only include single podomorphs or odd numbers of them,” he wrote in the study.
The uniqueness of the carvings suggests that preserving a person’s footprint in stone may have been an important act in itself, transforming a temporary trace into something far more enduring.
Why These Ancient Carvings Appear Near Water
The location of the footprints proved just as revealing as their appearance. Fahlander‘s analysis showed that podomorphs were often carved on particular parts of the bedrock, including mineral veins and natural depressions capable of collecting water. Many were positioned in places where rainwater or wave splash would regularly flow across the surface.
The research indicates that this relationship was intentional. Water was not merely part of the surrounding landscape; it appears to have been integrated into the experience of the artwork.
In several cases, the footprints were carved into colorful mineral-rich sections of rock, making them easier to distinguish from the surrounding stone. Combined with flowing water, these locations would have drawn attention to the carvings in a way that ordinary rock surfaces could not.
Fahlander proposes that water may have helped “activate” the images. Rather than remaining static carvings, the footprints became part of a changing environment shaped by rainfall, waves, and seasonal conditions.
Paired Footprints Hint at Ancient Bonds
The arrangement of the podomorphs offers another clue about their possible role in Bronze Age society. Most examples appear either as single footprints or as uneven pairs. When two prints are found together, they almost never match. One may be larger, shaped differently, or contain more detailed features than the other.
The study also identified signs that some paired footprints were created at different times. In certain cases, a second footprint seems to have been added to an existing carving rather than produced as part of a single composition.
Fahlander argues that these differences point to the involvement of separate individuals. He noted that two people may have contributed their own footprints to the same rock surface, creating a lasting record of a social relationship.
The practice may have commemorated friendships, pacts, or marriages. Whatever the specific context, the effort invested in the carvings highlights their significance. As Fahlander explained:
“The care and energy invested in this practice show the importance of materializing personal prints in stone.”
Another detail strengthens that interpretation. Unlike ships, animals, and other common Bronze Age motifs, podomorphs do not appear on bronze objects or burial monuments. The footprints appear only on bedrock exposed to water, setting them apart from other Bronze Age carvings and hinting at a unique role within the communities that created them.
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