Rock Art Research

This paper is a brief journey through a century or so of rock art research history in northernmost Europe. Researchers in previous times knew the material culture within large geographical areas, which is at present almost impossible due to the greatly expanded archaeological record. The point of departure for this journey is the current status of documentation and material overviews before entering a discussion of dating Fennoscandian rock art. Then, the author discusses the ‘boats’ represented in rock art and the canvas of the rock art. The end of this journey provides an opportunity for a broader reflection on distance in time and space. These glimpses into the history of rock art research in Fennoscandia give an overview of previous journeys in rock art, thereby providing a sound basis for crossing state boundaries in rock art research. By revisiting rock art sites documented years ago, a fresh set of eyes and modern documentation methods may enable more information crossing space and time to be ‘mined’ from the rocks. This paper argues for a renewed focus on material publications (preferably digital) in order to approach comprehensive overviews crossing administrative and national boundaries.