The southernmost recorded rock painting in Sweden

Located on the island of Hisingen in Gothenburg Municipality, the Tumlehed rock painting is the southernmost recorded rock painting in Sweden. Discovered in 1974, the site is estimated to have been created between 4200-2500 BCE. Its discovery helped shift the academic understanding of Scandinavian rock paintings, which were previously thought to be found primarily in Norway, Finland, and northern Sweden.

Situated on a steep cliff face, the pictograph covers about 2 x 2 meters. It depicts a variety of figures, including four ships, four fish, a large deer, wave-like patterns, and some undetermined shapes. The painting was created using a mixture of red ochre and a binder which has survived the years by bonding with the rock.

At the time of its making, the painting would have been located on an island's shore rather than on the slope of a hill as it is today. While a minor excavation was carried out in 1985 of the area next to the painting, no significant finds were made.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons