Maarten van Hoek The Geography of Cup-and-Ring ... - StoneWatch

� CHAPTER 1.5 �
SCANDINAVIA
� INTRODUCTION �
Although Scandinavia is one of the four major post-glacial rock art
regions in Europe (the other three being the British Isles, the Iberian
peninsula and the Alpine region), it is almost exclusively treated as a
separate unit in the existing literature. This is mainly because its rock
art is so distinctly different from the other rock art regions. Most
characteristic are the thousands
of Nordic boat engravings and
human figures, often carrying
weapons. Many animals, solar
representations and thousands of
cupules also occur.
But apart from the ubiquitous
cupule (Fig. 88; note the cupule at
the bottom with a faint ring)
there is one abstract motif that
links Scandinavia with all other
major rock art regions in Europe.
This is the cup-and-ring motif.
It is necessary, however, to
distinguish between a cup-and-ring
FIG. 88: STÖLE CUPULES.
motif and the cup-and-ring symbol.
The motif appears world-wide (Chapter 3), as an element within the
range of several rock art traditions, having a variable meaning in each
specific culture. The cup-and-ring symbol however, only appears in the
typical cup-and-ring art tradition belonging to the European Neolithic.
The true meaning of this symbol is still obscure, however.
The objective of this chapter is a major controversy in this respect:
should the Scandinavian cup-and-ring configuration be regarded just as
a motif, as a minor element within the Bronze Age rock art repertoire,
or does it represent the major symbol of the important Neolithic rock
art tradition, which possibly also diffused to Scandinavia, being part of
a pan-European religion ?
Unfortunately, in the past there has been little or no attention for the
position of the Scandinavian cup-and-ring motif, and as a result the
possibility that the cup-and-ring motif represents a Neolithic symbol in
the Scandinavian rock art repertoire, has been ignored. In most of the
studies dealing with Scandinavian rock art, the emphasis clearly and
understandably is on the overwhelming iconic material. Even studies
M. van HOEK: 111
GEOGRAPHY