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

* 1.5.3.1.1 It is remarkable that rock art concentrates at either
end of each zone; a large area in between is completely bereft of rock
art. This may point to two different times of occupation or to two
different tribes simultaneously having occupied the same area at
different places.
* 1.5.3.1.2 Indeed, notable discrepancies, whether caused by
tribal or chronological differences, are reflected in the rock art of
each zone. Although the number of single cupules in each zone is
roughly the same (western zone 317 cupules; eastern zone 312), there
are only four sites with altogether 47 single cupules in the south part
of the western zone (smaller figures at sites marked in Fig. 104)
against eighteen sites with altogether 217 single cupules scattered all
over the eastern zone (statistical information based on Mandt Larsen
1972 and my 1999 survey). The heavy concentration of cupules at
almost only one site in the western zone may indicate a focal point,
whereas the more scattered distribution of the eastern zone may
indicate a route.
* 1.5.3.1.3 A similar discrepancy may be noted with cup-and-ring
motifs (excluding (concentric) rings without central cupule). Each zone
has the same number of cup-and-ring motifs, 30 (larger figures in Fig.
104), but the western zone has more simple cup-and-ring art, whereas
the eastern zone is characterised by more complex art and
consequently has more ringmarks around a cupule; 81, against 53 in the
western zone (Fig. 104, the outer circles of the concentric pie-charts).
This difference becomes more evident when concentric rings without
central cupule are taken into consideration which occur more
abundantly at the eastern zone, especially at Vinje.
This stylistic difference may indicate that the western zone possibly
was occupied by the earlier groups that arrived in the area from
overseas, while the eastern group (which is out of sight from the open
sea – the Åkrafjorden) may for that reason be later or may represent
an overflow area for the western zone.
M. van HOEK: 132
GEOGRAPHY