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

Such human figures have been labelled “disc-men” by Coles (1990: 18),
but true anthropomorphic discs – humans comprising flat-bottomed
circular areas superficially recessed from the rock - are rare. There is
one disc at Hamn, which seems to be legged (Fig. 148.D) and at Fossum
there is a legged disc with two heads and a sword scabbard (Fig.
150.4). At Finntorp there are several true “disc-men”, one with a long
horizontal groove, legs and scabbard (Fig. 150.13). All other known
examples of “disc-men” represent human figures with no actual disc,
but instead a ring-motif comprising up to three circles, with or without
a central cupule or a cross mark.
Generally, a cup-and-ring motif replaces the trunk of the human figure.
There are, however, three exceptions. At Skjeberg, Østfold, there is a
human holding a cup-and-one-ring in his hand (Fig. 150.1), interpreted
possibly correctly by Wanke (1999: 35) as an “adoranten” holding a
solar symbol in his hand. But are both elements contemporary ? At
Kalleby, Bohuslän (Fig. 150.2), a possible Neolithic cup-and-ring is
found to represent the head of a human figure (Milstreu 1997: 74),
although it has been argued that the head of this figure has been
replaced by a “sun”-bull symbol (Wanke 1999: 19), possibly in analogy
with the “solar” animals at Jatteberget (Fig. 164.B). Also at
Evenstorp, Dalsland, Sweden, there is an anthropomorphic figure with a
possible earlier cup-and-one-ring as a head (Fig. 150.3) while on the
same large outcrop there is a fine cup-and-four-rings (Fig. 94. B).
Many “disc-men” have two characteristics; often a typical long
horizontal groove, just above the trunk, and always an outsized circular
trunk. This trunk certainly looks alien, especially when compared with
the standard types of anthropomorphic engravings in this part of
Scandinavia (Fig. 150.18).
There are now two possibilities: the circular
part is much older, or it is contemporary with
the human elements. If the cup-and-ring
motif indeed existed long before the human
parts were added, the circular motif was
clearly much respected by Bronze Age people.
When the circular trunk was simultaneously
engraved (but never superimposed !) by
Bronze Age people, it certainly must have had
a special meaning within their own culture,
but then one may wonder why so few examples
are found and why only in Bohuslän ? Was
Bohuslän perhaps one of the first-contact
areas for Bronze Age peoples in Scandinavia ?
There is another observation. Near Fossum,
just east of Tanum in Bohuslän, a recently
FIG. 151: FOSSUM
discovered rock art panel, T1749 (Fig. 151),
M. van HOEK: 189
GEOGRAPHY