Norrforsen are rapids in the Ume River in Sweden, between the villages of Norrfors and Sörfors 15 kilometers west of Umeå.[1] The rapids are located downriver from the dam of the hydroelectric power station at Stornorrfors.
At Truthällorna, an island that is underwater when the upriver dam gates are opened, are a number of ancient rock carvings. The petroglyphs are believed to have been carved by hunter-gatherer people between 3,000-2,000 BCE.[2][3] The carvings were discovered in 1984 by a group of archaeology students from Umeå University.[4]
The people made these carvings likely survived the winter in part by hunting moose (sv. älgar, also translated as elk).[4] The majority of the carvings depict moose along with images of boats, a human figure, and unidentified fragment carvings.[5] Note that these are petroglyphs (carvings) and not rock paintings; it is common to paint petroglyphs red in Scandinavia, to make them more visible.[6]
Depiction of a female moose
Depictions of moose
Depiction of a male moose
Rock carvings at Norrforsen
Archeological site of the petroglyphs.
