Prehistoric Scandinavian rock art displays scenes of warriors and long, narrow boats. Are these figures showing some kind of Bronze Age Vikings?

The world famous ancient petroglyphs in Sweden, dating to the Nordic Bronze Age, portray a world of swordwielding warriors and their ships. But these figures holding aloft axes and spears and shields are usually said to be carrying out rituals, not warfare.

Is that true? Are there any scenes of violence here amongst the thousands of weaponbearers?

If this is about ritual then what were the rituals for?

And what can all this tell us about the lives of these seaborne Nordic warriors who lived 3500 years ago?

If you enjoy my videos please consider supporting the channel

Patreon ➜   / dandavisauthor  
PayPal ➜ https://paypal.me/DanDavisAuthor
Kofi ➜ https://kofi.com/dandavis

My Books

Godborn: Gods of Bronze 1 ➜ https://amzn.to/3nm2au1
All my books on Amazon ➜ https://amzn.to/3xngwz5

My Links

Website http://dandavisauthor.com/
Facebook:   / dandavisauthor  
Twitter:   / dandaviswrites  
Instagram:   / dandavisauthor  

Video Sources

Warfare in Bronze Age Society Christian Horn & Kristian Kristiansen ​➜ https://amzn.to/3z6ZtBN
Warriors and Weapons in Bronze Age Europe Anthony Harding ➜ https://amzn.to/383sToE
Elevated Rock Art: Towards a maritime understanding of Bronze Age rock art in northern Bohuslän, Sweden Johan Ling ➜ https://amzn.to/2WAffqd
Rock Art and Seascapes in Uppland Johan Ling ➜ https://amzn.to/3mFB4jd
Researchers papers by Andreas Toreld ➜ https://independent.academia.edu/Andr...

The rock art even in this one region is so complex it defies a single explanation. The truth is there is a huge amount going on, there are so many interpretations that I didn't have time to touch on.

For one thing there is the obvious tumescence of many of the warriors. This is partly what leads researchers to conclude these are fertility rites and shows these figures are not engaging in combat unless we are to believe they did so in a state of undress and arousal. Which is possible of course. However, this could also be interpreted as a sign of masculinity. These are not boys or old men but men in the prime of their virility. It is a sign of their strength and power.

The above links include affiliate links which means we will earn a small commission from your purchases at no additional cost to you which is a way to support the channel.

Chapters

00:00 Prehistoric Rock Art
03:10 Depictions of Warfare
05:30 The Nordic Bronze Age
06:18 Real Life Violence
07:58 Bronze Age War Canoes
09:45 Rituals for Maritime Warriors
12:00 Were they like Vikings?
15:37 Chiefs and Kings