description Litsleby Petroglyphs Overview
The Litsleby Petroglyphs are a Bronze Age rock carving panel located in Tanum, western Sweden, within the UNESCO World Heritage property known as the Rock Carvings in Tanum. The site is dominated by a large figure known as the Litsleby god, a carved male approximately 2.3 meters tall, sometimes interpreted as a deity, armed with a spear or axe. The carvings date from the Nordic Bronze Age (roughly 1800–500 BCE) and are incised into smooth granite bedrock.
help Litsleby Petroglyphs FAQ
Who is the giant figure carved at Litsleby?
The dominant figure is a roughly 2.3-meter-tall warrior conventionally called the Spear God. The name is interpretive rather than the known identity of a documented Bronze Age deity.
What other images appear on the Litsleby rock panel?
The panel includes ships, animals, cup marks, human figures, weapons, and warriors on horseback. Some motifs were added in different phases, so the surface records more than one episode of Bronze Age carving.
Is Litsleby part of the Tanum UNESCO site?
Yes, Litsleby is one of the principal panels within the Rock Carvings in Tanum World Heritage property in Bohuslän, Sweden. UNESCO added the wider Tanum complex to the World Heritage List in 1994.
Why are some Litsleby carvings painted red?
Modern red pigment has been applied to selected grooves to make the shallow images easier for visitors to recognize. The paint is not surviving Bronze Age color and should not be mistaken for part of the original carving process.
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