- Address: Altaveien 19, 9518 Alta, Norway
- Contact phone: +47 41 75 63 30
- Website: www.alta.museum.no
In the Norwegian city of Alta , which is considered a place of northern lights and a variety of winter fun, unique prehistoric evidence of the ancestors of the Sami people who lived here has survived to this day. Rock paintings depict animals, geometric figures, various occupations of residents, etc. If you want to get in touch with the secrets of the ancient inhabitants and see their messages in the future, you should definitely go to Altu and visit its museum .
Location:
Rock paintings (petroglyphs) in Alta are located 5 km to the southwest from the center of the city of Alta, the Finnmark region in Norway . The distance from the Museum of Alta to Oslo is 1280 km to the north.
History of drawings and the Museum in Alte
For the first time rock carvings on the inner walls of the Alta Fjord were discovered in the 70s. XIX century, then it became the main sensation and an amazing archeological find. According to the assumptions of scientists, the drawings appeared here around 4200-4500 BC. and show that ancient people lived in prehistoric times near the Arctic Circle.
At first, about 5 thousand petroglyphs were found in 4-5 km from the center of Alta, then several years later, in the vicinity of the city, several dozen other places with rock carvings of ancestors were discovered. Many of them, unfortunately, are closed for visiting. Tourists are invited to visit the Museum of Alta, located near the city, and see with their own eyes the petroglyphs of the stone and the beginning of the Iron Age. All these ancient monuments of art are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The museum of petroglyphs in the Alta was opened in June 1991. Two years later he received the honorary title of "European Museum of the Year."
What interesting things can you see?
A historical reserve with petroglyphs is located inside the rock. According to the drawings one can make an idea of how ancient people lived in these parts, what they did, how they arranged their way of life, what was their culture and traditions , etc. Most often in rock paintings depict:
- animals (bears, moose, deer);
- household items (tools, boats, etc.);
- geometric forms and numbers, religious symbols;
- mystical beings;
- scenes of the ancient man's occupation (hunting, fishing, sailing, rituals and dances).
Under the assumptions of scientists, rock paintings appeared in 4 stages. The earliest of them were inscribed in about 4200 BC, and the most recent ones, which include images of livestock and farming - in 500 BC. The distance between the oldest upper figures and the later lower ones is 26 m.
Initially, the images were almost colorless. But for the convenience of studying the cave paintings by tourists, museum workers have made contours red. Some of the images are highlighted, for example, regarding the activities, culture and religious beliefs of ancient people.
Petroglyphs as a tourist object
The museum is located next to the largest mountain range in Northern Europe and includes about 3 km of the protected area. Tourist trails are laid along the park and 13 observation platforms are equipped. The tour is designed in such a way that tourists can see with their own eyes the most interesting places with petroglyphs and examine in detail the stone drawings. Of interest is the technique of knockouts on stone - a work produced by a stone chisel, a hammer and a chisel. Such images include both bas-reliefs and deep pits. Also, researchers and tourists are attracted to geometric ornaments, the meaning of which has not yet been deciphered.
Tour of the reserve and the museum of Alta lasts 45 minutes. It can be ordered in advance in many languages. After getting acquainted with the rock paintings, you can visit a gift shop and a cafe. You can stop 20 km from the city in a unique ice hotel.
Thanks to the rock paintings in Alta, scientists were able to learn both about the life of prehistoric people in the north of the planet, and to establish a connection between the tribes inhabiting the territories of present Norway, Finland and the north-western part of Russia.
How to get there?
To see the rock paintings and visit the Alta Museum, you can reach your destination by car or bus. In the first case, it is necessary to turn off the motorway E6 to Hyemenluft, continue on and drive 2.5 km from the village of Bossekop. The second option is easier, since a tourist bus leaving the city center will bring you directly to the museum.