How to capture the shadows of a northern past? Digital archaeology and Nordic Bronze Age rock art

Rock art is a fascinating and important legacy of pre-literate communities, offering rare and unique insights into their self-perceived identity and worldview. In Scandinavia rock carving peaked during the Bronze Age (1800-500 BC), leaving tens of thousands of motifs. These range from abstract to naturalistic, and depict objects and beings that inform research on cosmology, human-environment interaction, economy, etc. Often only millimetres deep, carvings are difficult to see with the naked eye. Natural features like ice lines can resemble carvings and are sometimes integrated into compositions, such as a spear shaft. Most rock art sites accumulate motifs over centuries and were reengaged leading to superimpositions, re-carving, updating, and the transformation of scenes and motifs.

As a result, rock art presents not only challenges to interpretation but also to recording, analysis, and archiving. This presentation offers an overview of a decade of 3D documentation, the development of new analytical methods, and findings from case studies. It also highlights the need for a new theoretical framework to address the growing role of artificial intelligence in archaeology.