Boys Damage Norway's Most Famous Stone-Age Artwork Trying to Make It Easier to See

This article originally appeared on artnet News.The thing about ancient rock art is that it can be somewhat difficult to make out. With that in mind, two Norwegian boys set out to make their countrys most famous Stone Age work more legibleand nearly destroyed the 5,000-year-old carving in the process.Its a tragedy, because its one of the most famous Norwegian historical sites, said Brd Anders Lang, mayor of the nearby municipality of Alstahaug, to Norways theLocal.The carving, which is located on the island of Tro, shows a crudely drawn figure on skis. It is thought to be among the earliest illustrations of the skiing, and was the basis for the pictograms used for each sport during the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.The perpetrators came forward last week to apologize for their actions after the vandalism was reported to the police as a violation of the Cultural Heritage Act.The boys, whose names have not been released, also damaged a nearby carving of a whale in their efforts to make the ancient markings more visible. Now, experts are saying the damage could be irreversible.Its a sad, sad story,said Tor-Kristian Storvik, the official archaeologist of Norways Nordland County, to the Telegraph. The new lines are both in and outside where the old marks had been.Damage to ancient rock art is not an uncommon occurrence, unfortunately. A group of geology students last summerwrote their names on the site of ancient Native American rock art.In Tasmania, Australia, racially-motivatedvandals destroyed Aboriginal hand stencils in June. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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