Location: 12 km from Belomorsk Map
Belomorsk Petroglyphs is a collection of ancient art that date back to the 4th and 3rd millenia BC. It is located in the Belomorsky District on the islands of Vyg river. Little is known about people who created them, but it is likely to have significant religious meaning given their isolation in the middle of the river. Belomorsk Petroglyphs are located near a town of Zalavruga on the islands of river Vyg or Vig, about 12 km from Belomorsk. There is no direct road to the site, but you can hike from a village of Vygostrov for 2 km (just over a mile). Despite numerous expeditions here, many of petroglyphs are being discovered by scientists, locals and even tourists who venture off beaten path. In addition to petroglyphs archeologists discovered numerous artifacts from the life of common people, including ceramics, stone and iron tools and many others.
Belomorsk Petroglyphs were first described in 1926 by a Karelian writer and ethnographer Alexander Linevsky. Local natives called it "demons footprints" and knew very little about their origins or purpose. The only thing they could do is show their location to the scientists. People who created them first painted shapes with natural dyes and later used stone and metal tools to leave deep marks that survived centuries of erosions by natural elements. Despite scarcity of information about people who created them, Belomorsk Petroglyphs tell great deal about ancient tribes that once lived there and the nature that surrounded them. Stone Art depicts animals that these people once hunted including bears, deer, elk, various bird and marine animals. Additionaly you can clearly see present of skis on some of the figures, some of the oldest in the World.
At the centerpiece of Belomorsk Petroglyphs is a rock depicts three life-size deers that follow each other in a line, another chain of animals are passing under their feet and block the way for people on boats. These figures reflects the hunt for deer in the autumn months as reindeer cross the river when they migrate from north to south. Additional clue is in the skis that some hunters use to track animals on land.
There are also pictures with the theme of war: the battle is depicted on the rock with the foreign soldiers on boats who invaded the territory of ancient people living here. It seems that these invaders came on boats to subjugate native tribes and judging by their relatively small size and position their raid was unsuccessful. Native tribes managed to beat back the enemy and record their victory on Belomorsk Petroglyphs.
An interesting unique feature of Belomorsk Petroglyphs is that the humans are taking the center stage in various rock art spread on these islands. Ancient people put themselves as the center of their attention. It is a history recorded in stone rather than religious iconography requesting success in hunts or war. Belomorsk Petroglyphs indicate an enormous progress of the human race on view of themselves in this world and the nature that surrounds them.