Saraakallio rock paintings ( fi, Saraakallion kalliomaalaukset) are situated in

Central Finland Central Finland ( fi, Keski-Suomi; sv, Mellersta Finland) is a Regions of Finland, region ( / ) in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Northern Savonia, No ...

. The rock site lies on the eastern shore of Lake

Saraavesi Saraavesi is a medium-sized lake in Laukaa, Finland. It flows to lake Leppävesi via Kuhankoski rapids. The lake is part of Keitele Canal, a waterway connecting Lake Keitele and Päijänne. Saraakallio rock paintings are located on the shore of S ...

, opposite the village center of

Laukaa Laukaa (; sv, Laukas) is a municipality of Finland. It is located next to Jyväskylä and is part of the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The ...

. The rocky cliff of Saraakallio is an impressive landmark rising on the shore of the lake. An important water route

Keitele Canal Keitele Canal is water route in Central Finland. It is about 45 km long. The canal consists of six lakes and five self-service locks. The canal connects two biggest lakes in Central Finland, Lake Päijänne and Lake Keitele, thus forming a wat ...

runs in front of the paintings. There are two art areas, Saraakallio I and Saraakallio II. It is difficult to count and list all the paintings of Saraakallio, partly because they are so many and varied, partly because many of them are blurred, fragmentary or have been painted over. The amount of pictures is between 50–200, and therefore it is the biggest rock art area in Finland. The main examinations of Saraakallio are made by amateur archaeologist Pekka Kivikäs. Oldest paintings are circa 6600 years old. The most common themes in Saraakallio paintings are deer, human, and boat figures. Saraakallio rock paintings are made by using red paint, which is made of

hematite Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of . ...

-containing soil mixed presumably with blood, urea and eggs.Visiting Saraakallio rock paintings
Jyväskylä University. Retrieved 2014-02-22.

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Pictures of Saraakallio I

{{coord, 62, 25.03, N, 25, 59.80, E, type:landmark__region:FI-LS, display=title Archaeology of Finland Rock art in Europe

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

Laukaa

See also

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