Syrjäsalmi rock painting

There are two groups of paintings in the Syrjäsalmi rock painting area. The left-hand group contains two stick figures around 5.5 metres above the current water level and the right-hand, more extensive group spans three height levels, containing depictions of figures and a large patch of red colour. The rock paintings were painted with red ochre, possibly mixed with blood, fat or egg yolk. An opalescent layer of silica has accumulated over the millenia and protects the paintings from wear.

The rock paintings were painted onto 1.9-billion-year-old veined gneiss, consisting of dark mica gneiss and lighter granite veins and dikes.

We humans have a tendency to attribute human characteristics to inanimate objects. This is why people often see a human face in the rocks in the rock painting area. Half of the human face can also be found in the steep rock wall of Syrjäsalmi, above the rock paintings.

Image: Kaisa-Maria Remes