Vandalism hurts Norwegian rock carvings

Norwegian archaeologists believe the vandals who damaged ancient rock carvings are actually people with misguided ideas on making them more visible.

The tools used on the carvings include felt-tip pens, nail polish and stones with sharp edges, Aftenposten reports. The carvings or petroglyphs are found in southern Norway.

"We will try to remove the ink, but the point is that the rock face is already weathered and broken down by nature, and the last thing they need is more wear and tear. This is very unfortunate," archaeologist Linda Nordeide told Fredriksstad Blad, a local newspaper.

Nordeide said that she and her colleagues have decided against a police investigation. Instead, they hope to educate the public and to make the carvings more visible in ways that will not damage them.

"There will be more signs and we plan to install floodlights so that the carvings can be seen better," Nordeide said. "This can be very beautiful, particularly in the evenings. We hope that this will also help people to respect their age and to take more care."

Copyright 2007 by United Press International