Carschenna, Bronze Age petroglyphs in Sils im Domleschg, Switzerland.
Carschenna is a Bronze Age rock carving site featuring over 200 images carved into stone, including concentric rings with central points, animal figures, and depictions of people on horseback with laden animals. The motifs spread across several rock surfaces and reveal the artistic techniques and subjects that mattered to people of that era.
The rock carvings were created during the Bronze Age and came to light in 1965 when power lines were being constructed. Further artworks at nearby locations surfaced in 1984 and 1996, revealing that people used this area across many centuries.
The name Carschen comes from Romansh and means rising moon, pointing to the spiritual significance this location held for ancient people. The carvings sit along an old travel route, suggesting the site served as a meeting place with special meaning for those passing through.
The site requires a 10-minute walk from the parking area and sits at roughly 1000 meters elevation in a working forest. The best time to visit is when weather is mild and the paths are dry and safe to walk on.
The carvings sit where old travel routes passed that detoured around the steep Viamala gorge. This suggests that travelers and traders stopped at this spot, treating the artworks as spiritual markers of an important journey.
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