Käymäjärvi Inscriptions, Ancient stone inscriptions in Pajala Municipality, Sweden
The Käymäjärvi Inscriptions are two rows of marks carved into a stone near Lake Käymäjärvi in Pajala Municipality. The marks span roughly 105 centimeters across and reach about 52.5 centimeters in height.
The stone was first recorded in 1689 by Olof Rudbeck Sr. in his work Atlantica. The site gained scholarly attention during the 1737 meridian measurement expedition that passed through the region.
The stone held special meaning for the Saami people, who saw the markings as messages left by their ancestors. This reverence shows how deeply connected the community was to the natural formations in their landscape.
The site sits about 26 kilometers northwest of Pajala and is registered in the Swedish National Heritage Board's database as Pajala 90:1. The location near the lake is easy to identify, though the terrain in this region can be rough and seasonally wet.
Research in 2018 revealed that the marks, long believed to be runic writing or inscriptions, actually formed through natural geological processes. This discovery reshaped scientific understanding of the site and shows how nature can create patterns that resemble human symbols.
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