The newly mown hay on the farms at Vangdalsberget tell of the landscape of the scythe, it takes us a couple of thousand years backward in time, to the prehistoric farmer. But the rock inscriptions on the rocks in the background bear witness to an even older agricultural landscape. (Svein Nord).
Farmers and Settlements
From 4,500 to 5,000 years ago most of Hordaland was a landscape of forest, right out to the coast and the islands. With our inner eye we can see old oak trees putting their stamp on the heat-loving deciduous forest. Here red deer, elk and wild boar dominated, but there was also bear and other predators. Here and there, especially in outer districts were clearings and open areas of grass on the beaches. Here there are herds of cattle and sheep and goats. Inside simple enclosures and frail fences of branches and poles are small patches of tilled ground. Lean spikes of barley flash yellow between stones and stubble. The large fields, cleared of stones still belong to the future, but people have begun to transform nature and take command over the land. A new style of living and a new culture is in preparation.
The grave mound at Vikingnes bears witness to the ancient power of the chieftain in outer Hardanger (Svein Nord).
