An article on norwaytoday - Several thousand year old petroglyphs vandalized - reports on the damage to the prehistoric rock carvings at Tro in Norway.

The 5,000 year old 'Skie' carving (top left). The carving after the damage (bottom left. Image: Nordland Fylkeskommune). Pictograms from the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics inspied by the petroglyphs.

One carving in particular which has been vandalized is the 'Skie' which inspired the pictograms of the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994. A sharp object was used to make scratches on the inside and outside of the 5,000 year old petroglyph, taking it beyond repair states county archaeologist Tor-Kristian Storvik.

Damage to prehistoric rock carvings in #Norway #archaeology #RockArt #preservation https://t.co/AUCxG0bk6T pic.twitter.com/vVE1J0WFMq

— Bradshaw Foundation (@BradshawFND) August 1, 2016

Two Norwegian youths responsible for the damage claimed they had been trying to improve the historical site by carving over the outline of the figure to make it easier to see.

The carvings are part of what is called the Valen Field, depicting a hunting scene. The site is on the west-coast island of Tro; it is one of the country's most famous rock art sites, providing some of the earliest evidence of skiing in the world.

Visit the Rock Art of Scandinavia Archive:

http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/scandinavia/index.php