The carvings were made over a period of about 5000 years from around 5200 BC. The wide variety of imagery shows a culture of hunter-gathers that herded reindeer, built fences, built boats and fished (although Haddock seem to be the only fish represented.) Due to the effects of post-glacial rebound the whole of Scandanavia started to rise at a considerable rate out of the ocean after the end of the last ice age. In fact it might have been so fast as to be noticeable during the lifetime of individual humans during the time Alta's rock drawings were created. There are overwhelming indications that the carvings were originally located directly on the shoreline and were gradually lifted to their present-day positions several dozen metres inland.
