White Sea Petroglyphs

Around two thousand figures are cut into the flat granite of islands in the lower Vyg near Belomorsk, made roughly six to seven thousand years ago by people of the White Sea coast, and they are narrative rather than decorative: hunts shown as sequences, with skiers tracking elk across the rock, hunters in boats after whales and seals, dogs, birds, and the tracks the hunters left. The best known group at New Zalavruga includes a line of human footprints carved into the stone leading towards the scenes, which reads as a deliberate device. The carvings sit on rock scoured smooth by the river and are shallow, so they show best in low sun from the side; in flat midday light many are almost invisible. They were listed by UNESCO in 2021 together with the Onega petroglyphs further south, which are a different set with different subjects. Boardwalks protect the surfaces.

What to look for

• The hunt sequences - skiers tracking elk and boats after whales, shown as narratives.
• The carved footprints - a line of human tracks cut into the rock towards the scenes.
• The smoothed granite - shallow figures on rock scoured flat by the river.
• The listing - part of a 2021 inscription shared with the Onega petroglyphs.

When to go

June to September. Two to three hours. Early morning or evening light shows the carvings; midday flattens them.

What to expect

In flat light many carvings are hard to make out at all, and there is no way to know the conditions in advance. Mosquitoes are severe. Boardwalks restrict where you can stand. Belomorsk is a small worn town with limited services, and the site closes in winter.

Nearby

Belomorsk and the White Sea canal are close; the Onega petroglyphs are far to the south.

Key facts