Ice patches are not just natural freezers — they are fragile archives of past human activity. The objects they preserve, from arrows and shoes to tools and textiles, tell us stories that would otherwise be lost.

The photo shows an Iron Age arrow with its front still embedded in the ice, while the back end, including the fletching, has melted out. This striking image illustrates how ice can preserve even delicate details for centuries until melt exposes them. This arrow is so well preserved that it has probably been out of the ice no more than once since it was lost during reindeer hunting 1,500 years ago. At that time, it was flushed by meltwater to the front of the ice and quickly re-covered by ice.

These ice archives are highly sensitive to environmental change. Even small increases in temperature accelerate melting, and once objects leave the ice, they are exposed to the elements and degrade quickly. Human-caused climate change is speeding up these processes.

Every artefact recovered gives us a snapshot of the past, but it also reminds us that these windows into human history are shrinking. By studying the objects and the ice that preserved them, we can learn not only about ancient human activity, but also about how mountain environments are responding to rapid environmental change.

This week, we have shared a series explaining how artefacts are lost into the ice, how they are preserved, and what happens to them once they melt out — and what role global warming plays in their exposure. Thank you for following along! ...

After artefacts are washed down the ice surface by meltwater and end up on the ground in front of ice patches, their story isn’t over. Ice patches are very sensitive to changes in weather and climate and can advance or retreat from year to year, meaning objects may be exposed, covered, and exposed again.

The photo shows Iron Age scaring sticks lying in front of a small ice patch in Jotunheimen, with a team member pointing to them. These fragile wooden objects have survived for centuries in the ice, but each period of exposure subjects them to the elements, causing cracks, rot, and other damage.

While exposure and reburial have always happened naturally, recent warming is increasing the speed and extent of melting, putting artefacts at greater risk of damage once they leave the ice.

This week, we are doing a series that explains how artefacts are lost into the ice, how they are preserved, and what happens to them once they melt out. This is the fourth of five posts. ...

Once artefacts melt out of the ice, they rarely stay on the ice surface. Meltwater quickly carries them downslope, and they usually end up on the ground at the edge of the ice. This is why most finds are discovered there.

Sometimes we are lucky enough to catch a find still on the ice surface. The photo shows a 500-year-old wooden box with leather straps, found on the upper part of Lendbreen in 2019. When opened, it contained the remains of a beeswax candle!

Today, warmer summers and increased melt from climate change mean that objects are emerging in great numbers, exposing them to degradation and eventual destruction if they are not recovered quickly.

This week, we are doing a series that explains how artefacts are lost into the ice, how they are preserved, and what happens to them once they melt out. This is the third of five posts. ...