We just got an exciting report from our colleague Jostein Bergstøl, who checked a known ice site in southern Jotunheimen. He found a Stone Age arrow! ❤️
While not as well-preserved as the Iron Age arrows we discovered at Lendbreen last week, this find is still incredibly valuable. The arrow is broken into six parts and incomplete, but it`s offering us fascinating insights:
• The arrow shaft is made from a shoot of Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum), a shrub with poisonous berries that still grows locally.
• Fly Honeysuckle is easily identifiable in arrow shafts due to its unique hollow inner core.
• Our findings suggest that Fly Honeysuckle shoots were regularly used for Stone Age arrow shafts, and occasionally even into the Iron Age.
This discovery provides information about the past that we would never have gained without the ice finds. It`s a perfect example of how melting ice is revealing secrets of ancient technology and resource use!
#StoneAgeArchery #GlacialArchaeology #AncientTechnology
Last night at Lendbreen. ❤️
The picture shows our basecamp under a starry sky, a serene end to an incredible week of fieldwork. Despite the peaceful scene, the forecast warns of incoming bad weather.
We`ve decided to make today our final day at the site. We`re now packing up camp and preparing our equipment for horse transport down the mountain later this week.
As a last adventure, three of our team members have ventured to a nearby small ice patch, hoping for some last-minute discoveries!
It`s been an amazing week full of exciting finds and new insights into the past. We`re grateful for this opportunity and can`t wait to share more about our discoveries in the future!
After a closer look at the ice near the Iron Age arrow shaft, we also found the arrowhead! Now we have a complete 1500-year-old arrow from, this site. Great stuff❤
We have now checked the ground for arrows around the whole edge of the ice patch. The survey will now move onto the ice. If we discover further finds, we promise to be back with a report.
What a great start to our survey at the new site today: An Iron Age arrow shaft just lying there on the glacial ice!❤ It is around 1500 years old.
This is a reindeer hunting site where we have done fieldwork previously. Finds from this site so far date from the Bronze Age to the Medieval Period. The ice patch has now taken a massive hit from melting. We are running out of time, as the weather forecast is not great, so let`s go!