The warm autumn of 2006 brought not only new discoveries from four known ice sites (Lendbreen, Åndfonne, Storfonne, and Søre Dalfonn) but also finds from seven new ice patches, some near known sites and others in completely new areas. One of the most exciting finds was this arrow from AD 300-600, discovered in the southern Jotunheimen Mountains, an area that had never seen ice finds before.
It was becoming clear that the melt wasn’t just a freak event—it was linked to climate change, and we were at the starting line of a race to rescue invaluable artefacts. But we were also faced with huge challenges. We had to figure out where the sites were, how many there were, and how to recover the finds. With no funding and no understanding of the scale of the problem, the road ahead seemed tough and unpredictable. 🏔️(Post 9/9)
Another new site that revealed itself during the 2006 melt was the ice patch at Mount Lauvhøe, which produced this stunner of a crossbow bolt. It dates to the Late Medieval or the Early Post Medieval Period. This was just the beginning at Lauvhøe — there would be many more finds from this ice patch in the years to come. 🏔️ (Post 8/9)
The 2006 melt at Storfonne ice patch also revealed some fascinating finds, including three arrows. One of these was this well-preserved medieval arrow with a large iron arrowhead! Storfonne had already released many scaring sticks in 2002 and 2003, but in 2006, arrows began to appear as well. 🏔️ (Post 7/9)
(Photo: Museum of Cultural History)
After exploring the Lendbreen ice patch on September 28, 2006, the team moved on to Åndfonne ice patch, where they immediately noticed an incredible number of scaring sticks. They collected one as a sample (pictured), which was later radiocarbon-dated to be around 1,500 years old! Just look at the preservation – and this was only one of hundreds of scaring sticks found at the site! 🏔️
(Post 6/9)