The winter of 2012/2013 saw less snowfall than usual, accompanied by a considerable melt. However, the remaining snow from the 2011/2012 winter was still substantial, resulting in overall snow conditions that fell within the normal range. It was only in 2014 that we truly returned to pre-2012 snow and ice conditions. This pattern has since proved typical—an initial major melt, followed by an accumulation of extra snow that often takes two summers to disappear, before another significant melt. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.
In 2013, two new members joined the main field team. Alongside Elling and Lars, Runar Leifsson from Iceland and Tessa de Roo from Canada took part in the fieldwork. Both were PhD students at Cambridge University at the time. James H. Barrett also participated in part of the fieldwork.
As usual, this annual post focuses on the main fieldwork and finds. In 2013, we revisited key sites such as Lendbreen and Trollsteinhøe, as shown on the accompanying map.
Lendbreen Ice Patch
We returned to the Lendbreen ice patch in mid-August. After hiking up, we set up base camp in front of the ice. As usual, packhorses carried most of the heavy equipment. The next morning, we woke to find the camp covered in snow.
With the ground obscured, surveying at Lendbreen was impossible. Hoping for better conditions, we checked nearby Åndfonne ice patch, as snowfall can be highly localised, but it was no better there. In the end, we had to wait three days for the snow to melt before we could begin surveying at Lendbreen.
We had originally planned to spend a week surveying, but due to the difficult weather, we only had three days. We focused our efforts on the eastern side of the ice and along the upper edge of the ice. Despite the limited time, we recovered a significant number of finds, including textiles, horse bones, and horseshoe nails. Notably, we also discovered a fourth piece of the Bronze Age ski, found near the two pieces recovered in 2012.
Trollsteinhøe Ice Patch
After a brief rest in the mountain village of Lom, we made preparations for heading up to our Trollsteinhøe site, first discovered in 2011 and surveyed in 2012.
After stocking up on supplies in Lom, we hiked in and set up camp in the afternoon. Early the next morning, we ascended to the ice patch, located above 2000 metres.
The goal of the 2013 Trollsteinhøe survey was to record the locations of all exposed finds and collect a selection of them. There was not enough time for a complete recovery, and we would need to return twice more to accomplish this.
Among the finds recovered from Trollsteinhøe were two well-preserved arrows, both with remnants of fletching. They date to AD 300–600. One still had its iron arrowhead securely attached at the front with sinew lashings.
The other arrow featured an impressive iron arrowhead, measuring 18 cm in length and weighing 32 g. To this day, it holds the record for size and weight among the arrowheads found at our ice sites in Innlandet.
Kvitingskjølen
After completing fieldwork at Trollsteinhøe, the team moved on to a site in the Kvitingskjølen massif in Jotunheimen. We first discovered this site in 2011 during an exploratory survey. This time, the team returned for a systematic investigation.
There was more snow on the site than in 2011. Nevertheless, we discovered additional arrows in areas that had not been covered by the initial survey.
One of the arrows yielded a radiocarbon date of 1800 BC, marking the transition between the Late Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age.
In the following years, we would return to the site to recover even more arrows.
On the hike out, we visited a pitfall trapping system for reindeer, which cuts across the valley leading up to the ice site. It served as a reminder that hunting reindeer on the ice was just one of several methods used in the past for hunting reindeer .
An Isolated Peak in Jotunheimen
Fieldwork was nearing its end but not quite. For a long time, we had set our sights on an ice patch on an isolated peak in the Jotunheimen Mountains, not far from the Trollsteinhøe site. It looked promising but it was really high, at above 2,200 metres. Now the time had come to check it out. In early September, Elling and Reidar set out on a day hike to this ice patch. If they made a discovery, it would become our highest-elevation site and find.
After a long and strenuous ascent, they were thrilled to find exactly what they had been hoping for—a Viking Age arrow, complete with both arrowhead and shaft. The Vikings had been up here hunting reindeer 1,000 years ago! Now we knew that their hunts reached even the highest peaks. The arrowhead was still embedded in the ice, and Elling and Reidar had to carefully thaw it out using lukewarm water.
Public Outreach in 2013
The 2011 discovery of the Iron Age tunic in the Lendbreen pass was about to be published in the scientific journal Antiquity. As this was a highly significant archaeological find, we decided to hold a press conference at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo to announce it. At the same event, a formal long-term cooperation agreement was signed between the County Council, the Museum of Cultural History, the Mountain Museum, and the Climate Park. The parties agreed to further collaboration on finds rescue, scientific research and public outreach.
In addition to the national coverage, Reuters, BBC and Der Spiegel carried news stories about the tunic. Der Spiegel also published a story about the Lendbreen site later that year.
In June, an exhibition showcasing our discoveries opened at the Norwegian Mountain Museum. It featured many of our finds, including the now-famous tunic. The refrigerated display case, first introduced in 2011, was carried over into the new exhibition. In fact, it is still used today to display fresh finds from each field season.
Summing Up 2013
Based on the extent of snow and ice melt, as well as the number of finds, 2013 was a typical field season for us. We revisited known sites such as Lendbreen and Trollsteinhøe, recovering several exceptionally well-preserved Iron Age arrows.
We also set a new altitude record for ice finds in Innlandet with the discovery of a Viking Age arrow at 2,200 metres.
By the end of the 2013 field season, most of the excess snow from 2011/2012 had melted away. Looking ahead, we anticipated what 2014 would bring—another major melt.