The ice in the high mountains is melting due to climate change. Archaeological finds, mostly from reindeer hunting and mountain travel, are melting out of the glacial ice in Scandinavia, the Alps and North America. The artefacts are remarkably well preserved. The ice has acted like a time machine, preserving the finds through millenia like a giant prehistoric deep-freezer. This is …
fThe Lendbreen ice patch, September 1974. Young student Per Dagsgard from Skjåk was visiting the ice patch to search for remains from ancient reindeer hunting. Little did he know that he would make the archaeological discovery of a lifetime on this day – a find still surrounded by mystery. The Discovery Dagsgard hiked from the …
Ever since we started publishing pictures of our crew holding artifacts without using gloves, we have taken some heat in the Facebook comment sections. People have been worrying (or even cringing) about bad effects of touching the artifacts with bare hands. Their worry is that this could contaminate the artifacts with body oils or DNA. This …
Finally, the long wait was over and we were so ready for fieldwork! We had chosen two large sites for the main fieldwork in 2017 – the Lauvhøe and Storfonne ice patches, both situated in the northeastern part of the Jotunheimen Mountains. More details on why these two particular sites were chosen can be found here. Both sites …
One of the great things about archaeology is when you get to survey a new area with little prior information. What discoveries are waiting out there? This time we headed out to do an initial survey of a historical trail crossing two glaciers in the heart of the Jotunheimen Mountains. The trail has not been surveyed by …
Mountain trails crossing ice can be treasure troves of archaeological material. People lost or threw away all kinds of stuff on their way. If the objects were lost on the ice, they can still be preserved even though millennia has passed. You can find corpses, clothing, household items and dead pack animals. What more can you wish …
It is February. I am at an ice patch together with my colleagues. It should be freezing cold, but instead the ice is melting. A thick layer of ancient reindeer dung is exposed on the surface of the ice patch, mixed with archaeological finds. What is going on? We should not have a melt for …
Ever since we started our fieldwork, we have received many offers from people who want to come and help us. We really appreciate that, but so far we have only rarely accepted volunteers. The main reason is the unpredictable weather conditions, which may lead to cancellation or rescheduling of fieldwork on very short notice. This …
The archaeology of snow and ice does not get any more extreme than on Mount Everest. High altitude, thin air, strong winds, constant cold and a 2000 m drop on one side of the survey area – this is glacial archaeology on steroids. The reward could be solving the greatest mountaineering mystery of all. The history of the attempts to climb the …
I remember shaking my head in disbelief when we found what looked like a giant wooden slingshot, melting out of the ice. When we discovered what the object really was, we got even more excited. It opened the door to a unknown prehistoric world of ice and snow. The discovery It was August 4th 2011, the …