Melting ice reveals arrows thousands of years old in Norway
Archaeologists found 48 prehistoric arrows in Innlandet’s mountain ice this year.
As ice retreats in the Norwegian mountains, objects from different periods are being exposed. Archaeologists from the Secrets of the Ice project found, among other things, an arrow estimated to be five to six thousand years old this year.
The finds come from the mountains of Innlandet in eastern Norway. Archaeologists have been working there for twenty years to locate and safeguard objects emerging from snowfields and patches of ice. The ice has sometimes preserved organic materials such as wood, leather and textiles exceptionally well.
During this year’s field campaign, 48 prehistoric arrows were found, according to project leader Espen Finstad. More than a hundred arrowheads and shafts have now been recorded at one ice patch. The oldest examples are made of materials including slate, shell and bone.
One of the new finds consists of a slate arrowhead and shaft. The archaeologists estimate its age at five to six thousand years by comparing it with arrows found previously. This is an archaeological dating based on material and comparable finds, not an exact measurement of one individual object.
The researchers also find younger objects, including iron arrowheads around one thousand to fifteen hundred years old. In previous years, clothing, shoes, skis and traces of reindeer hunting emerged from the ice. The mountain passes were therefore not only natural areas, but also places through which people and animals moved.
The finds are scientifically valuable because the ice protects fragile material that deteriorates quickly in the open air. Once an object is exposed, archaeologists must document, collect and conserve it. Bad weather, moisture and temperature fluctuations can damage the information within a short time.
The project therefore describes the melting ice patches as a rescue operation. The same climate change that makes new remains visible threatens the conditions that preserved them for centuries. The finds are not evidence of one sudden archaeological breakthrough, but of long-term fieldwork in a rapidly changing landscape.
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The text presents the findings as fieldwork results and makes the uncertainty of the age estimate explicit. The status of the research is not presented as greater than the sources justify.
- confirmed Forty-eight prehistoric arrows were found this year. — Project leader Espen Finstad gives this figure in ScienceNorway. source
- confirmed One arrow is estimated to be five to six thousand years old. — Forskning.no describes the estimate and the comparison with earlier finds. source
- confirmed More than a hundred arrowheads and shafts have been found at one ice patch. — ScienceNorway gives this figure. source
Editor's note
The figures and finds come from the archaeology project and the journalism covering the research. The age of the oldest arrow is an estimate based on comparison; it is not a new peer-reviewed dating.Sources
- 6,000-year-old Stone Age arrows emerge from melting ice in Norway — ScienceNorway
- Nå forsvinner den eldste isen: Her smelter steinalderen frem — forskning.no
- Glacier Archaeology Program in Innlandet — Climate Park 2469