Archaeologists in Norway are making remarkable discoveries as the country’s glaciers continue to melt, exposing artifacts that have been trapped in ice for centuries. From well-preserved arrows and tools to unexpected objects like a wooden whisk, these finds are providing new insights into the daily lives, trade networks, and hunting practices of past civilizations.
A Frozen Time Capsule
The retreating glaciers of Norway are revealing a wealth of artifacts that have been preserved in ice for centuries, sometimes even millennia.
This phenomenon is not unique to Norway, but the country leads the field of glacial archaeology, accounting for more than half of the world’s discoveries in this area.
The research program Secrets of the Ice, co-led by archaeologist Espen Finstad, has unearthed over 4,500 artifacts in the past two decades.
Among these discoveries are items that reflect how people hunted, traveled, and traded across Norway’s mountains from the Stone Age through the Viking and Medieval eras. The melting ice has preserved wooden objects, textiles, and leather items that would have otherwise degraded over time.
Trade and Hunting Routes Lost To Time
Many of the artifacts uncovered in the ice suggest that Norway’s mountains once served as important trade routes. Archaeologists believe that for thousands of years, travelers crossed the glaciers to transport goods between the coast and inland regions.
One of the most common finds in these glacial sites is arrows, used for hunting reindeer. During the Iron Age and Medieval period, reindeer hunting was a major industry in Norway, with hunters targeting animals that migrated to the ice to escape botflies in the summer.
Some arrows discovered in the ice are so well-preserved that their fletching—the feathers used to stabilize them in flight—remains intact, a rarity in archaeological finds.
The 2024 Field Season’s Unexpected Discoveries
The summer of 2024 was one of the most productive excavation seasons for glacial archaeologists in Norway. Heavy melting late in the season led to an influx of new finds. The team, consisting of about seven archaeologists, visited nearly a dozen sites across the mountains.
Among the most exciting discoveries was a 1,300-year-old arrow found lying on top of the ice, rather than buried within it. This level of preservation is rare, and the find was described as a “gift” by Finstad.
In addition to arrows, the team found objects that remain a mystery, including a small wooden artifact whose purpose is still unknown.
The Mystery Of Lost Objects
While many of the artifacts discovered in the ice have clear uses, others leave archaeologists searching for answers. Some small wooden, leather, and textile objects found at Lendbreen in 2024 have yet to be identified.
These ones, likely everyday items from the Viking Age or even earlier, offer a rare glimpse into the lives of people whose belongings would have otherwise decomposed over time.
One intriguing find is a fragment of leather or hide with visible seams, which may be part of a shoe. Another is a medieval horseshoe, further evidence of the well-traveled routes across the mountains.
Some objects are even more difficult to classify, such as a whisk-like wooden tool that does not match any known historical artifacts.
What’s Next For Glacial Archaeology?
Despite the rush of discoveries in 2024, the field season was cut short by heavy snowfall, preventing archaeologists from fully excavating some promising sites. However, this has given them clear targets for the upcoming summer season, when they plan to return and explore these areas further.
The urgency of this work is increasing as climate change accelerates glacial melting. While this process is exposing valuable historical artifacts, it also means that objects once preserved in ice are now at risk of decomposing or being lost forever.
