What ancient Viking artifacts discovered on a melting glacier told archaeologists

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Global warming and abnormal heat have caused glaciers to melt in many Scandinavian countries. The hot summer sun melted the ice on the Lomseggen mountain range and revealed a long-lost mountain pass that was used as far back as the Viking Age. This was the path that connected the Beverdalen and Ottadalen valleys. On this route, thanks to the melted glacier, archaeologists have discovered priceless artifacts of an ancient civilization dating back to the 5th century!

This road was used by those who moved from permanent farms in the valleys to farms at high altitudes. It is likely that many have traveled a much longer journey from Norway.

Some of the things that archaeologists have discovered belong to the Iron Age. A large amount of horse dung was found at the pass. This allows us to conclude that the road was used quite actively. Archaeologists have so far managed to find just over a thousand different ancient artifacts. All of them have undergone carbon analysis. Things have been perfectly preserved due to the fact that they were in the ice, and after all, more than a thousand years have passed!

Dr Lars Holger Piehle, co-director of the Glacier Archeology Program at Oppland County Council in Norway, started archaeological excavations in the area back in 2011. This happened after a perfectly preserved Iron Age tunic from Lendbrin was found.

A small shelter in the rock was found at the pass. There were also cairns made of stones that served as road signs for travelers from Norway. Dr. Pileux believes that this route has been quite busy for thousands of years. Active movement ceased there only after the bubonic plague began to rage in these parts. As a result, Norway was practically destroyed, where two-thirds of the population died.

Another factor that influenced the fact that the route was stopped in large quantities could be a prolonged cold period. Pandemics of the Middle Ages and unfavorable weather conditions had a huge impact on the population, its way of life and, especially, on travel. Fewer people traveled long distances. Later, when living conditions returned to normal, the pass was almost forgotten, it was used very rarely.

The finds of archaeologists are of great value for science. The difficulty lies in the fact that organic ancient artifacts from textiles, leather, wood, wool and bone, when exposed to air and light, are very quickly destroyed. Therefore, it is extremely important to collect them as soon as possible, otherwise they will not be saved. The area that archaeologists need to explore is simply huge - roughly like two football fields. This is one of the largest archaeological research ever undertaken.

The past year has been very fruitful for artifacts, thanks to the increased melting. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a dog with a collar and leash, bones of pack horses, a sled, a huge number of horseshoes and snowshoes. Scientists have determined the age of all these objects as the period from the 11th to the 14th century.

Many of these relics have been on display in local museums, including one piece, which is a small piece of wood that looks like a part made on a lathe. No one had any idea what the object was used for. An elderly visitor once said that this thing was used to prevent lambs and goats from feeding on their mother's milk. After all, it had to be saved for the family. The woman also said that in her family this part was made of juniper wood (like the artifact of the 11th century) and used it until the 1930s.

The artifacts found on this mountain pass are of great scientific value, and you can read another our article about real treasures lost during the Second World War.