10 archaeological finds that have been made thanks to global warming

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

Relatively recently, a new trend in archeology has appeared, which is called "glacial". The fact is that glaciers sometimes give scientists incredible finds, which have survived only due to the fact that ancient artifacts turned out to be frozen into layers of ice and snow. In our review, there are 10 finds that were made only thanks to global warming.

1. Caribou deer droppings

In 1997, hunters discovered layers of ancient caribou deer manure in the Yukon, Canada. The excrement was frozen in ice. The find provided scientists with the opportunity to study organic material and determine what animals ate and what environment they lived in thousands of years ago. In addition, by the DNA of animals, it is possible to determine hereditary information about breeds and even migrations.

2. Dart for atlatl

10 thousand years ago, a hunter in northern Canada fired an atlatl dart (an ancient throwing device similar to a sling) into an animal. He may have missed and lost his dart, which remained on the ground. For thousands of years, weapons have been frozen into a layer of ice and have been found by modern scientists. The dart that was discovered was made of willow and had the owner's markings on it. Incredibly, even the plumage has been preserved on it for several centuries. This would have been impossible if it had not been for the glacier.

3. Willow bow

In 2000, one of the first scientists in the field of "glacial archeology", Tom Andrews, discovered several fragments of a tree frozen into the ice. As a result of the study, it turned out that this is a 340-year-old hunting bow made from willow.

4. Copper arrowhead

As a result of the melting of the ice, it was discovered that Indian hunters were using advanced (certainly, by the standards of that time) technology. An ancient jagged arrowhead was found in the ice that looked just like an ancient whaling harpoon. Once an arrow with a similar copper tip penetrated the body animal, it was very difficult to remove it due to the notches on the arrowhead. It was an extremely sophisticated and effective killing tool, meticulously crafted by a hunter thousands of years ago.

5. Ancient hunting ambushes

Not only ancient tools or weapons are found in layers of ice. One of the more intriguing finds was chunks of processed willow wood that were not part of arrows, bows, etc. The age of these items was determined at 1500-2000 years. As scientists suggested, these were parts of the ancient ambushes, in which hunters were disguised, waiting for the game.

6. Birch bark basket

Another well-preserved artifact was found in 2003. While walking along the edge of a melting glacier, the archaeologist saw something unusual. It turned out to be a 650-year-old birch bark basket about 6 cm high and about 25 cm wide. It was hand-sewn from birch bark strips, and the edges were reinforced with birch strips. The basket was probably used to pick berries.

7. Gopher trap

In 2004, archaeologists found a 75-centimeter stick in the ice with a rope notch at one end. They immediately identified a gopher trap in this stick, which the Indians in the region had used for thousands of years. A rope with a loop was tied to one end of the stick, which was then placed in the gopher's burrow. The trap, preserved in the ice, is 1,800 years old.

8. Viking hunting equipment

In Juvfonn, Norway, scientists have discovered hunting equipment made for hunting deer, which they believe was used by the Vikings. Artifacts were found at the edge of a melting ice field. Specialized hunting sticks were found that were used for riding deer, bows, arrows, and the remains of leather shoes. All this ancient hunting equipment is about 3400 years old.

2. Shnideyokh

Most people have heard of Oetzi, the ice man found in a melting glacier in the Italian Alps. Ötzi is one of the oldest and best-preserved human bodies ever discovered. But not many people have heard of the ancient hunter's equipment that was found in the glacier at the Shnideyokh Pass.

Scientists recently discovered more than 300 artifacts that appeared as a result of melting glaciers at the Schneidejoch mountain pass in the Swiss Alps. Some of these artifacts appear to have belonged to a hunter similar to the Ötzi, including a bow, quiver, arrows, leather pants, and shoes. DNA tests showed that the pants were made from goat skin, which had never been seen in Europe before. Equipment dates back to 4500 BC. - 1000 years older than Ötzi.

1. Remains of an ancient Indian and his things

Around 1700, a young man (estimated to be between 17 and 22 years old) was hunting in what is now British Columbia, Canada. He fell into the glacier and remained frozen until 1999, when three travelers did not find him. The man was well dressed, and clearly went hunting. He wore clothes sewn with tendons from 95 gopher skins and squirrels. Scientists found fish bones inside his clothes. The Indian also carried a club, a knife with an iron blade, a throwing spear, and a wooden dart.

Of no less interest to scientists are Stone Age Erotic Fetishes, which are periodically found at the sites of ancient people.