Glaciers whose melting has been expedited by climate change have become a hotbed for archaeologists, as these shrinking ice patches often reveal pristinely preserved treasures from hundreds and sometimes thousands of years ago.
Nowhere has this ice patch archaeology proven more fruitful than in Norway, where 4,500 artifacts, more than half the total discovered worldwide, have been uncovered.
Lendbreen, the site of a mountain pass 200 miles northwest of Oslo, Norway's green capital city, has accounted for more than 1,000 finds, revealing fascinating facts about the lives of ancient travelers from the days of the Roman Empire to the height of the Viking Age.
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What Archaeologists Have Uncovered At Lendbreen
Exquisitely preserved ancient arrows were a notable 2024 discovery
Ice can preserve artifacts in pristine condition for thousands of years. However, as soon as it melts, the artifacts quickly degrade. Thus, the challenge for archaeologists in places like Norway and the Swiss Alps is to recover these artifacts of the past during end-of-season melting.
Lendbreen, which has been producing great artifacts since 2011, continues to do so as archaeologists reported numerous exciting discoveries after melting during the summer of 2024. What's special about Lendbreen, it should be noted, is that this mountain pass was part of a trade route used from about 300 to 1500 AD.
For instance, one of the most exciting discoveries from 2024 was arrows from 1,300 to 1,500 years ago, some so exquisitely preserved that they still had "fletching", feathery stabilizers affixed to make them fly straight and true. It's believed these arrows were used for reindeer hunting, a popular pursuit at Lendbreen in ancient times.
"It's very seldom to find them that well-preserved on the ice," Espen Finstad from Secrets of the Ice, a program that finds and documents glacial archaeology sites in Norway like Lendbreen, told Business Insider. "So it was kind of a gift. It was very beautiful."
Where is Lendbreen?
In the Jotunheimen Mountains, 200 miles northwest of Oslo
How many artifacts have been found there?
Over 1,000 have been discovered
What times do these artifacts date from?
From about 300 to 1500 AD
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What Is The Significance Of These Discoveries In Norway?
Lendbreen's glacial finds have uncovered an ancient trade route in Norway
There are many wonderful natural attractions to see in Norway, and the Jotunheimen mountains, where Lendbreen is found, are one of them because they offer excellent hiking and skiing. That was true in antiquity, too. One of the oldest finds at Lendbreen are four broken parts of a Bronze Age ski that fit together perfectly. The Bronze Age ended in about 1200 BC, so skiing has been practiced in Norway for a long time.
However, as noted, most of the finds are from 300 to 1500 AD, after which trade dwindled due to the bubonic plague, which killed more than half of Norway's population in the 14th century. The findings at Lendbreen -- ranging from ancient clothing to tools, sleds, and walking sticks -- help us better understand the lives of the people who traveled along this trade route over 1,000 years ago and the economies of the time.
"This study is one of the first ice-patch archaeology studies to explore the role of mountain passes in travel over long timescales," explains William Taylor, curator of archaeology at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, per Smithsonian. "It is fascinating to see direct evidence of the emergence and re-emergence of mountain travel routes -- not as an abstract concept, but as a tangible archaeological phenomenon demonstrated by horse dung, horse bones, and the objects dropped by travelers engaged in important pastoral work."
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Where To See Norway's Amazing Glacial Artifacts
Many are in a museum in Oslo, the country's most visited city
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Many fascinating items salvaged at Lenbreen from melting ice are now displayed at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo. It's thus a great stop for those interested in exploring the country's fascinating past, along with Norway's Sverresborg Castle, the world's oldest-known rune stone, and other places to discover the Vikings' heritage in their Scandinavian homeland.
Meanwhile, glacial archaeologists continue to try to rescue ancient treasures from melting ice. From 2011 to 2020, archaeologists explored an area of Lendbreen equivalent to 35 soccer pitches (250,000 square meters) in the most extensive glacial survey ever undertaken. This sounds easier than it was. The mountain pass is on a 30-degree slope marked by a rugged terrain of ice and scree.
But each year since, more new finds have been uncovered, culminating in 2024 with the discovery of the remarkable arrows. Perhaps 2025 will bring more exciting finds, although as climate change melts ancient ice, it's also evaporating the chances of finding many more artifacts like the 1,000 plus already recovered.