Glacial melt reveals ancient artifacts: Trade routes and treasures unearthed

Global warming is melting more glaciers, leading to the discovery of true treasures within them. As Newsweek reported, some of these "gems" have been found in Norway, specifically in the Lendbreen Glacier.

Melting glaciers have long been a subject of interest for many scientists. These gigantic structures serve as tangible evidence of ongoing climate change and can conceal many valuable items for science. For example, the Corbassière Glacier in the Swiss Alps has revealed unique artifacts, such as a wooden figurine from the 1st-2nd century BCE.

The same scenario occurred in Norway, around the Lendbreen Glacier, which is shrinking and melting year by year. Near this glacier, a trade route once existed, revealing many items in almost perfect condition. This preservation is due to the low temperatures in the glacier and the limited exposure to oxygen and light.

However, it should be noted that conditions are less favourable for items as the glacier melts and reveals further findings. In such conditions, moisture and light appear, causing artifacts — often thousands of years old — to undergo rapid deterioration.

So, what has been found in the Norwegian glacier? According to Newsweek, one of the artifacts revealed by Lendbreen is a well-preserved arrow with a tip. Scientists estimate the age of this find to be around 1300 years. Additionally, a fragment of fabric from the Viking Age (from the 8th to 11th century) along with items used for hunting has emerged from the ice. Lendbreen also concealed a tooth, which most likely belonged to a horse used by the local people for transportation.

"The arrow in question is incredibly well-preserved, even by ice find standards. It was found lying on the ice, which usually indicates that melting has reached layers previously untouched by melting. Thus, the arrow probably had not been removed from the ice since it was lost 1300 years ago. It is frozen in time in the literal sense," said Lars Holger Pilø, an archaeologist involved in the discovery in Norway, as quoted by Newsweek.

Scholars add that more arrows with similar tips, characterized by the same age determined by radiocarbon dating, have been found around Lendbreen. However, none of them were preserved as well as the one that caught the most attention of archaeologists. Pilø adds that researchers are continuously monitoring the site in Norway and are conducting searches in nearly 70 locations. So far, they can boast of as many as four thousand archaeological finds from the ice.