The oldest ice disappears and the Stone Age emerges from it

For 20 years, the Secrets of the Ice team has searched melting ice patches in Norway’s Innlandet mountains, recovering objects preserved in the cold. Many earlier finds were from the last 2,000 years, including Viking Age artefacts, but the retreat of older ice is exposing much earlier evidence of reindeer hunting. This year, archaeologists found 48 prehistoric arrows. One slate-tipped arrow, with part of its shaft, is estimated to be 5,000-6,000 years old; other ancient arrowheads are made from bone or freshwater mussel shell. More than 100 arrowheads and shafts have now been recovered from one ice patch. The ice has also preserved organic materials such as wood, leather, and textiles, as well as traces of hunting, clothing, transport, and daily life.

The discoveries are arriving alongside a stark warning: the ice patches are shrinking far faster than expected. Researchers estimate that most patches containing archaeological material could disappear within 20 years, erasing both the ice and the objects it has protected for millennia. Team leader Espen Finstad says this season’s work has brought a deeper sense of sadness as once-large ice patches have dwindled to small remnants. Archaeologists are continuing fieldwork at sites including Langfonne, Storefonne, and Hanklefonne, racing to document and recover artefacts before exposure to the elements causes them to deteriorate. Some newly found objects have already gone on display at the Norwegian Mountain Centre in Lom.