Climate change is having a dramatic effect on many scientific fields, including archaeology. Glaciers are melting worldwide and in the process are unearthing many artifacts of the past. In Norway, a 1,500 year old arrow head in pristine condition was recently unearthed from the melting Jotunheimen glacier in southern Norway. The team of scientists have uncovered over 200 relics that date back to the Germanic Ice Age (5th-9th centuries CE) from the massive but melting glacier. The arrow head, measuring approximately 7 inches in length and weighing just under an ounce, is assumed to be from a Viking hunter. Forged from iron, it was found with its shaft and even a feather from its flight. A 1,300 year old wooden ski was also uncovered.
According to Norway Today, the warm weather of 2018 resulted in Norwegian glaciers retreating an average of 33 meters (roughly 108 feet) that season. It was the worst decline since they have been keeping records. The melting of glaciers is a double edged sword for archaeologists as it uncovers items that would not otherwise be discovered but if left out in the elements too long, these priceless artifacts can be damaged or destroyed before they are discovered. Last year, the Jotunheimen glacier also gave up a 6,000 year old horseshoe. This ancient horseshoe dates back to the Viking age (800-1066 CE). Almost 2,000 ancient man/woman-made artifacts have been found including hunting tools, textiles, leather, and clothing; zoological remains such as antlers, dung, and bones have also been unearthed with the oldest dating to about 6,000 years in age. The melting glaciers are causing scientists to find some items in reverse chronological order as the glaciers melt from the bottom (melting of glaciers is a complex process).
Of course, Norway is not the only place undergoing glacial melt. The bodies of WWI soldiers have been found in the Alps according to a 2015 article in Smithsonian Magazine. Incan mummies are emerging from the glaciers in the Andes Mountains. The permafrost in southwestern Alaska has turned up over 2,500 items including woven baskets, and wooden masks. Near the Arctic Circle, climate change is uncovering historical sites ranging from the Stone Age (30,000 BCE-3,000 BCE) to the medieval as well as recent times. According to Glacier Hub (2018) over 180,000 registered archaological sites exist in the Arctic. The ice/permafrost had previously protected many of these sites. These historical sites record the everyday life of Norse, Inuit, Sami, and European people. Without the preservation of the ice, many of these churches, settlements, fishing villages, and cemeteries now face the brunt of erosion by wind and water, landslides, and solar radiation.
Most of the glacial artifacts are not being found by scientists; instead, these lost treasures are predominantly found by hikers, hunters and others enjoying the outdoors. It is imperative that laypeople bring attention to any item they find as the ice acts as a preservative and once uncovered, degradation of the artifacts can occur very rapidly. As we ponder our future, climate change is helping us understand our past.