The oldest ice disappears and the Stone Age emerges from it

Glacial archaeologists are witnessing a rapidly changing archaeological landscape as the oldest ice disappears. For 20 years, researchers from Secrets of the Ice have been recovering and preserving artifacts emerging from ice patches in the mountains of Innlandet, eastern Norway. Most finds have been up to 2,000 years old, with many dating back to the Viking Age. However, the melting ice is now revealing ancient artifacts from the Bronze Age and Stone Age.

One of the oldest discoveries from this year's field expedition is an arrow with an arrowhead and shaft made of slate, estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,000 years old. The team has found over 100 arrowheads and shafts from a single ice patch over the years, with the oldest being made from slate, freshwater mussel shells, and bone. More recent arrowheads are made from iron, only 1,000 to 1,500 years old.

The archaeologists estimate that most of the ice patches containing archaeological artifacts will disappear within the next 20 years. With only patches of ice remaining where once there were large ice patches, the glacial archaeologists feel a deep sense of seriousness and sadness. Ancient ice has safely preserved unique objects from the past, but as the ice melts, those artifacts are now at risk of being lost forever.