Archaeologists find mysterious artifacts in glaciers that have been hidden for centuries

Melting glaciers across the world are revealing objects previously hidden to science, with ‘glacial archaeology’ thriving in the ever-changing climate due to global warming.

Everything from arrows to ancient human remains are being found as the ice melts, and Norway is racing ahead as the most prolific place on the planet to scientists involved in the search.

Around 4,500 artefacts have surfaced in the Norwegian glaciers, over half of the world’s total, and experts believe there are plenty more mysteries to be uncovered, with their research methods finding new clues day after day.

‘There are so many treasures in the ice’

Espen Finstad is a scientist who runs the ‘Secrets of the Ice’ program, an initiative designed to find and understand as much as possible about what went on in the frozen region thousands of years ago.

“We are lucky that some of these trade routes have gone over ice,” Finstad told Business Insider. According to their research, Stone Age hunting, travel, and trade routes criss-crossed through the mountain range that pokes up around the Norwegian coast. “There are so many treasures in the ice there,” he added.

Incredibly-well preserved arrows were found on the latest mission to Lendbreen, a popular site for archaeologists. The expedition took a total of 9 days and horses were used to transport both the scientists and their equipment. “It’s very seldom to find them that well preserved on the ice. So it was kind of a gift. It was very beautiful,” Finstad remarked on the find.

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As well as arrows, the team often find objects that cause more mystery: “It’s all kind of small things, daily life things from the Viking Age or older, which you don’t find in other archaeology contexts, at least in Norway, because it’s gone. It degrades.”

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