Glacier archaeologists recently discovered the second prehistoric skiing of a pair of skis in Dighervarden, a mountain in central Norway. Just five metres from where the first was discovered seven years ago, skis were considered radiocarbon 1,300 years ago. As global warming led to more glacial hideouts, many artifacts emerged, sparking the need for further archaeological research in the area.
The secret of ice The initiative was launched by the Innlandet County Council in Oslo and the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo through the Glacier Archaeology Program. Lars Holger Piro, the initiative’s archaeologist and co-director, said prehistoric skiing is the world’s best-preserved pair ever known.
“This discovery is groundbreaking for two reasons. First, it shows that humans used high mountains for hunting and transport during the winter, despite considerable risk. Second, the prominent preservation of skis, including their bindings, allows for accurate replicas and experimenting with how humans in the Iron Age ski,” he said. Thanks to their intact state, they provide “all new insights into ski techniques and how they were used.”
Each ski is made of a different wood, one from birch and the other from pine. However, their proximity and radiocarbon dates suggest that they were used as pairs at that time, even if this was not originally intended. This finding suggests the value of people in this harsh landscape, those on trees, placed on wooden objects.
To make such a discovery, scientists must first identify the locations where the archaeological discovery is most likely. As glaciers can flow through mountains and destroy vulnerable artifacts, immobilized ice patches are a safer bet to find well-preserved pieces. Using both aerial and satellite images, as well as local information from hikers and reindeer herdsmen, archaeologists map patches of ice to search for promising sites. Pillo shared that a breakthrough came in 2006 when a large ice melt revealed hundreds of artifacts and influenced the creation of ice secrets.
“The rapid melting of glacial ice due to anthropogenic climate change reveals archaeological objects that have been frozen for centuries. These findings provide insight into human activities, techniques, and adaptation to challenging environments in the past.” Melted ice usually involves excavation work for scientists, but in the case of prehistoric skis, an ice pick was needed to help remove artifacts.
By melting ice to reveal these important artifacts, climate change has supported advances in archaeological discoveries that will help humankind better understand how past climate change has been addressed. This historic ability to adapt to climate change has become “one of the most prominent insights” of the initiative, Piro said.
“For example, the late antique small ice age (535-660 AD) – an era of significant climate cooling – local agriculture in the mountains was already at the edge of survival,” Pillo explained. “In response, people have strengthened reindeer hunting on the ice. This is a clear example of the pressures of climate adaptation and resource management. We can see evidence of an increase in hunting activity through the number of arrows lost on the ice,” he said.
These arrows indicate changes in human activity that are consistent with changes in climate. Recent skiing found in the alpine mountains also shows that humans used the area in winter. Pillo explained that these high mountain skiing proved that humans traveled at higher elevations than scientists once thought, as previous ski discoveries came from areas where there was less chance of working at Cross Country Ski Travers.
These arrows and skis help build the human story that archaeologists are trying to decipher. They may also collaborate with the environmental stories of the natural history of the Earth. The late antique small ice age described by Pillo is reflected in European Tree Ring Records. Nicole Davieon aleoclimatologist Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryHe told GlacierHub: “We’re excited to be able to help you with this experience.” “Treeling records add hundreds to thousands of years of context to current warming. Most weather records are less than 100 years, so classical information can be used to fully understand the range of possible climate cycles.”
Through the tree ring, we can build a record of the history of the Earth’s climate that provides a better context for today’s climate change and helps us to better understand archaeological discoveries. “Old history can add context to human migration and social disruption,” she continued.
Based on both treering records and discoveries such as artifacts found in Norway, scientists can identify not only how the planet looked thousands of years ago, but how human society can adapt to those conditions. Still, filling the gap between artifacts and tree rings can be difficult, Piro noted.
“The relationship between these archaeological discoveries and paleoclimate is a more complicated and less understood aspect of glacial archaeology. These findings may provide clues about past climatic conditions, but this relationship is difficult to interpret,” he said. “Glacier archaeology remains a young and evolving field, and we are just beginning to uncover how these artifacts can deepen our understanding of past climates and human resilience in changing environments,” Piro told Graceyehab.
There are still many secrets left to be revealed by the ice. As the glacier continues to melt and more artifacts become exposed, the mysterious paintings of human and earth’s history may slowly focus on it, perhaps providing insight into how we tackle our changing climate challenges.
