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Ancient reindeer traps and weapons recently emerged from the molten mountains of Norway. amazing archaeologist You can also get a glimpse of mountain life 1,500 years ago.
The discovery, announced by the Västrand County Municipality on November 10, took place on the Aurlandsferret Plateau in the remote Sogn region of western Norway. Bergen University Museum and archaeologists from Västrand County worked together to document the site.
The investigation began after a climber noticed a wooden log near melting ice and alerted local authorities.
The ruins, made up of hundreds of logs and two fences made of wooden stakes, turned out to be a 1,500-year-old reindeer hunting facility.
Officials also found iron spear heads, arrow handles, parts of bows, wooden spears, and a large quantity of well-preserved reindeer antlers.
Archaeologists recently discovered a 1,500-year-old reindeer hunting trap on a mountainous plateau in Norway. (Thomas Bruen Olsen, Universitetsmuseet, UiB)
Archaeologist Leif Inge Ostveit said in an interview with Fox News Digital that the entire facility was a “major surprise” to researchers.
“We have known for a long time that stone capture facilities exist. mountains of norway“But the fact that this facility is entirely made of wood was unexpected,” he said.
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“This was difficult to build,” he said. “Thousands of logs weighing several tons were carried up into the mountains.”
The facility was designed to lure reindeer into the enclosure. Ostveit said the reindeer trap fence “extended far” into the funnel, which was 300 feet wide.
“The antlers are incredibly well preserved and still have a reindeer scent 1,500 years later.”
“The animals seemed to move forward calmly at first, but as they were forced into a smaller area, their pace increased, potentially spreading panic throughout the herd,” he said.
“Probably the closer the reindeer got to the enclosure, the stronger the fence became, making it impossible for the reindeer to break out. animals were gathered They put them in a lock-like enclosure and then take them out one by one. ”
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The spear discovered by archaeologists was used for this purpose.
Researchers also found a pile of antlers that had been collected and discarded. Most of them likely belonged to young reindeer and females, and the large antlers were probably reused as items such as combs and pins.
A wooden trap system was strung across the mountainside, herding the animals into tight enclosures. (Thomas Bruen Olsen, UiB University Museum, Leif Inge Åstveit, Universitetsmuseet, UiB)
Remarkably, even after 1,500 years, the horn still smells like the animal that once gave birth to it, Ostveit said.
“The antlers are incredibly well preserved and still have a reindeer scent 1,500 years later,” he said.
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”[They] They were huddled together just a few meters from the capture cage, and nearly all of them had clear cuts, suggesting they were likely separated from their skulls with an axe. ”
Strangely, no bones or skeletons have been found at the site so far. This suggests the facility was a “specialized” facility for processing and transporting animals, Oostveidt said.
Researchers believe the traps were likely used for slaughter and aided in specialized tasks. (Thomas Bruen Olsen, Universitetsmuseet, UiB)
“Transporting such large amounts of meat, sometimes tons of meat, would definitely have been a daunting task,” he says.
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According to Oostveit, another star discovery was decorated oars It was made of pine and he called it a “major revelation.”
“What’s this oar? It clearly belonged to a rowboat 1,400 meters downstream.” in the scenery, “What we’re doing here is a mystery,” he said.
“This discovery is so rare that it was chosen as ‘discovery of the year’ at the annual archaeological conference in Norway.”
“Our hypothesis is that it could have been used to assemble a guiding barrier… [but it] The fact that the oars are so elaborately decorated is also something to behold. These people were probably surrounded by items that represented a variety of contents. artistic expression And decorations. ”
Archaeologists also found an axe-shaped clothespin made from antlers, which Ostveit said was “very well preserved and could have been used to sting.”
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He added: “No such items have been found.” in norway Previously. “
Looking to the future, Ostveit said future work will not be a traditional excavation as most people imagine. Rather, it involves monitoring and recording what emerges from the melting ice.
“Such items have never been found in Norway before,” the archaeologist said. (Adnan Ikadzic, UiB University Museum; Leif Inge Åstveit, Universitetsmuseet, UiB)
“This discovery… very rare “Despite very strong competition this year, it was named ‘discovery of the year’ at the annual archaeological conference in Norway,” he said.
However, Oostveid stressed that more research is needed on the subject and archaeologists have only collected samples so far.
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“This substance will be important for research at the University of Bergen in the near future,” he said.
“The emergence of new scientific methods will undoubtedly provide new insights into different aspects of the problem. early iron age society. “
