00:00Hiker stumbles on what glaciers kept hidden for 1,500 years.
00:06Helge Teitlund, an experienced local mountaineer,
00:09discovered wooden stakes protruding from melting snow
00:12while descending Norway's Orlandsfjelle Plateau.
00:15He alerted archaeologists at the University Museum of Bergen,
00:18initiating a major investigation.
00:21Heavy snowfall delayed excavation for a year.
00:23When researchers returned the following summer,
00:26they uncovered a site far more complex and well-preserved than expected.
00:31Archaeologists identified the find as a large wooden mass-capture hunting facility
00:35that had been preserved by ice for 1,500 years.
00:40This is the first time a mass-capture facility made of wood
00:43has emerged from the ice in Norway,
00:45and the facility is probably also unique in a European context,
00:49said Oistein Skor, archaeologist at Vestland County Municipality.
00:53While stone hunting systems were previously known,
00:56wood rarely survives, making this discovery particularly exceptional.
01:01The structure consisted of two parallel wooden fences,
01:04stretching roughly 1,000 feet,
01:07forming a funnel that directed reindeer into a narrow pen.
01:11Hundreds of logs and branches weighing several tons
01:13had been hauled uphill by hand.
01:16Hunters likely positioned themselves at choke points,
01:19indicating coordinated large-scale harvesting
01:21rather than simple hunting.
01:23Hundreds of antlers were found near the kill zone,
01:26many bearing cut marks from axes.
01:29All the antlers have carving marks,
01:31which gives us deeper insight into the hunting activity itself,
01:34explained Oistein Skor.
01:36Many antlers came from younger reindeer and females,
01:39suggesting selective harvesting,
01:41while larger antlers may have been reserved for tools or trade.
01:45Artifacts included iron spearheads,
01:48wooden arrow shafts,
01:49bow fragments and carved wooden tools.
01:52Three complete bows suggested multiple hunters working together.
01:56The presence of iron weapons reflected wealth
01:58and technological investment during the early Iron Age,
02:01when metal was scarce.
02:03Preservation of wooden weapons was particularly rare.
02:07The level of preservation is unlike anything we normally encounter,
02:11which makes it remarkable.
02:12The objects displayed at NAM looked as if they were made yesterday,
02:16said archaeologist Eric Killman.
02:18Ice conditions halted decay,
02:20preserving organic materials that would normally disappear,
02:24enabling unprecedented insight into Iron Age craftsmanship and planning.
02:29Among the finds was a decorated wooden ore
02:31discovered 1,400 meters below the site.
02:34Its presence far from waterways puzzled researchers.
02:37While it may have served a practical role in construction,
02:41its ornamentation suggested symbolic or cultural significance,
02:46revealing aesthetic values within utilitarian work.
02:50This discovery is truly exceptional.
02:52This is research material for archaeologists for generations,
02:56said Leif Inge Ostweit,
02:58project leader at the University Museum of Bergen.
03:00Future studies involving tree rings, isotopes, and DNA
03:04could reveal dates, migration patterns, and herd genetics.
03:08However, melting ice now threatens rapid deterioration.
03:12The site was likely abandoned around 500 CE
03:15due to colder conditions that buried and preserved it.
03:19Modern warming is now exposing it.
03:22Ice patches are melting rapidly,
03:24revealing thousands of artifacts globally,
03:26but accelerating decay.
03:27The site was named Find of the Year in November 2024,
03:32underscoring both its importance and the urgency
03:35to preserve it before further loss.
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