Archeologists in Norway found an arrow that was likely trapped in ice for 4,000 years

Archeologists in Norway have discovered a Stone Age arrow shaft, that is approximately 4,000 years old, after ice at the site melted.

The discovery: The arrow shaft was discovered on the side of Mount Lauvhøe in Norway’s Lom Municipality.
* Previous surveys of the site in 2017 uncovered arrows from the Iron and Middle Ages.
* The arrow shaft predates these earlier discoveries by more than 2,000 years.

Deep time revealed: Lars Holger Pilø, co-director Secrets of the Ice, part of Norway’s Department of Cultural Heritage, stated that the discovery adds much more “time depth” to the site.
* Archeologists determine the age of the artifact by its shape, and will also submit a sample of the wood for carbon dating.

The story the arrow tells: The find suggests evidence of ancient hunters hunting reindeer thousands of years ago.
* Arrows which missed their targets often ended up lost in the snow and ice.
* The area where the arrow was found is one of 66 ice sites in Norway that have preserved over 4,000 archaeological finds.

State of the arrow: The arrow shaft was broken at both ends, making it initially difficult to date.
* After removing glacial silt, experts determined it is far older than first thought, likely around 4,000 years old.
* The ice has preserved precious objects from the past, bringing them into our time in an unaltered state.

View original article on NPR

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