Arrow Frozen for 4000 Years... Revealed as Glacier Melts

Norwegian Scholars Discover
Artifacts Believed to Be from the Stone Age

As the ice of Norwegian glaciers melts, an arrow shaft believed to be from the Stone Age about 4,000 years ago has been discovered.

On the 6th (local time), according to foreign media including the US public radio (NPR), Norwegian archaeologists found this arrow shaft on Raubhoisæten Mountain, which is 6,500 feet (about 1,980 m) high, in the Lom municipality in northwestern Norway. Previously, archaeologists had discovered iron age and medieval arrows in this area in 2017. Because of this, the newly found arrow shaft was initially assumed to be from the Iron Age, but the first conclusion revealed that it appears to be a Stone Age artifact more than 2,000 years older than those previously found.

Stone Age quiver from 4,000 years ago discovered in a Norwegian glacier region
[Photo by Norwegian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Secrets of Ice Department Facebook capture, Yonhap News]

Lars Holger Philoe, head of the Ice Secrets Department at the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage, explained, "Over several years, as the ice in this area has melted, additional arrow shafts have been discovered," adding, "Considering that this discovery is more than 2,000 years older than the previous ones, it means the history of this site is much longer than we thought."

He believes this discovery is likely evidence that ancient hunters chased reindeer during summer thousands of years ago, moving to snowy and icy areas to avoid swarms of insects. Philoe said, "Sometimes arrows miss their targets and get deeply embedded in the snow. While this is unfortunate for hunters, from an archaeologist's perspective, it's as if the arrow hit the bullseye."

Philoe also added that the area where the arrow was found is one of 66 glacier sites in Norway, where more than 4,000 archaeological artifacts have been discovered in recent years. Researchers can estimate the age of artifacts based on their shape alone, but after the field investigation is complete, wood samples from this arrow shaft will be submitted for carbon dating.

Stone Age quiver from 4,000 years ago discovered in a Norwegian glacier region
[Photo source=Captured from the Facebook page of the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage's Secrets of Ice, Yonhap News Agency]

According to a post by archaeologists on X (formerly 'Twitter'), the arrow shaft was broken at both ends, making it initially difficult for researchers to estimate its age. Archaeologists initially thought the arrow shaft was from the Iron Age, but after removing the glacial sediment embedded in the shaft, they concluded it was much older than previously thought.

Scholars stated, "The arrowhead (which was attached to this arrow shaft) was likely made by chipping stone to a sharp point, which means this arrow dates back about 4,000 years." In another post, they described the preservation power of ice, saying, "Ice is a time machine. Like Sleeping Beauty, it brings precious artifacts from the past to our time in an unchanged state."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.