Melting Snow Reveals Ancient Bow and Arrows in Norway

6/6. A Neolithic bow and arrows were recently unearthed when a snow patch that had remained untouched for thousands of years melted. Credit: Hojem/Callanan-NTNU

A melting patch of ancient snow in the mountains of Norway has revealed a bow and arrows likely used by hunters to kill reindeer as long ago as 5,400 years.

The discovery highlights the worrying effects of climate change, said study author Martin Callanan, an archaeologist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

"It's actually a little bit unnerving that they're so old and that they're coming out right now," Callanan told LiveScience. "It tells us that there's something changing."

Locked in snow

Callanan and his colleagues spend every summer hiking up the Trollheim and Dovre mountains a few hours south of Trondheim, Norway, to study the snow patches in the area, track snow melt and look for archaeological artifacts. The mountains stretch 6,200 feet (1,900 meters) above sea level, and at the highest elevations, only rocks and snow prevail year-round. [...] livescience.com


Actualización 08-10-13. Salen a la luz en Noruega diversos artefactos (un arco y flechas del periodo Neolítico) por deshielo de neveros y glaciares