Melting ice reveals hidden Viking artefacts - BBC News

As ice patches and glaciers melt in Norway’s mountains, hastened by climate change, ancient artefacts that were once lost on the snow and ice are now emerging, having been frozen for millennia.

Thousands of artefacts have been discovered at an ice patch, which was the site of a forgotten Viking pass.

#Vikings #History #BBCNews

[jimtokheim]

I just visited Iceland, Norway and Denmark and was just amazed by the history and archeological finds and preservation that is available to view. I'm fortunate to be able to trace my lineage, on both my mother's and father's side of the family back to actual places in Norway and Denmark that still hold our namesakes. The Lindholm Hoje museum in Denmark was simply amazing. It's astounding that they found a 1, 000 year old tunic!

[fredrik]

difficult to imagine a horse able to walk over a snowcapped mountain, with or without snowshoes. Could it be that the area was already snow-free when used for travelling?

[whyjnot]

The landscape shown in this video is the definition of stark beauty.

[Chris.in.taiwan]

Its crazy how different climates preserve things differently. Even one hundred year old stuff is difficult to find here in the jungles of Taiwan. Things just disintegrate in the humidity and heat.

[nirmalendudhar]

Just fantastic. It's like a dream, so many artifacts lay buried so so many years ago. Unimaginable of our past culture.

[brunow]

It clearly demonstrates the cyclical nature of our climate and temperature patterns. History is a great teacher.

[richardjohnson]

There was a warm period previous to the “ little ice age”. During that warm period, Vikings settled and farmed Greenland and Iceland. They sailed to the “ new world” of the Americas because the oceans in the northern hemisphere were warm enough to sail long distances…and they apparently moved around North America. Some think they explored the upper Great Lakes area, coming as far inland as central Minnesota. By about 1400, those settlements were abandoned because the climate was getting colder, crops weren’t growing, and an ice age was coming, and it did. Climate has been changing for eons, and I expect we are warming out of the “ the little ice age” ( 1250 - 1800 ce), so climate change doesn’t alarm me, I expect it. There is no “ climate crisis” as some claim, there is climate change as there should be….but because the world population is at historic levels, a changing climate affects more people. Adaptation will be required as the world warms…and then it will cool again as it has in the past. These changes take place over hundreds of years….it is a slow process.

[groovyxhriss]

Just imagine time travel was possible, I’d be so freaking amazing seeing how these people lived or how ancient structures were built

[KiffietheDreamer]

So... does this mean that during viking times the ice was also that far receded?

[Elephantine]

Wow. I'm glad they're up there rescuing those artifacts!

[davezawislak]

If these were under the snow, that means in the past there must have been less snow than has melted recently.

[normmaclean]

The finds are fascinating and the museum presents them in a beautiful, artistic and dramatic setting!

[agoogleaccount]

What well trained horses the Vikings had to be able to use snow shoes ! That is pretty impressive by itself.

[margritpiepes]

This is so awesome.please keep looking for artifacts of our Ancestors .its amazing that they are well preserved.thanks for the good work

[msdemeanor]

For people who don't know anything about snow and freezing temperatures and ice. If you drop something in the snow, and it gets covered up by more, and more snow it will be preserved as the snow compacts over time and turns to ice. While there is surface melt on glaciers, that melt water seeps down to ground below the glacier and hastens the melting at the glacier's base as melt water flows downhill. Most objects encased in the snow will become visible when the ice is is mostly melted away to the ground. It's like slow motion sinking.

[JamesWilson-tsxk]

Wow how amazing and intriguing. Great work…this must be the peak of archeology - finding so many ancient artifacts. Love it! Thanks for the work you’re all doing! 👏

[donpowlen]

That is so amazing and cool! To find such a depth of artifacts from the age of the Vikings really starts your mind thinking of what once was.

[smileyzed]

This is the kind of news we need more of ❤

[joshuabrigden]

If the glacier is ~7000 years old, how does it make sense that as it recedes, older artefacts are being discovered? Wouldn't that indicate the glacier was at the same level it is today when these items were deposited in the past?

[danielwarwick]

My viking ancestors would be proud that their craftsmanship has stood the test of time. Skol!