Extremely Rare Quartzite-Tipped Bronze Age Arrow Found After Spending 3,000 Years in Ice and Snow

Norwegian glacial archaeologists were able to find an extremely rare Bronze Age arrow with its quartzite tip still intact. The object may have stayed in the ice and snow for around 3,000 years.

A Reindeer-Hunting Weapon

Archaeologist Lars Pilø, who serves as the Secrets of the Ice project head at the mountains of Jotunheimen, explains that reindeer hunters may have used the artifact roughly 3,000 years ago. Though archaeologists involved with the project were able to previously find man-made hunting blinds where hunters used to hide as they targeted reindeers, this quartzite-tipped arrow was not spotted close to any blind.

Pilø explains that there were no hunting blinds nearby. However, the preserved arrow was found along the preserved ice's upper edge. Pilø explains that the hunters could have hidden at the back of the upper ridge.

Quartzite-Tipped Arrow

The arrow was found by archaeologist Espen Finstad, who is also part of the project, on September 13 during a targeted survey. Because of climate change, the Jotunheimen Mountains' ice and snow are melting. This melting exposed ancient artifacts.

The findings add to the thousands of remains and artifacts that have been uncovered due to melting ice, as global warming has been thawing glaciers and permafrost all over the world. While this comes with various consequences, this thawing is an opportunity for glacial archaeologists, though it may just be a fleeting one. If these artifacts are not found quickly after getting exposed, they may decay or deteriorate due to their elements.

Finstand and colleagues were examining the newly exposed regions of the ice when they found the arrow.

Further analysis showed that the shaft of the arrow consists of birch and that it was still equipped with aerodynamic fletching as the arrow still had three feathers on it. Fletching was used by hunters to help them position and guide the arrow. These, however, tend to decay as time passes.

Pilø explains that the arrowhead made of quartzite can barely be seen due to the pitch covering the majority of the arrowhead. The pitch served the purpose of securing the head to the shaft and smoothing the arrow's front, enabling heightened penetration. Pilø adds that the pitch could have been sourced from birch charcoal.

While arrows that have their arrowheads still attacked are not uncommon during this period, the finding is still extremely rare.

Though the arrow's feathers and arrowhead stayed well-preserved, its other parts were not in the same pristine condition. The arrow may have been 90 centimeters in length. It broke into three different pieces.

Check out more news and information on Archaeology in Science Times.