On a Mountain High: Finding and Documenting Glacial Archaeological Sites During the Anthropocene

Pilø, Lars; Finstad, Espen; Wammer, Elling Utvik; Post-Melbye, Julian; Rømer, Axel Hee; Barrett, James H.

doi:10.1080/00934690.2021.2012330

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Archaeological finds from ice are mostly associated with stationary or semi-stationary basal 'cold' ice, that is, ice that does not move or only moves very slowly at the substratum. In Norway, this type of ice is found in isolated stationary ice patches and in non-moving ice fields along the top or sides of moving temperate glaciers (Pilø et al, 2022). 'Cold ice' also exists at the base of high altitude glaciers and ice caps, which are frozen to the permafrost ground below (Haeberli et al, 2004).…”

Section: The 'Glacier' At and Around The Find Spotmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When more finds appear, however, the original discovery may be seen to fit a pattern not previously evident. Since Ötzi was found 30 years ago, glacial archaeology has developed as an archaeological discipline (Dixon et al, 2014), with its own methodology (Pilø et al, 2022) and a deeper understanding of the complexity of archaeological ice sites (Pilø et al, 2021). There are now hundreds of sites and thousands of finds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ötzi, 30 years on: A reappraisal of the depositional and post-depositional history of the find

Pilø¹,

Reitmaier

Fischer

et al. 2022

The Holocene

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When Ötzi, the Iceman, was found in a gully in the Tisenjoch pass in the Tyrolean Alps in 1991, he was a huge surprise for the archaeological community. The lead initial investigator of the find argued that it was unique, preserved by serendipitous circumstances. It was hypothesised that the mummy with associated artefacts had been quickly covered by glacier ice and stayed buried until the melt-out in 1991. It is now more than 30 years since Ötzi appeared. In this paper, we take a closer look at how the find can be understood today, benefitting from increased knowledge gained from more than two decades of investigations of other glacial archaeological sites, and from previous palaeo-biological investigations of the find assemblage. In the light of radiocarbon dates from the gully and new glaciological evidence regarding mass balance, it is likely that Ötzi was not permanently buried in ice immediately after his death, but that the gully where he lay was repeatedly exposed over the next 1500 years. We discuss the nature of the ice covering the site, which is commonly described as a basally sliding glacier. Based on the available evidence, this ice is better understood as a non-moving, stationary field of snow and ice, frozen to the bedrock. The damaged artefacts found with Ötzi were probably broken by typical postdepositional processes on glacial archaeological sites, and not, as previously claimed, during conflict prior to Ötzi’s flight from the valley below.

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Section: The 'Glacier' At and Around The Find Spotmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ötzi, 30 years on: A reappraisal of the depositional and post-depositional history of the find

Pilø¹,

Reitmaier

Fischer

et al. 2022

The Holocene

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“…Central Norway and the southern reaches of the country have yielded a substantial archive of glacial archaeological information in the past years. In Innlandet County, more than 3500 finds have been collected through continuous work over the past 15 years [14]. The finds' dates range from 4000 BCE to modern times and encompass mostly organic artifacts which are rarely preserved at all in other archaeological contexts, much less in such pristine condition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glacial Archaeology in Northern Norway—The Island of Seiland

Caspari

Schou²,

Steuri

et al. 2023

Remote Sensing

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Norway is at the forefront of monitoring ice patches and glaciers for archaeological remains, and thousands of artifacts have been recovered over the past two decades due to accelerating melting. The majority of finds stem from the lower latitudes of the country and relatively little is known about the glacial archaeology of Norway’s far north. We use historical maps and high-resolution LiDAR derived elevation models to monitor ice flow and melt. We employ a terrain ruggedness index to map areas of non-moving ice which possibly contain well-preserved archaeological finds, and model least cost paths to understand the accessibility for humans and animals of an archaeologically unexplored landscape. We then conduct a sailboat supported exploratory survey on the arctic island of Seiland. While we fail to locate archaeologically productive ice, we identify and date a so far unknown type of archaeological stone structure likely related to sheltering and reindeer hunting/herding activities.

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