When we talk about archaeological finds, we are used to expecting objects of a certain type, for example, funerary objects or monuments and buildings from the past. However, few people – even experts – would expect to find … a ski!
The discovery made in Norway, near Mount Digervarden, is truly incredible, not only because it “complements” another find made in 2014, but also because it catapulted archaeologists past a very special relic. Although it is not the oldest “prehistoric” ski ever discovered, it is arguably the best-preserved.
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image credit: secretsoftheice
In 2014, archaeologists came across one of the two skis in question in the same area. The other was obviously gone, but not anymore. After several years of research, the pair of skis was reunited, thanks to the reduction of the ice surfaces .
The phenomenon of melting snow and ice gradually reveals the secrets hidden for years and years and, by playing the role of conservation agents, they have undoubtedly fostered the excellent state in which these discoveries have reached. till today.
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image credit: secretsoftheice
A rather curious consequence of climate change, therefore, helps scientists to shed light on several aspects of our history hitherto unknown. From North America to Siberia and Scandinavia, melting ice also means this. Norway holds a record for the number of such discoveries.
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image credit: secretsoftheice
After 1,300 years , these ancestors of skis as we know them today can finally make a pair again. They date back to around 750 AD, a detail shared by the Glacier Archeology Program and Secrets of Ice teams. These took the news to the world, revealing that the second ski was found just five meters from where the first emerged.
It is more precisely wooden planks , respectively 187 and 204 centimeters long, in an excellent state of conservation. The second ski found has three braided birch bindings, a leather strap, and various binding accessories. “Skis aren’t the same, but we shouldn’t expect them to be,” wrote archaeologist Lars Holger Pilo in a blog post on Secrets of Ice, “they’re handmade, not mass-produced, and have a long individual history of wear and repair “.
Despite these clarifications, many questions remain unanswered regarding these objects. For example, it is unclear why they were there, just as the identity of the wearer is obviously unclear. There is no doubt, however, that such a discovery exerts a great power of fascination, does it not?
source used: secretsoftheice