The oldest ice disappears and the Stone Age emerges from it(sciencenorway.no)
210 points by dxs 1 day ago | 106 comments
tl;dr: Norwegian glacial archaeologists with Secrets of the Ice have recovered 48 prehistoric arrows this field season from melting ice patches in Innlandet, including slate, bone, and freshwater mussel shell arrowheads dating back 5,000-6,000 years to the Stone Age. As the oldest ice finally melts after 6,000-7,000 years, finds are shifting from Viking Age to much older artifacts. Researchers estimate most archaeologically significant ice patches will vanish within 20 years.
HN Discussion:
  • ↑Climate change is tragic but at least yields archaeological discoveries
  • ↑Fascination with the quality and sharpness of the recovered artifacts
  • •Questions about whether ice coverage in these areas was historically normal
  • •Concern about handling ancient artifacts with bare hands
  • •Worry about potential ancient diseases being released from the ice