Image Credit: Thomas Bruen Olsen/University Museum of Bergen

1500 Year Old Reindeer Trap Found in Norway

Archaeologists working high in Norway’s Aurlandsfjellet mountains have uncovered a remarkably preserved 1,500-year-old reindeer trapping system, along with several rare wooden artifacts emerging from melting ice. The team discovered two long wooden barriers made from hundreds of tree branches, likely used as a large-scale hunting blind to funnel reindeer into a killing zone. According to archaeologist Leif Inge Åstveit of the University Museum of Bergen, the structure is “probably unique in both Norwegian and European contexts.”
Nearby, researchers found dozens of reindeer antlers bearing cut marks, indicating that hunters killed and processed the animals on site. Additional finds include iron spearheads, wooden arrows and three bows, suggesting intensive organized hunting. A finely carved antler brooch shaped like a miniature axe may have been dropped by a hunter during the activity.
Among the most puzzling discoveries is a decorated wooden boat oar found at 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) above sea level — an object completely out of place in this environment. Archaeologists hope further studies will explain how and why such an item was carried into the mountains.
Researchers believe the site was preserved by a cold climate shift in the mid-sixth century, when increasing snowfall and ice forced hunters to abandon the area. The rapid burial under snow explains the exceptional preservation of the wood and antler. As ice melts due to modern global warming, similar sites are emerging across Norway; recent finds include ancient skis, a Viking bridle and a 1,700-year-old leather sandal.

Published on: 15-11-2025

Source: Live Science