Ice Reveals a 1,500-Year-Old Giant Hunting Trap

An Unexpected Discovery on the Vestland Plateau

Helge Titland, hiking in the mountains, was crossing a wilderness area in the Vestland district when a wooden beam flashed in the snow. It looked so ordinary that most tourists would have passed it without a word.

A Giant Trap from the 6th Century

Before archaeologists from the University of Bergen arrived, snow had covered the find again. Researchers had to wait a full year for the thaw to reveal the unique structure once more. Hidden under a thick layer of ice for 1,500 years were two fences leading to a massive enclosure. These are the remains of a giant reindeer trap from the 6th century.

One of the scientists studying the structure, Øystein Skår, claims this is the first trap of its kind discovered in Norway. “The discovery is probably unique even in the European context,” says the researcher, quoted on the local government’s website.

Traces of Mass Hunting. Antlers, but No Bones

Perfectly preserved reindeer antlers lie around the structure, each bearing cutting marks. This is evidence of industrial-scale hunting. “This discovery gives us certainty that the installation was used for mass hunting. All the antlers have processing marks, which gives us deeper insight into the hunting activity itself,” emphasizes Skår.

However, the excavation site yielded no animal skeleton parts. Why the absence? Everything suggests that the hunters took only what they needed from the hunting grounds, transporting the prey further into the mountains. Antlers were unnecessary and even hindered transport, so they might have been cut off and left immediately after the animal was killed.

The Biggest Puzzle of the Find: Decorated Paddles

The most surprising finds, however, are paddles with elaborate ornamentation. Why would hunters bring them to the mountains 1,500 years ago? At the moment, archaeologists have no answer. Alongside the paddles, they discovered iron spearheads, fragments of bows, arrow shafts, and wooden tools. There is also a beautifully crafted antler buckle—likely lost by a hunter in the heat of the chase.

Preserved Like a Time Capsule. Climate Change Did Its Part

Why did the trap survive in such perfect condition? Climate change provides the answer. The installation was used just before a cooling period around the mid-6th century. Colder temperatures ensured that snow covered the fence and enclosure year-round, making them non-functional.

Researchers emphasize that being hidden under snow and then ice allowed for the perfect preservation of the structure and objects. For over 1,500 years, the objects lay in ideal conditions: cold, darkness, and appropriate humidity. However, the last few decades brought climate warming. It was this global temperature increase that melted the glacier, bringing the early medieval traps into the light of day. This incredible archaeological discovery in Norway is a direct result of melting ice.

How Did the Ancient Hunters’ Trap Work?

The ancient Norwegians’ hunting method was very simple: they drove reindeer between two high wooden fences. The animals then had no choice but to proceed towards the enclosure, where the hunters culled them. Norway was not the only place where people hunted in this way. We recently reported similar finds in Slovenia and Chile. However, there the traps were built from stone, not wood.

Interestingly, the stone structures mentioned above come from a much earlier period. The structures in Chile may be up to 6,000 years old, and those in Slovenia were erected before 1500 BC. The archaeological discovery in Norway most likely dates back to the transition period between antiquity and the Middle Ages.

What Else Is Hiding Under the Scandinavian Ice?

The discovery opens the door to entirely new research into the lives of the early Norwegians, especially if other remains of their customs are as well-preserved under the thick glacier. Global climate warming may, in turn, mean that archaeologists will not even have to put a shovel in the ground to find them. Archaeological treasures will emerge from under the ice themselves as temperatures rise.

Read this article in Polish: Lód stopniał i odsłonił gigantyczną pułapkę. Tajemnica sprzed 1500 lat