Hidden Viking Treasures Emerge as Norway’s Ice Surrenders Secrets After Centuries
Ever wondered what secrets a melting ice patch might spill if it could talk? Well, if Lendbreen in Norway’s Jotunheim Mountains had a voice, it’d sound like a bustling Viking marketplace — complete with the clatter of horseshoes, the whish of arrows, and yes, even the less glamorous splat of centuries-old horse dung. This isn’t just any frozen blob of ice exposed by global warming; it’s a veritable time capsule revealing sled fragments, ancient clothing, and enough relics to make any archaeologist’s heart race. What’s astonishing is how this remote patch, now reachable only by the bravest mountain bikers or helicopter rides, once bustled with traders, travelers, and even sheepherders trekking over the 6,300-foot Lomseggen ridge. The sheer variety and preservation of finds challenge everything we thought about ancient travel routes in the high mountains of Scandinavia. It’s like the past just couldn’t wait to slip out from under the ice and say hello. Ready to dive into a Viking-age trade route hidden just beneath our noses? LEARN MORE
Sled fragments, arrows, horseshoes, and even animal dung are among the objects archaeologists have found on the Lendbreen ice patch.
Espen Finstad/SecretsOfTheIceThe Lendbreen ice patch after melting, exposing horse dung dating back centuries.
The Lendbreen ice patch in Norway’s Jotunheim Mountains is so remote that it’s only accessible by professional mountain bikers or a helicopter ride.
This wasn’t always the case, however, as a new study on recovered ancient artifacts showed it was once an extremely busy route of Viking Age traffic.
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