Mountaineers and outdoors-people are coming across unusual ancient objects in the Swiss Alps, and their various findings are creating a lot of work for archaeologists.
Whether it was the Iron Age, ancient Rome, or the Middle Ages, our ancestors have always moved across the Alps and their snowy ridges with oil, wine, weapons, cows, and many other useful trading items.
Now, their haul that was left behind is beginning to surface as the mountains’ glaciers recede, revealing hints of past civilizations and eras. Researchers and archaeologists spoke with Business Insider and showed them some of their more unusual discoveries.
A few years ago, a hiker discovered 400-year-old remains, weapons, and money on a thawing glacier in the Swiss Alps, revealing the remnants of a wealthy traveler.
Archaeologists now believe the man, who died by accident, was part of an ancient economy using dangerous routes… pic.twitter.com/sOSFbPKbHc
— Culture Explorer (@CultureExploreX) July 10, 2024
Switzerland is home to more glaciers than any other European country. The glaciers are melting rapidly as global temperatures surge due to climate change. In 2022 and 2023, the country saw 10 percent of its total glacier volume vanish, according to the Swiss Academy of Sciences.
Ancient objects discovered in Swiss Alps
One mountaineer stumbled across a wooden statue, which was then hung on the individual’s living-room wall for almost 20 years before Pierre-Yves Nicod, a museum curator, spotted an old email about it and made contact, according to Business Insider.
The hiker discovered the ancient statue drenched in Swiss meltwater in 1999 and subsequently cleaned it. He donated it in 2018, and archaeologists were able to date the wood back to the Iron Age.
The Valais History Museum is located on a big hill which stands out in the center of town. It is renowned for its abilities within the relatively new subject of glacial archaeology. The museum has previously loaned its items for a traveling glacial-archaeology exhibit.
A separate building in a different part of the town is where the archives are kept. There are also additional artifacts there. Glacial discoveries are stored away in a massive freezer in the basement, and there are rooms full of bins.
Discoveries from glaciers are providing more and more information on human history and ancient economies in the region.
However, it is difficult. On the glacier, there’s usually nothing else associated or closely connected to the item found. There is no infrastructure or roads, ancient cities, or other objects in the Swiss Alps which might provide clues as to the ancient artifact’s origins or purpose.
“It’s one of the difficulties of glacial archaeology that we find these objects in the ice, and therefore out of all archaeological context,” Nicod told Business Insider.
A series of wooden sticks have been found on the pass, too. This is known as the col, referring to the region between mountain peaks. Because it is above the line of the trees, the sticks must have been placed there by humans.
A few of the sticks date back to the time of the ancient Romans, who apparently used the Celtics as guides to cross the glaciers and Alps.
