Ancient Artifacts Of The Sami People Revealed As Snow Melts In Lappland

Archeologists who specialize in excavation in Northern Scandinavia have unearthed ancient artifacts of the Sami People.

The discovery was made in Lappland, a province in northernmost Sweden. According to archaeologists it is global warming and much warmer summers that have contributed to the melting of the snow and thus made it possible to find artifacts that have remain hidden for thousand of years.

“Yes, increased warming has resulted in that snow patches melt very quickly and this is why we can find these artifacts. Otherwise we would never have found them. They could have been resting under the snow for an eternity, archaeologist Kjell-Åke Aronsson manager at Ájtte Museum in Jokkmokk said.

Ájtte, Swedish Mountain and Sami Museum in Jokkmokk is a gateway to the high mountains, to Lappland and the Sami culture.

It is also important not to confuse snow patches with glaciers. A snow patch is a geomorphological pattern of snow and firn accumulation which lies on the surface longer time than other seasonal snow cover, while a glacier is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. It forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation (melting and sublimation) over many years, often centuries.

Lappland (in English – Laponia or Lapland) covers an area of 9,400km2 in the mountains and forests of Norrbotten, Sweden and has been the home of nomadic hunters and reindeer herders since time immemorial. In Lapland there are four magnifcent national parks and several nature preserves. Lapland was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996.

The recent archaeological find consists of ancient arrows that are estimated to be over 1,000-years-old and were used by Sami hunters. According to scientists these types of ancient arrowheads have also been found on other Sami settlements and sacrificial sites.

In Sweden, it is only Sami and Mountain Museum in Jokkmokk that undertakes this type of high mountains archeology. “So all the help from the public, such as mountain walkers, is very much appreciated,” Kjell-Åke Aronsson said.

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