Che il nocciolo fosse tra i legni usati dagli antichi europei per fare archi ne avevamo già parlato in un altra discussione. Oltre alle fonti storiche e a qualche dipinto in cui sembrerebbero raffigurati archi di questo legno, parrebbe esserci ora anche una testimonianza archeologica ... se quello che ho letto in un articolo corrisponde al vero. E' questo:
"High on the flank of Norway’s largest peak, the Galdhoepiggen, 8000 feet, home to the legends of the old Norse gods, a small party of archaeologists work quietly and quickly, the season is short and there is much to be done.
Emerging within archaeology at this time is a discipline, which has a limited time scale attached to it. The reason being that it deals with ancient artifacts, mainly hunting, found in what were permanently frozen snow fields, up in the Jotunheimen Mountains, called ice patches.
Norway’s summer months can be hot and the habit of the reindeer was to climb up to the Juvfonna to escape the heat and the biting insects found in the lower pastures. Up around 6000 feet, snow fields provided cooling relief from the parasites and enough food to wait out the hot weather. Hunters following the herds noticed that the reindeer were in fact bedding on islands of ice and snow and with cunning, advantage could be taken. Placing flapping sticks on one end of the snow field about a yard apart, had the effect of driving the acutely sensitive animals toward the hunters hiding behind blinds, with predictable results, providing you shot well.
If the hunter missed the mark his arrow spear or dart went into the snow and any trace lost by either being swallowed up by the snow or trampled by the stampeding herd. Over the millennia, these and other artifacts were covered by succeeding layers of snowfall and became fixed as if in a time capsule. An analogy would be as if you lost your chariot keys 1700 years ago and archaeologists found them again in the summer of this year when the ice field started to melt, they would be almost as pristine as the day you lost them.
Dr Lars Pilo and his small team are racing against time to gather as many artifacts as possible before the ice fields melt and retreat to the extent that many bows, arrows, tools and maybe that great find, as yet undiscovered, will be lost. Exposure to the air of today plays havoc with the delicate parts of the finds, bindings, fletches, wool and leather last only days if not replaced in refrigeration, they become lost forever. A bow made from
hazel, (interesting) arrows of birch and pine (which need more research) whose spine is as yet undetermined. Iron and bone arrow heads, smelted and carved on the farmsteads in the valleys below. The hunters when they shot the deer frequently used both permanent buildings and tent encampments, evidence of which have been found high up on the Juvfonna which confirms pro active co- operation between farmsteads and perhaps larger conurbations. Dr Lars Pilo’s view is that probably between 15 to 20 people were involved in the hunts at any one time.
Up to now the season’s results have found over 600 remains in 22 of 40 ice patches so far investigated and the team continue their efforts to rescue what still lies under the ice, only 100 to go. Next season (2011) he hopes to add a further group to his own and in so doing rescue more of what lies beneath.
We at Archer’s Review are very grateful to our Norwegian Friends for contacting us, taking the time to answer our questions, sending pictures of the finds and a short video of the Juvfonna. We look forward to next year’s investigations and will, of course keep you informed of any research that is released to us…
We had a few questions to put to Lars Pilo and kindly he took the time to tell us a little about the project.
...
Q; Are there any bows/ bowstrings, if so what manufacture.
No bow strings.
One bow, of hazel.Q; What wood used for arrows. Spine, etc.
Birch and pine, but needs to looked further into.
Q; What metals used in arrow heads etc.
Iron. Sometimes bone.
..."
Oltre a numerosi altri reperti anche frecce intatte (impennaggio compreso) dell'età del ferro
