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Melting glaciers in the Swiss Alps region have revealed artefacts predating the discovery of Oetzi the Iceman, the frozen body found in an Austrian glacier in 1991.
Img: Swiss Alps. Credit: David G.../flickr
Experts from the University of Berne in Switzerland are currently examining the rare discovery of bows, quivers, pieces of leather and wooden bowls, some of which date back to 4,500 BC, making them the oldest finds in the Alps and predating Oetzi who is believed to have lived around 3,300 BC.
“We know now that the discoveries... are the oldest of this kind ever made in the Alps,” commented Albert Hafner, who is in charge of the archaeological service at the University of Berne.
The finds were originally made when a couple of curious Swiss hikers, walking through the 2,756m Schnidejoch glacier, found an unusual piece of wood that caught their eye. Carrying it back down with them, the hikers presented the artefact to the University, which, after careful examination, found it to be an arrow quiver made from birch bark and dating from around 3,000 BC.
While initially keeping the discovery from the public in order to deter trophy hunters, further expeditions by the University to the glacier site revealed even more rare discoveries.
"Finds in the Alps are very rare anyway," explained Hafner, chief archaeologist with the canton of Berne. "But this is unique; we don't know of a quiver like this anywhere else in the world."
"We now have the complete bow equipment, quiver and arrows," he added. "And we have, surprisingly, a lot of organic material like leather, parts of shoes and a trouser leg, that we wouldn't normally find."
The experts say the finds link to times of climate warming on the planet that would have made the Alps more accessible to humans.
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