Yet another broadhead design to ponder – from 1000 years ago

[Charles Ek]

#2709

The melting of a glacier has again revealed an ancient bowhunter’s craft. A Norwegian who was hunting ptarmigan across the border in Sweden came across a virtually intact arrow that is estimated to be about 1000 years old. It’s thought to have been used by a Sami hunter. Even the supposed sinew used to attach the broadhead is intact. From the arrow length it is surmised that a powerful longbow was used to propel it.

Here’s a link to the story (in Norwegian) with pictures. There’s a news service operating in Norway and Sweden that often translates and republishes such stories in English. I’ll add a link if they do that.

Jeger gjorde unikt funn

[1shot]

#12132

Great find!!!

[James Harvey]

#12388

That is a very long one piece broadhead/adaptor/insert! Almost looks like a Roman pilum. Thanks for sharing 😉

[David Petersen]

#12579

This guy has found three of these in the same area. Must have been a great hunting area, or a battle ground. I’m surprised iron lasted that long, even in ice. Must have been some serious EFOC! I’d like to know the weights. I’m excited by paleo, not meso or neo, but still it’s cool.

[Charles Ek]

#12705

David Petersen wrote: This guy has found three of these in the same area.

Not sure what your source for this is. The hunter found just this one, according to the article. The other guy quoted is a Norwegian museum director, who describes this as the fourth arrow of its type found in Sweden.

Here’s a brief article in English from Sweden, stating two such arrows have been found near each other. There are some good pictures of arrow details:

Arrows frozen for 1,000 years found in Sweden

[jpcarlson]

#12753

eidsvolling wrote: The melting of a glacier has again revealed an ancient bowhunter’s craft. A Norwegian who was hunting ptarmigan across the border in Sweden came across a virtually intact arrow that is estimated to be about 1000 years old. It’s thought to have been used by a Sami hunter. Even the supposed sinew used to attach the broadhead is intact. From the arrow length it is surmised that a powerful longbow was used to propel it.

Here’s a link to the story (in Norwegian) with pictures. There’s a news service operating in Norway and Sweden that often translates and republishes such stories in English. I’ll add a link if they do that.

Jeger gjorde unikt funn

Det ver godt aa faa lest om dette paa Norsk:) Takk for linken,

Jans

[David Petersen]

#13678

Charles — Doc Dave Sigurslid, my former partner in writing our former Campfire Fartologer column, is Norsky and “reads it fluently” in his words. (His son’s name is Haakon.) He gave me a quick summary of the story and I easily could have misunderstood him. He also mentioned–and I don’t think this was from the article but from him having been there and familiar with the area–that this had been a Viking stronghold and they made big tanged points like that from slag iron, so in his view it’s possible they could be of Viking origins.

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