The melting glaciers of Scandinavia have been revealing thousands of years of the history of archery and hunting tactics in the far north. Hundreds of complete arrows and arrowheads have been found nestled among the rocks. The melting ice is a paradoxical blessing. It has deepened our understanding of the materials and methods of bow and arrow construction, but for every wooden arrow found, hundreds more deteriorate and decompose rapidly when exposed to the air before anyone can find them.
The Trollheimen and Dovre Mountains in Norway have revealed 5,400-year-old slate arrowheads, fragments of bows and arrows made of elm, one complete bow dating to 1300 BCE, and a birch bark quiver. The ancient Norwegians were likely hunting reindeer and maybe musk oxen on the ice patches where the animals retreated during the hot summers to escape the biting flies, parasites, and heat that plagued them. This behavior meant that ancient hunters knew where to find the animals. Clustered as they were and exposed on the glistening ice patches, the animals simplified the process of hunting them.
The elm for the arrows came from lower elevations and the slate, which is fragile and difficult to sharpen, came from the rocky hillsides, demonstrating that ancient archers used locally available materials to make their weapons. Contrary to our common assumption that ancient peoples were simple, all of this shows that they constructed complex weapons systems, developed a deep understanding of the animals they hunted, and the environments in which they hunted. Consequently, we should never use the word “primitive” to describe our ancient ancestors.
