Exhibition available 8-20 November 2022
What happened to the person who lost the skis more than a thousand years ago? Was it a woman or a man? And was the skier hunting, traveling, or fleeing? One thing researchers know for sure is that the skier from the Viking Age lost both skis up on that mountain. The first ski was found in 2014, which was dated to the end of the 8th century AD. The archaeologists hoped at the time that the second ski would turn up, and it did – and turned out to be even better preserved than the first! Prehistoric skis with a preserved binding are extremely rare. The binding itself is important because it tells the researchers a lot about how the skis have been used. This 1,300-year-old pair of skis from Digervarden is the world's best-preserved pair of prehistoric skis. Before 2014, only one other prehistoric ski with a preserved ski binding had been found.
The exhibition will be on display for two weeks at the Historical Museum before the ski is transported to The Norwegian Mountain Centre in Lom, where it will be reunited with its partner. Finally, the skis will be exhibited at the new Viking Age Museum when it opens at Bygdøy.
Secrets of the Ice
Among patches of ice and melting glaciers in the high mountains, archaeological discoveries are emerging. For the past ten years, archaeologists have worked together to find, research, and preserve these objects in the best possible way. In addition to finding the 1,300-year-old pair of skis, they have found more than 3,000 artefacts – hunting tools, transport equipment, textiles, leather, and clothing.
The archaeologists are searching for answers to how people in prehistoric times used the high mountains, both as a travel route and for reindeer hunting. People have been skiing in the mountains for thousands of years. The oldest alpine find is 2800 years old. But how far back do Norwegian skiing traditions go? Perhaps more discoveries from even further back in time will appear?
This research collaboration is organised as the Glacial Archaeology Program in Innlandet county in Norway, also known as Secrets of the Ice. This is a collaboration between Innlandet County Council and the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, which the Historical Museum is part of. Read more about the Secrets of the Ice project.
Click on the 3D model to study it closer.
