Global Warming=Good For Archaeologists

April 27th, 2010

Some archaeologists are a getting a bit giddy about some new ancient artifacts they have found. The reason that they have found them is because warming temperatures have melted patches of ice in the Mackenzie Mountains that have been in place for thousands of years.

So…do I take this route, or talk about the artifacts? I’ll let you decide .

Tom Andrews, an archaeologist with the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife and lead researcher on the International Polar Year Ice Patch Study, is amazed at the implements being discovered by researchers.

“We’re just like children opening Christmas presents. I kind of pinch myself,” says Andrews.

Normally these ice patches stay all year round due to accumulation of snow. Recently, they have begun to melt much deeper and have revealed this pocket of hunting artifacts. The hunters had noticed that caribou became essentially trapped on these islands seeking relief from summer heat and insects.

“I’m never surprised at the brilliance of ancient hunters anymore. I feel stupid that we didn’t find this sooner,” says Andrews.

In 2000, he cobbled together funds to buy satellite imagery of specific areas in the Mackenzie Mountains and began to examine ice patches in the region. Five years later, he had raised enough to support a four-hour helicopter ride to investigate two ice patches. The trip proved fruitful where he found a few artifacts that would ensure continued research.

“Low and behold, we found a willow bow.” That discovery led to a successful application for federal International Polar Year funds which have allowed an interdisciplinary team of researchers to explore eight ice patches for four years where they have found everything except acne treatments that work

The results have been extraordinary. Andrews and his team have found 2400-year-old spear throwing tools, a 1000-year-old ground squirrel snare, and bows and arrows dating back 850 years. Biologists involved in the project are examining dung for plant remains, insect parts, pollen and caribou parasites. Others are studying DNA evidence to track the lineage and migration patterns of caribou. Andrews also works closely with the Shutaot’ine or Mountain Dene, drawing on their guiding experience and traditional knowledge.

“The implements are truly amazing. There are wooden arrows and dart shafts so fine you can’t believe someone sat down with a stone and made them.”