https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/gateway/plugin/WebFeedGatewayPlugin/atomJournal of Glacial Archaeology2023-02-28T15:52:13+00:00E. James Dixonjdixon@unm.eduOpen Journal Systems<p><em>The Journal of Glacial Archaeology</em> encompasses all topics concerning archaeological discoveries from glacial, permafrost, polar and high‐altitude frozen contexts across the world and presents the latest discoveries and research from frozen sites. <a href="https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/about">Read More</a>.</p>https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/23270Ice Patch Archaeology in the Teton Mountains2023-02-28T15:51:51+00:00Marcia Peterson
<p>Since 2015, I have investigated 21 ice patches in the Teton Range, Wyoming and located one pre-contact and several post-contact artifacts. The pre-contact artifact is a modified whitebark pine stick that dates to 3158 to 2960 cal BP. The post-contact artifacts are one 1940s wallet, one carved Boy Scout walking stick, and two modified pine sticks that date to the contact/post-contact periods. I also collected paleobiological specimens, including wood samples from dead trees and bison bones that are used to reconstruct past tree line elevations, as proxies for paleoclimate regimes, and to reconstruct the pre-contact lifeways of bison in the higher elevations of the Greater Yellowstone Area. This article presents the combined results of these investigations and their implications for future ice patch research in the Tetons.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/23948Frozen Pasts 52023-02-28T15:50:49+00:00Craig M. LeeE. James Dixon
<p>Frozen Pasts 5 (FP 5), the 5<sup>th</sup> International Glacial and Ice Patch Archaeology Conference, occurred 7-10 September 2021 at Chico Hot Springs Resort midway between Yellowstone National Park and Bozeman, Montana, USA. The Frozen Pasts meetings are international gatherings of interdisciplinary researchers focusing on glacial and ice patch archaeology and related environments.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25620Climate Change and the Continued Preservation of the Arctic Archaeological Record 2023-02-28T17:18:07+00:00Jørgen Hollesen
<p>.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/22798Sacred Mountains and Their Oracles in the Equatorial Glacial Volcanic Arc2023-10-24T08:44:14+00:00Alden Yépez
<p>During many decades the high altitude archaeology considered that the ceremonial constructions were ritual remnant practices exclusively of the central and southern Andean mountains, while at the northern Andes were not expected to be found any high ritual and religious offerings, because the snow- capped mountains were an obstacle for the pilgrimage. In this contribution we want to suggest that the ritual and sacrificial expression of aboriginal Andean people of the Ecuadorian Andes succeeded principally on the twins and oracles of the mountains (<em>huauquis </em>[brother]), that can be placed at the foots of the mountains or at the bottom of the glacier in icy ambient. The continuity of the sacrificial cults in both cases can be documented since pre-hispanic epochs to the present.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25612Glacial Archaeology in Yukon, Canada, 2018 to 20222023-02-28T17:11:45+00:00Christian ThomasSheila GreerKelsey Pennanen
<p>.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25613Ice, Mountains, and People2023-02-28T17:12:30+00:00Diana TirleaTodd KristensenAaron OsickiBritta JensenKrista WilliamsRichard CanersLisa LumleyRobin Woywitka
<p>.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25614Overview of Interdisciplinary Ice Patch Research in the Greater Yellowstone Region, USA2023-02-28T17:13:14+00:00Craig M. Lee
<p>.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25615Through Thick and Thin Ice2023-02-28T17:14:07+00:00Constanza Ceruti
<p>.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25617Ice Covered Heritage2023-02-28T17:15:28+00:00Franco Nicolis
<p>.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25618A Glacial Archaeology Update from the Canton of Valais, Switzerland (and a call for citizen scientists)2023-02-28T17:16:00+00:00Ralph LugonPhilippe CurdyStephanie R. Rogers
<p>.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25722Glacial Archaeology Goes Viral2023-02-28T15:34:53+00:00E. James DixonWilliam TaylorMartin HinzAlbert Hafner2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25619Glacial Archaeology in Inner Asia2023-02-28T17:17:20+00:00William Taylor
<p>.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25616Glacial Archaeology Is Coming of Age2023-02-28T17:14:38+00:00Lars Pilø
<p>.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25611Glacial Archaeology2023-02-28T17:11:06+00:00E. James Dixon
<p>.</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/25610Special Forum: Changes and Challenges in Glacial Archaeology2023-02-28T17:10:25+00:00William Taylor
<p>-</p>
2023-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2023 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/19883An Application of Ground-Penetrating Radar at a Greater Yellowstone Area Ice Patch2022-01-24T11:35:23+00:00Brandon AckermannCraig M. LeeDavid McWethyNathan ChellmanJoe McConnell
<p>Ice patches are an irreplaceable archive of past events. With atypical melting now occurring around the world, it is important to be able to quantify and interpret the potential of what remains in areas of archaeological interest. A ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey was conducted at an archaeologically productive ice patch in the Greater Yellowstone Area to identify sediment layers in which archaeological materials may be present. Numerous reflective surfaces were observed and interpreted as being organic-rich layers called lags. GPR did not reveal all lag surfaces that were easily identifiable in an ice core that was collected concurrently at the same ice patch. 400 MHz and 900 MHz antennas were used in the survey, but neither fully revealed the basal profile of the ice patch. This is likely the result of the short time-window in which the data were collected, as opposed to attenuation of the radar waves deep in the ice. Future applications of the technology are explored.</p>
2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2021 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/19957Paleoecological and Archaeological Investigation of the ROMO 9 Ice Patch, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA2022-01-24T11:37:38+00:00Jason M. LaBelleKelton A, Meyer
<p>Rocky Mountain National Park contains a dense record of prehistoric Native American archaeological locales and biological resources, but questions remain about the past use of the Park’s ice patches by ancient humans and animals. Our survey of 30 locations in the Park revealed that the majority of ice patches are small in size and contain limited evidence of past visitation by mobile peoples, but moderate use by game. In this paper, we present new radiocarbon dates for materials documented in the recently melted forefield of the ROMO 9 ice patch, a mid-sized ice body located in alpine tundra along the Continental Divide. Dated materials include timber-sized pine trees, keratin and bone collagen from large game (bighorn sheep, elk), and a possible wooden artifact made from Mountain mahogany. Results suggest most finds date to several periods of known neoglaciation, during the mid-Holocene (c. 4150 cal BP) and the Little Ice Age (c. 115 cal BP). Our results corroborate past findings on mid-Holocene timberline in the Colorado Front Range, as well as the paucity of archaeological evidence from small ice patches in Colorado.</p>
2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2021 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/19823Tracking the Cold2022-01-24T11:32:50+00:00Gino Caspari
<p>In recent years airborne and spaceborne remote sensing have developed into a widely applied tool for archaeologists. In glacial archaeology, it has been employed successfully, but could see a wider application among practitioners. This article summarizes common remote sensing approaches useful to archaeologists in cryogenic environments. It covers simple applications using easily accessible data in order to enable the practitioner to monitor melt and contextualize archaeological sites within a larger landscape setting. The improved resolution and availability of remote sensing data enhances its usefulness with regards to identifying, documenting and monitoring sites in frozen environments and is a valuable addition to most field research pertaining to glacial archaeology.</p>
2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2021 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/19784Mongolia’s Frozen Heritage2022-01-24T11:24:37+00:00Julia ClarkJamsranjav BayarsaikhanAlicia Ventresca MillerSandra VanderwarfIsaac HartGino CaspariWilliam Timothy Treal Taylor
<p>While pastoral cultures from Mongolia and the dry steppes of eastern Eurasia have had an outsized impact on Eurasian history, the region’s geomorphology, reliance on organic materials, and a nomadic culture that lacks long-lasting architecture on the landscape have conspired to limit our knowledge of important anthropological processes in the deep past. Frozen archaeological sites, including permafrost and finds from glaciers and ice patches, serve as a key exception to this rule, providing detailed snapshots into the ancient lifeways of Mongolia’s mountain zones. However, these sites pose unique challenges for archaeological conservation, and rapid climate warming, paired with other issues like looting, threatens to degrade them faster than they can be identified, studied, or preserved. Here we summarize the known frozen heritage of Mongolia and highlight a recent to-date unpublished case study on salvaging and studying frozen archaeological sites.</p>
2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2021 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/19685The Neolithic Bow Case from Lenk, Schnidejoch2022-01-24T11:19:54+00:00Jürgen JunkmannsJohanna KlüglGiovanna Di PietroAlbert Hafner
<p class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%;">The find of a yet unknown type of birch bark container in the site of Schnidejoch (Bernese Alps, Switzerland) was a surprise, for in all the wetland or lakeshore sites of Europe no parallels to this unique object are known to date. First, when only a small part was discovered, it was supposed to have been part of an arrow quiver. However, with the final appearance of the ca. 170 cm long container, it needed a new interpretation. The yew bow found at the same site, 160.5 cm long, would fit perfectly inside. Two silex arrowheads found in the bottom confirm an association with archery. The find could be identified as the first Neolithic bow case.</p>
2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2021 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/18279The “Mercenary”2020-11-24T12:59:29+00:00Sophie ProvidoliLuca GianazzaHanna GrabnerMatthias SennJosé Diaz TaberneroMarquita VolkenSerge Volken
<p>Between 1984 and the early 1990s the remains of a man were recovered from the edge of the Upper Theodul Glacier. The man died around AD 1600 while crossing the Theodul Pass (3301 m.a.s.l.) near Zermatt, one of the most important trade routes in the Pennine Alps at the time. He was called the “mercenary from the Theodul Pass” because of the weapons found alongside him. In 2006 his remains and the associated artifacts were incorporated into the collection of the Valais History Museum and specialists from various disciplines examined the collection for several years. The examination results give an unexpected glimpse into the life of a well-to-do traveller in early postmedieval period revealing rare preserved objects from this time.</p>
2020-11-19T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2020 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/18726Yukon First Nation use of Copper for End-Blades on Hunting Arrows2020-11-24T12:51:30+00:00Christian Daniel ThomasP. Gregory HareJoshua D. ReutherJason S. RogersH. Kory CooperE. James Dixon
<p>Copper metallurgy and bow and arrow technology are widely considered hallmark traits of the Late Prehistoric Period in the northwest of North America (Yukon and Alaska). In recent years, a number of osseous arrow points have been recovered from melting alpine ice patches in the northwest, some with evidence of copper utilization. This article reports on the construction and radiocarbon dating of three osseous arrowheads recovered from Yukon-Alaska ice patches and documents the use of handheld energy-dispersive x-ray florescence (EDXRF) technology to discriminate native copper implements, as well as detect absorbed copper residues from other osseous points. We also reference several other bladed arrow points discovered at ice patches in Yukon and neighboring Alaska to develop a tentative timeline for the use of copper end-blades with osseous arrow points in the northwest.</p>
2020-11-19T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2020 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/18727Glacial Archaeology in South Tyrol2020-11-24T13:01:30+00:00Hubert SteinerRupert Gietl
<p>Climatic deterioration lasting until the 19th century brought about a marked advance of the glaciers with some serious consequences for the population. The theologian and writer Beda Weber (1798–1859) attempted to explain the phenomenon of the progressive downward shift of the treeline in the Schnals Valley: ‘With astonishment the inhabitants of the Schnals Valley witnessed the extinction of the forests from high up down towards the valley (A phenomenon which occurs in many principal valleys and is not yet fully explained). They saw it as the gradual extinction of the World, and to them it seemed that even now the light was becoming dimmer’. Since the middle of the 19th century climate change has been observed, with warming leading to a retreat of the glaciers and a gradual thawing of the permafrost soils. This dramatic process has already been monitored and recorded in various glaciers in South Tyrol. In recent years the rapid retreat of the glaciers has continued unhindered. Numerous reports of finds prompted the South Tyrol provincial heritage service, the Amt für Bodendenkmäler, to carry out archaeological investigations, which have revealed important new aspects relating to the use of the high altitude regions by people in the past.</p>
2020-11-19T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2020 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/18730Glacial Archaeology in the Austrian Alps (GAAA)2020-11-24T13:10:45+00:00Thomas BachnetzerBeatrix NutzStephanie E. MetzHarald Stadler
<p>As a result of global warming and the subsequent retreat of the glaciers, artefacts have emerged from the ice of the Alps repeatedly. These objects from different epochs of the last 10,000 years are of great interest to archaeology and its neighboring fields of research. Prehistoric ice finds, like those found at the Similaun (“Ötzi”) in 1991, make for scientific incentives. Such findings provide basic information about the previously unknown use of high alpine landscapes. The project “Glacial Archaeology in the Austrian Alps (GAAA),” carried out at the Insitute of Archaeologies at the University of Innsbruck, has the objective of providing a three-column system: A GIS-based prediction model of areas where finds can be expected, surveys and public relations to lay the foundations for future archaeological research of the glacial areas of Austria.</p>
2020-11-19T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2020 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/20547New Directions in a Warming World2021-08-15T21:44:00+00:00William Timothy Treal TaylorE. James DixonAlbert HafnerMartin Hinz2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2021 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/18247Editorial Update2021-02-25T16:38:12+00:00E. James DixonAlbert HafnerMartin HinzWilliam Taylor2020-11-20T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2020 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/319Faunal Finds from Alpine Ice2020-01-24T05:04:28+00:00Jørgen Rosvold
<p>Inland ice covers large areas of the world’s surface, but the ecology of the ice itself is poorly studied and largely unknown. A large variety of melted out faunal finds from glaciers and ice patches around the world have been discovered for more than 150 years. These finds hold a unique and largely untapped information potential for archaeology, faunal history and glacial ecology. In order to retrieve information from this frozen databank we need a better understanding of how the material were deposited. This article provides a background for glacial faunal finds worldwide and presents the relatively large Norwegian collections for the first time. The Norwegian finds are very well preserved, allowing good insights into the taphonomy of the finds. While most finds seem to be naturally deposited, many of the sites are interesting hybrids between archaeological and natural history sites. Potential implications and prospects for future management and research are further discussed.</p>
2018-09-12T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2018 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/277Unmoving Ice Patches and Instances of Biased Recovery Patterns2019-09-06T01:08:13+00:00Julian Robert Post Martinsen
<p>The main aim of this study is to investigate the sorting processes that artifacts preserved within ice patches may have been subjected to. This is exemplified by examples from a Norwegian study area. Early research on archaeological ice patches failed to determine whether or not ice patches displayed a static or dynamic internal structure that might create a biased artifact recovery pattern. This review of international literature on the subject aims to throw more light on the formation process of ice patches. Geomorphological and paleoclimatic research are utilized in order to construct a spectrum of sorting processes that exist in and around ice patches. The conclusion is that most ice patches are motionless in their current state. While a motionless ice core will preserve artifacts in the long term, sorting processes may occur during the incorporation of artifacts into the ice core from its margins. Given that physical sorting processes can influence the chronological patterns of archaeological artifacts recovered from ice patches, I further conclude that knowledge of ice patch formation can inform interpretations of the archaeological record of their use as sites of human activity in the past.</p>
2016-05-31T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2016 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/253The Emergence of Glacial Archaeology2019-04-23T12:24:32+00:00E. James DixonMartin Eugene CallananAlbert HafnerP. G. Hare
<p>Introduction to the inaugural issue.</p>
2014-11-06T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2014 Equinox Publishing Ltd.https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JGA/article/view/317Prehistoric and Medieval Skis from Glaciers and Ice Patches in Norway2022-10-27T09:46:14+00:00Espen FinstadJulian MartinsenRunar HoleLars Pilø
<p>Traditionally, ski history has relied on preserved skis from bogs, on rock carvings depicting skiers and on written sources. The on-going melting of mountain ice has led to the discovery of ancient skis from a new context. In this paper, we present ski finds from glacial ice in Norway, dated from the first millennium BCE to the Medieval Period. The finds of skis from glacial ice shed new light on the ski history of NorthWestern Europe—the development, the context of use in a high-alpine landscape and the skiing technique. One of the finds provides the earliest date yet for the use of fur on the underside of skis.</p> <p>Published Open Access CCY-BY </p> <p>Project supported by the Ministry of Climate and Environment; The Directorate of Cultural Heritage; Oppland County Council; Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo</p>
2018-09-12T00:00:00+00:00Copyright (c) 2018 Equinox Publishing Ltd.