reindeer

Archaeologists working on the Aurlandsfjellet mountain plateau in Vestland County, Norway, have uncovered what experts are calling one of the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of 2025: a remarkably well-preserved 1,500-year-old wooden reindeer trapping system. The find consists of hundreds of meticulously hewn wooden logs preserved under layers of snow and ice for over a millennium, representing the first wooden mass-capture structure ever uncovered from ice in Norway. The discovery was made by archaeologists from Vestland County Council and the University Museum in Bergen. According to archaeologist Øystein Skår of Vestland County Council, the best-preserved section consists of two wooden fences leading into a large pen constructed from heavy logs, where reindeer were herded and killed. "This finding makes us certain