Archaeologists shocked after site of mass killing emerges from below mountain ice

Researchers from Vestland County Council and the University Museum of Bergen discovered an ancient reindeer "trapping system" in what is being hailed as one of the country's most important archaeological finds of recent times.

The team found hundreds of diligently-carved wooden logs which would have formed an elaborate system enabling mass hunting.

The best-preserved section of the site consisted of two converging fences leading to an enclosed area into which reindeer were herded and killed.

It is believed this site is the first mass-trapping system to be found in Norway, and maybe even Europe.

Archaeologists also discovered hundreds of reindeer antlers nearby, many of which had deep cut marks on them.

These marks show how the reindeer were processed after their capture, confirming the mass slaughter took place at the site.

It is thought the structures date back to the sixth century AD, and were then preserved as colder conditions swept through the region.

Archaeologists also found numerous iron spearheads, fragments of bows and arrows, and finely carved wooden instruments in the area.

Scientists are still studying these items to determine their uses.

Several delicately-decorated paddles were also found, leading researchers to question the possibility of ritual or symbolic practices at the mountain hunting site.

A dress pin intricately crafted from antler, thought to have once belonged to a hunter, was also among the artifacts.

Local hiker Helge Titland was the first person to stumble across the artefacts in the mountain area which is officially protected under Norway's Cultural Heritage Act.

An enthusiast who has documented ancient hunting sites in the area before, Mr Titland found carved segments of wood emerging from the ice and wrote a report.

This prompted archaeologists to investigate, and when they returned the following year, even more of the structure had been revealed.

Scientists believe the almost perfect preservation of the site is thanks to it going out of use precisely at the time a colder climate phase began.

As such, the structure was sealed under ice and snow before decay could set in.

Now, the recovered artefacts are all at the University Museum's conservation department in Bergen.

Due to their fragility, the pieces must be treated with care.

Wooden elements must be dried slowly while iron objects are put through an anti-corrosion treatment.