Der Rückgang der Gletscher in den Alpen ist eines der augenfälligsten Merkmale der globalen Klimaerwärmung. Davon betroffen sind auch archäologische Objekte, die teilweise über Jahrtausende im hochalpinen Eis überdauert haben und nun durch dessen Schmelze zum Vorschein kommen. Es handelt sich um Ausrüstungsgegenstände früher Jäger, Hirten und Händler, aber auch um Flugzeuge und militärische Anlagen. Archäologische Funde aus dem Eis gibt es aber auch in den Gletschern Skandinaviens und Nordamerikas, hier vor allem in Zusammenhang mit der Rentierjagd. Der Vortrag führt in die globale Gletscherarchäologie ein und präsentiert einen Überblick über die Geschichte und Bedeutung archäologischer Funde aus dem Eis in verschiedenen Zonen der Erde.
Only a few sites in the Alps have produced archaeological finds from melting ice. To date, prehistoric finds from four sites dating from the Neolithic period, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age have been recovered from small ice patches (Schnidejoch, Lötschenpass, Tisenjoch, and Gemsbichl/Rieserferner). Glaciers, on the other hand, have yielded historic finds and frozen human remains that are not more than a few hundred years old (three glacier mummies from the 16th to the 19th century and military finds from World Wars I and II). Between 2003 and 2010, numerous archaeological finds were recovered from a melting ice patch on the Schnidejoch in the Bernese Alps (Cantons of Berne and Valais, Switzerland). These finds date from the Neolithic period, the Early Bronze Age, the Iron Age, Roman times, and the Middle Ages, spanning a period of 6000 years. The Schnidejoch, at an altitude of 2756 m asl, is a pass in the Wildhorn region of the western Bernese Alps. It has yielded some of the earliest evidence of Neolithic human activity at high altitude in the Alps. The abundant assemblage of finds contains a number of unique artifacts, mainly from organic materials like leather, wood, bark, and fibers. The site clearly proves access to high-mountain areas as early as the 5th millennium BC, and the chronological distribution of the finds indicates that the Schnidejoch pass was used mainly during periods when glaciers were retreating. ; Dans les Alpes, la glace en fusion a donné lieu à des découvertes archéologiques à seulement quelques emplacements. Jusqu'à maintenant, des découvertes préhistoriques en provenance de quatre sites remontant à la période néolithique, à l'âge du bronze et à l'âge du fer ont été faites dans de petits névés (Schnidejoch, Lötschenpass, Tisenjoch et Gemsbichl-Rieserferner). Par contre, les glaciers ont permis de faire des trouvailles historiques et de découvrir des restes humains qui ne datent pas de plus de quelques centaines d'années (soit trois momies de glaciers allant du XVIe au XIXe siècles et des découvertes militaires de la Première Guerre mondiale ainsi que de la Seconde Guerre mondiale). Entre 2003 et 2010, de nombreuses découvertes archéologiques ont été effectuées dans un névé en fusion du Schnidejoch, dans les Alpes bernoises (cantons de Berne et de Valais, en Suisse). Ces découvertes datent de la période néolithique, du début de l'âge du bronze, de l'âge du fer, de l'époque romaine et du Moyen-Âge, ce qui s'échelonne sur 6 000 années. Le Schnidejoch, se trouvant à une altitude de 2 756 m, est un col de la région Wildhorn, dans l'ouest des Alpes bernoises. Cet endroit a permis de découvrir les plus anciennes preuves d'activité humaine de la période néolithique en haute altitude dans les Alpes. L'abondant assemblage de découvertes comprend un certain nombre d'artefacts uniques principalement composés de matériaux organiques comme le cuir, le bois, l'écorce et les fibres. Ce site prouve nettement que dès le cinquième millénaire av. J.-C., l'être humain avait accès aux régions en haute montagne. Par ailleurs, la répartition chronologique des découvertes indique que le col du Schnidejoch était principalement utilisé en périodes de recul des glaciers.
Only a few sites in the Alps have produced archaeological finds from melting ice. To date, prehistoric finds from four sites dating from the Neolithic period, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age have been recovered from small ice patches (Schnidejoch, Lötschenpass, Tisenjoch, and Gemsbichl/Rieserferner). Glaciers, on the other hand, have yielded historic finds and frozen human remains that are not more than a few hundred years old (three glacier mummies from the 16th to the 19th century and military finds from World Wars I and II). Between 2003 and 2010, numerous archaeological finds were recovered from a melting ice patch on the Schnidejoch in the Bernese Alps (Cantons of Berne and Valais, Switzerland). These finds date from the Neolithic period, the Early Bronze Age, the Iron Age, Roman times, and the Middle Ages, spanning a period of 6000 years. The Schnidejoch, at an altitude of 2756 m asl, is a pass in the Wildhorn region of the western Bernese Alps. It has yielded some of the earliest evidence of Neolithic human activity at high altitude in the Alps. The abundant assemblage of finds contains a number of unique artifacts, mainly from organic materials like leather, wood, bark, and fibers. The site clearly proves access to high-mountain areas as early as the 5th millennium BC, and the chronological distribution of the finds indicates that the Schnidejoch pass was used mainly during periods when glaciers were retreating.
The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic remind the scientific community that human-environment relations are of great social relevance. Societal crises, currently triggered by the emergence of unknown viruses or in the future by climate change, are essentially the result of widening human activities since the last 12,000 years. Therefore, research that examines the transformative phases in the evolution of human culture associated with past global climate changes has become particularly important in recent years. The study of the interaction of nature and society in the Holocene was one of the tasks of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Institutional Partnership project "Network in Eastern European Neolithic and Wetland Archaeology for the improvement of field techniques and dating methods (NEENAWA)". With the organisation of the session "The Climate Impact on European Neolithic Societies During the 8.2ky BP Events Near River Basins and Lakes" at the 26th Annual Virtual Conference of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA, 24-30 August 2020), issues related to the economy and ecology of Neolithic communities linked to water bodies were discussed. The publication of session materials will be important for the study of the local manifestations of the different responses of prehistoric societies to climate setbacks in the early Holocene. In order to unite science and training through the interaction of the student audience with the professional environment, the Centre for Palaeoethnological Research decided to develop a multimedia training course "Nature and Society in Prehistoric Europe" in 2021. ; International educational project "Nature and Society in Prehistoric Europe" was supported by the European Union in the framework of the House of Europe Programme (https://houseofeurope.org.ua/en ).
