Icelandic Earth scientists discover Bronze Age rock carvings in Mongolia

This summer, Earth scientists from the University of Iceland took part in field research in Mongolia with the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology based in Jena, Germany. The study ended up combining Earth science and archaeology in an astonishing way. During geological mapping, the scientists coincidentally discovered rock carvings (or petroglyphs) that were three thousand years old. Representing UI on the trip were Steffen Mischke, professor at the Faculty of Earth Sciences, and Elma Katrín Örvarsdóttir, undergraduate student in geology.

Sometimes, scientific discoveries not only reveal new knowledge. Sometimes they transform society by changing the way we understand history and ourselves. Discoveries like this help us create connections with people who lived thousands of years ago. Something made by people in the Bronze Age becomes a visible part of our human heritage. 

“Steffen and I were taking a short break from the measurements we were doing in the area. I remember Steffen walking a little distance away, and I asked him something, but he didn’t answer. I looked up and I saw a look of complete astonishment and joy on his face. I asked him what he was looking at, but he was so overwhelmed he couldn’t answer. I went over to him, and I felt exactly the same sense of wonder when I saw the carvings in front of him. After we had taken in what we were seeing, we walked further on and found more and more carvings. It was then that we realised what an incredible discovery this was and we couldn’t help laughing – we could hardly believe it.”  

Important source of information about Bronze Age lives, beliefs and society

Rock carvings like this are a vital source of information about the lives, beliefs and society of people living in this region thousands of years ago. They provide clues as to how people understood their environment, how they saw their relationship with nature, and how they interacted with the landscape and resources available to them. It is certainly a surprise for Earth scientists to discover carvings like this. However, research into such relics crosses traditional boundaries of geology, archaeology and anthropology to provide valuable insights into the relationship between culture and nature in the Bronze Age.

Archaeologists in Mongolia plan to apply for the entire valley with its caves, burial sites and other relics, to be protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Steffen explains that “the discovery of these petroglyphs will play an important role in that application.”

Steffen and Elma Katrín’s discovery shows us that new knowledge is not only based on the collation of scientific facts but can also come in the form of a bridge between the present and the distant past. When researchers suddenly come upon previously unseen rock carvings, these relics cease to be a secret of a bygone era and become a living part of the heritage of our species.