This strange artifact melted out of the ice in the Lendbreen pass. We scratched our heads to try to figure out what it had been used for but we couldn't come up with a good answer. The object was exhibited at the local museum. A visiting elderly woman solved the mystery for us.

She had used such objects on a local farm in the 1930s!😮 She told us that it is a bit for young animals, mainly goat kids and lambs, to stop them from getting milk from their mothers.

The carved furrows on each end originally had string attached, which was used for fastening behind the ears, so the bit wouldn't come loose. Usually, such bits were made in juniper, she said, as this is a very tough wood.

We were stunned when the result came back: The bit belonged to the 11th century AD - it was 1000 years old😮 Now how is that for long-lived material culture and strong local traditions?

We have found a couple of more bits in the Lendbreen pass since then, like the one below. They are a testimony to livestock travelling through the high altitude Lendbreen pass a long time ago.