By Bond Robertson 
(This issue First published in Forskning.no).
“I was sweating from all the responsibility,” says Gut Reitan.
He and his fellow archaeologists found the grave of a Stone Age man.
He says: We have learned a lot about the Stone Age after this discovery.
They first had to recover the bone remains.
The strangest discoveries of archaeologists
This summer we're asking archaeologists to share their funniest finds with us.
Summer is the peak season for archaeological excavations, and many great discoveries are being made.
Sometimes it takes years of planning and digging before something amazing turns up, and other times they stumble upon treasures completely by accident. Both types of discoveries are valuable to our understanding of the past.
“The soft, poorly preserved bones were supposed to emerge from the hard concrete sand in which they were encased,” he says.
But archaeologists had to be paid for their efforts.
They have found some of the oldest human bones ever found in Norway.
Usually just stone and flint.
“The discovery was so funny because it was intact human bones from an elaborate tomb,” says Reitan.
Although the bones had the consistency of melted brown cheese, they were well preserved by Stone Age standards. They had been there for 8,000 years.
“We usually only find stone and flint from that time,” says Reitan.
There's a reason it's called the Stone Age. Organic materials like bones, hides, and wood would have rotted away long ago.
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But here the human bone was buried next to a wet rock. It was then safely encased in rocky sand.
“The bones allow us to examine DNA and get information about who made the journey here after the Ice Age,” says Reitan.
– Many people imagine that Stone Age people were a bit like monkeys, had no language and walked a bit forward. But that's not the case, says Gut Reitan, former excavation director at the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo. Photo: University of Oslo
Stone Age People and Stupidity
The burial site also says something about their rituals and lifestyles.
– First, someone spent time digging a large hole in the ground. He adds that the dead person was then placed with his legs close together, perhaps tied to keep them in that position.
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Archaeologists have also found traces of other organic materials.
The dead may have been decorated.
– Some of the clothing has not been preserved, but we can imagine a costume made of very elegant leather and fur, perhaps decorated with feathers and snail shells, explains Gaut.
He says that we humans were creative and innovative in prehistoric times as well.
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One Stady From the University of Cambridge shows how Stone Age people attached beads made from moose teeth to their clothing.
“They make a beautiful sound while dancing and can be interpreted as percussion instruments,” says Reitan.
Flintstones and Miscommunication
The popular perception of Stone Age people is often characterized by simple stereotypes, says Reitan.
Perhaps we can thank Hollywood movies and cartoons like The Flintstones for that.
Many people imagine that Stone Age people were a bit like monkeys, had no language and walked a little forward.
But that's not the point.
“They looked like you and me, dressed in their best clothes and carefully buried,” he explains.
He says he and his fellow archaeologists may have done a poor job of communicating.
“They were insanely skilled craftsmen, whether it came to making clothing, weapons, or tools of all kinds,” says Gaut.
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It is knowledge that we should not ignore.
He says: – It happens quickly when we focus mainly on the few things that survived.
He believes that one should make clear that Stone Age people were as complex and diverse as we are, with their own fashions, technologies, and social structures.
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big responsibility
– What kind of responsibility does one feel during such excavations?
“Such a rare and important discovery comes with a huge commitment to handle it in the best possible way,” he says.
One wrong stroke of the chisel, and the discovery could collapse.
They consulted with the international professional community on how best to handle the discovery.
He says: – We were a good team and together we managed to rescue a completely exceptional discovery in a good way.
Ötzi was found in the Alps between Italy and Austria. Archaeologist Gut Reitan hopes to find a similar find in Norwegian snowdrifts. Photo: Helmut Simon/Wikipedia
Norwegian version of Ötzi
– What is your dream discovery?
“That’s a good question,” says Reitan. “The answer might be a Norwegian version of Ötzi.”
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Ötzi, also called the Iceman, was found in the Alps between Italy and Austria.
– It was covered in ice and mummified in the permafrost for thousands of years. He says you can see that it originated in one area and then moved to another.
The stomach shows what the last meal was and perhaps where it was eaten.
Thus, the Snowman gives us a unique opportunity to study a person from the past on a detailed level.
“Imagine being able to make such a discovery here in a Norwegian snowdrift,” he says.