Mountain ice. Rock crystal from the Alps in the Mesolithic period

In 2013, a fissure in the vicinity of the Unteren Stremlücke/Fuorcla da Strem Sut melted free from the retreating Brunnifirn glacier in the canton of Uri, at an altitude of 2817m. Antler artefacts and fragments of wood discovered in the fissure are the oldest ice-preserved artefacts found in the Alps Rock crystal tools and manufacturing waste discovered there show that rock crystal was extracted and processed on a regular basis in the Mesolithic period, between 8000/7000 and 5800 BC.

Tools made from rock crystal/quartz dating back to the Mesolithic are no rare find in the Swiss Alps. Securely dated mining sites however, remained unknown until recently. The discoveries at the archaeological site at the Brunnifirn glacier open a rare window into Mesolithic life in the Alps. They show us how rock crystal was sourced, worked and used, as well as how it was valued in Mesolithic society.

This project involves not only the archaeological assessment of the Brunnifirn discoveries but also finds from other sites in the Cantons of Uri and the Valais, as well as fieldwork and public outreach. It is producing new insights into the long history of alpine hunter-gatherer societies and of crystal hunting as well as the environmental history of the region and its glaciers. As such the project is of both scientific and social importance.