During the summer heatwave in 2003, an ice field on the Schnidejoch pass in the Bernese Oberland revealed a secret that had been kept for millennia: a Neolithic bow case made of birch cork (bark). It was a sensational find that remains unique to this day. By 2005, further parts of the bow equipment had been uncovered.
However, the case was returned straight back to the ice: it was kept in its frozen state for the time being, because little was known about how to dry birch cork. 20 years later, this could be successfully performed and the equipment belonging to “Schnidi”, the Swiss Ötzi, is now on show for the first time in its thawed and preserved state.
However, the case was returned straight back to the ice: it was kept in its frozen state for the time being, because little was known about how to dry birch cork. 20 years later, this could be successfully performed and the equipment belonging to “Schnidi”, the Swiss Ötzi, is now on show for the first time in its thawed and preserved state.
The interpretation and conservation of the Schnidejoch bow case are the outcome of the project Unfreezing History, which was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and conducted at the Bern Academy of the Arts (HKB) and the University of Bern. These research findings are now being presented as part of the joint SNSF Agora project Stone Age was Plant Age run by the HKB, the Bern History Museum, and the Bern Archaeological service.
