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Humans

Greenland voyage sheds light on little-known ancient Arctic culture

On a recent expedition, researchers braved summer storms in northern Greenland to learn the secrets of the ancient peoples who lived there 4500 years ago

By Becky Ferreira

6 September 2024

Researchers survey archaeological features in Wandel Dal valley, Greenland

Fuuja Larsen

Some 4500 years ago, as the Great Pyramid of Giza was being erected and the Indus Valley civilisation hit its peak, a group of Arctic peoples migrated to a region of northern Greenland now known as Inutoqqat Nunaat, or the “land of the ancient people”.

They were the northernmost culture on Earth at the time, living just 800 kilometres from the North Pole, but little else has been known about their diet, customs and strategies for survival in this polar climate. Now, that is starting to change.

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