Arctic whalemen's bones reveal brutal life and scurvy at Corpse Point
TL;DR
Archaeologists studying 20 burials at Likneset (Corpse Point) on Svalbard uncover evidence that 17th–18th‑century Arctic whalers endured brutal manual labor and widespread scurvy, with pipe smoking possibly accelerating health decline; the site’s permafrost preservation is eroding due to climate warming, threatening future research.
- Scurvy-plagued whalers' remains discovered at 'Corpse Point' in Svalbard Live Science
- Whalers Didn’t Just Sing Sea Shanties and Seek Adventure. Proof of Laborers' Grueling Work Is in Their Skeletons, Buried in the Arctic Smithsonian Magazine
- Skeletons in the permafrost: Exploring climate-driven heritage loss and occupational health at the early modern whaling burial site of Likneset, Svalbard EurekAlert!
- Arctic burials on Svalbard threatened by climate change HeritageDaily
- How climate change is destroying Arctic cultural heritage sites Phys.org
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