History

Where and Why Did Skating Appear?

Is Southern Finland the place?

By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor

27th of December 2007, 08:06 GMT

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The oldest skate crime and Tonya Harding may have lived 5,000 years ago. This is the age of the most ancient archaeological proofs of bone skates (carved of animal bones), which are also the oldest human powered transporting means that have been

discovered so far. But, the reason that made people start skating on ice is still not very clear, as ancient bone skates have been discovered in various locations spread across Central and North Europe.

A recent research, published in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society of London and carried on by Dr Formenti and Professor Minetti, comes with solid proof for the idea that the emergence of ice skating could have occurred in Southern Finland, where there is the highest density of lakes within 100 square km, in the world.

"In Central and Northern Europe, five thousand years ago people struggled to survive the severe winter conditions and it seems unlikely that ice skating developed as a hobby. As happened later for skis and bicycles, I am convinced that we first made ice skates in order to limit the energy required for our daily journeys", said Formenti.

The researchers carried on their tests on an ice rink by the Alps, focusing on the amount of consumed energy by the people skating on bones.

Putting the achieved data on mathematical models and computer simulations of 240 ten-km (6 mi) journeys, the research team discovered that in winter the employment of bone skates could have decreased the energy waste of the ancient people living in what is now southern Finland by 10%. Instead, the energy economy determined by the use of skates in other North European areas would have been of just 1%.

Other investigations made by the same team have revealed how fast and how far people could skate in past periods, from 3000 BC to this date.

TAGS:

human | skate | bone | energy

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