Prehistoric clay disks found at Noatak National Preserve in Northwestern Alaska

ANCHORAGE (REUTERS).- Four decorated clay disks have been discovered at a prehistoric site in alaska, apparently the first artifacts of their type discovered in the state, the University of alaska Museum of the North said.

The disks were found during a summer expedition in Noatak National Preserve, at a site where archeologists have for decades been studying lakefront pit dwellings that date back 1,000 years, officials at the Fairbanks museum said.

The disks are etched, and two of them have holes in the center.

They were discovered when a team from the museum and the National Park Service traveled to the site in northwestern alaska to make records of previously discovered prehistoric petroglyphs on boulders....