| Parent name: | Heart of the Atlantic |
| Project Details | |
| Title: | The historical ecology of Norse settlement in the Faroe Islands: zooarchaeological evidence from Undir Junkarinsfløtti (PhD dissertation) |
| Permalink: | http://www.nabohome.org/cgi-bin/explore.pl?seq=136 -6.831522 61.828958 |
| Abstract: | Recent excavations at the site of Undir Junkarinsfløtti, on Sandoy, Faroe Islands, revealed a Viking Age to Late Norse structure and midden. The substantial, well-preserved midden assemblage forms the basis of an examination of the historical ecology of this early Faroese settlement, which dates from about the 9th through the 13th centuries AD. Ongoing analysis of the faunal material has thus far resulted in the identification of around 60,000 bone and shell fragments, approximately three-quarters of which have been identified to species level. Throughout all occupation phases, the Undir Junkarinsfløtti assemblage is dominated by seabird, shellfish and marine fish, with domestic mammals making up no more than 5% of the total number of identified specimens. In addition to domesticated farm animals (cattle, pigs, sheep and goats), the Undir Junkarinsfløtti assemblage reflects an extensive and sustained exploitation of local wild resources, particularly seabirds (primarily puffin and guillemot). Fishing appears to have focused primarily on cod, with some preliminary evidence for on-site production of flat-dried fish. |
| Keywords: | Faroes, Norse, settlement, historical ecology, zooarchaeology, seabirds, fishing, farming |
| Country: | Faroe Islands |
| Region: | Sandur, Sandoy |
| Project Start Year: | 2003 |
| Account Owner | |
| Contact: | Seth Brewington |
| Postal Address: | Dept of Anthropology
Hunter College 695 Park Avenue New York, NY |
| Post Code: | 10065 |
| Telephone: | 01-212-772-5654 |
| Email: | sbrewington@gc.cuny.edu |
Project Content
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Third Interim Report on Analysis of Archaeofauna from Undir Junkarinsfløtti, Faroe Islands [0.32 MB] Updated interim bone report. |
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Fourth Interim Report on Analysis of Archaeofauna from Undir Junkarinsfløtti, Sandoy, Faroe Islands [0.24 MB] Updated interim bone report. |
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Interim Report on Archaeofauna from Undir Junkarinsfløtti, Faroe Islands [0.16 MB] Report on ongoing analysis of UJF archaeofauna. |
Project Location
Latitude: 61.828958°N