Lækjargata


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Project Details

Title:Lækjargata
Permalink:https://www.nabohome.org/cgi-bin/explore.pl?seq=223
Abstract:The archaeological remains of Lækjargata (64.146270, -21.938554) in downtown Reykjavík were excavated by archaeologists from Fornleifastofnun Íslands (FSÍ) under the direction of Lísabet Guðmundsdóttir in 2015.
Keywords:Lækjargata
Sponsors/Funders: Fornleifastofnun Íslands
Country:Iceland
Region:Reykjavík
Project Start Year:2015
Projected End Year:2015

Account Owner

Contact: Megan Hicks
Postal Address: Hunter College Anthropology,695 Park Ave, NYC NY
Post Code: 10065
Telephone: 9177444795
Email: meganthicks@gmail.com

Project Content

PDF File
Faunal Evidence from Lækjargata in Reykjavík: a preliminary report [25.16 MB]
The archaeological remains of Lækjargata (64.146270, -21.938554) in downtown Reykjavík were excavated by archaeologists from Fornleifastofnun Íslands (FSÍ) under the direction of Lísabet Guðmundsdóttir in 2015. Faunal evidence analyzed for this report is associated with the ruins of the site’s domestic structure, which has been dated to the 10th and 11th centuries using tephra relationships and associated artifacts. The archaeofauna was sampled from floor layers and among other typically domestic features - a hearth, stone paving, and a stone box (constructed of set-stone orthostats) - possibly used for cooking, storing water or storing other materials (Figure 1). The preliminary results (Table 1) show notable parallels between the Lækjargata faunal assemblage and the assemblages from similarly aged sites in this region of Iceland: Aðalstræti 14-16 (Tinsley and McGovern, 2001; Harrisson, McGovern, and Tinsley, in press) and Tjarnargata 4 (Amorosi, 1997). However, the current number of identified specimens from Lækjargata is low and the assemblage was poorly preserved; this means faunal analysis based on statistical comparison is currently not recommended until more identifications can be made. Among the unanalyzed materials are additional animal bones from the location’s 10th and 11th century phase and others from 19th century deposits. Despite the fact that the 10th and 11th century data set is currently small, it contributes significant detail to understanding the activities that took place around the Lækjargata structure while adding to inter-regional reconstructions of early icelandic subsistence, use of domesticates, long distance trade of walrus ivory, intensive animal use, and local animal extinctions.




Project Location

Latitude: 64.146181°N
Longitude: 21.938663°W