All projects from the North Atlantic Biocultural Organisation http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/allrss2.pl Search Google http://www.google.no/search? q Data Structure Report / Interim Field Report on the excavation carried out in summer 2010. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=158 http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=157 Iceland, trading site http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=156 Shetland, medieval, trading site Maps of Pagan Burials in Iceland developed through arcgis software and uploaded on Google Earth. In essence, the focus of this project was to create individual maps considerably zoomed in, showing not only the burials but also the landscape features surrounding each burial. The level of transparency of the maps is directly associated with Google Earth features so we can match their accuracy. It has been argued that in the Viking Age the choice of a placement of a burial could be related to the landscape, e.g. near a river or a farm. The reasons could vary from burying an individual near water – perhaps seen as a liminal zone between the land of the living and the dead; or near a farm in order to mantain the connection between the living and the dead (R Maher 2003). In placing these maps onto the layout of Iceland, it may be possible to perceive the landscape features around the burials in a more comprehensive way and perhaps create theories about the supposed association with the landscape. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=155 burials,maps,pagan The Los Buchillones Archaeology Project involves Cuban, Canadian, Mexican and British specialists in archaeological survey, excavation and material analyses from a number of newly identified sites in a case study area in northern Cuba. This case study area includes 2000 sq km in northern Ciego de Avila province and the Sabana-Camaguey archipelago. Fieldwork includes the continuing excavation of a number of archaeological sites and the analysis and classification of the full spectrum of material remains including XRF and SEM analyses of selected exported material. Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from this case study area are being created through the analysis of a series of marine, lacustrine and terrestrial sediment cores that transect the case study area. Studies of local past human ecodynamics have been developed focusing on the impacts of relative sea level rise, precipitation change and palaeotempestology in this case study area. In 2010, we completed the construction of a new heritage research centre at our central site of Los Buchillones and this centre now employs a full time staff of 8 specialists, 5 technicians and 6 administrative staff all focused on developing this collaborative research. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=154 Cuba, Archaeology, Los Buchillones, Pre-Colombian populations in the Caribbean, from 5000 BC to AD 1492, lived through more than five metres relative sea level rise, marked variation in annual rainfall and periodic intensification of hurricane activity. This Leverhulme funded project exploits the time depth of cultural practice to provide archaeological lessons that can inform current responses to the impacts of climate change in the region. This parent project emerges from an interdisciplinary collaboration between Cuban, British and Canadian archaeologists and palaeoenvironmental scientists. This collaboration, that began in 2002, has included a wide-ranging study of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental data. The primary aim of this project is to explore the temporal and spatial scales at which cause and effect between archaeological and palaeoclimatic phenomena can be correlated, analysed and interpreted. Recent research has identified spatial and temporal patterns in the changing nature of pre-Colombian lifeways in the Caribbean. This archaeological information has then been closely correlated in space and time with the long and short-term impacts of climate variability and environmental change. It has then been possible to evaluate the relative advantages and disadvantages of past cultural practices in the face of environmental change and establish lessons that will contribute to contemporary mitigation strategies. It is clear that by developing research questions compatible with the data resolution available it is possible to identify ways of living in the past that helped mitigate the impacts of climate change. This research can provide modern day populations with practical information on settlement locations, food procurement strategies and household architecture that have not previously been considered and that can now be used to inform climate change mitigation strategies in the Caribbean. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=153 Caribbean, Climate Variability, Environmental Change, Hazards, This is a made-up project for testing visqueII system. Polygons and points will be uploaded and see if it can be downloaded on the project page. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=152 This research combines archaeological and ethnohistorical research to study the organisation of settlement space and residence rules among the Late Ceramic Age (“Taino”) Indians during the Late Ceramic Age (AD 1000-1492). Collaborative research between the Caribbean Research Group, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University and the Museo del Hombre Dominicano, Santo Domingo, has resulted in a PhD dissertation on the settlement features from El Cabo San Rafael (Samson 2010) as well as numerous published articles, reports and MA/BA theses. The Taino were the first indigenous people encountered in the New World by Christopher Columbus. Hispaniola (modern day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) was home to the most densley populated and complex precolumbian societies in the Caribbean. Existing interpretive models of village settlement and household organisation are based almost entirely on colonial documents and chronicles written by the Spanish. Such ethnohistoric models have only been minimally supplemented by archaeological data from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antillean islands. To address this and complement the picture, archaeological investigation was undertaken at the site of El Cabo, in the Higüey region, Altagracia province of the eastern Dominican Republic. Dense feature clusters provided an excellent opportunity to study the spatial organisation of a late pre-Columbian settlement in the Greater Antilles. Over 30 houses were excavated in the indigenous town of El Cabo, as well as numerous other community and work structures, burials and associated artefact assemblages. El Cabo, inhabited since ca. AD600, was eventually abandoned in the early years of the 1500s after European colonization. An early contact Spanish assemblage associated with the indigenous houses provides insight into early contact dynamics in this region of Hispaniola. Archaeological research was complemented by a detailed re-analysis of the ethnohistoric accounts. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=151 Greater Antilles, Household archaeology, Taíno Part of the Barbuda Historical Ecology Project - the caves on the windward side of Barbuda show evidence of occupation from earliest settlement through to the present day. These caves present a fascinating spectrum of activities from the many different cultures who have inhabited Barbuda. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=150 Caves,,historical,archaeology,,pre-Columbian,archaeology,,post-Columbian,archaeology This Archaic Period site has remnants of the Archaic Strombus Line feature that stretched across the southern coast of Barbuda. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=148 Barbuda, Archaic, Lithics This project forms part of the Orkney Gateway to the Atlantic project. The core aim of this research initiative is to inform on sustainability and reliance strategies in the past, investigating how people (and society) reacted and adapted to climatic and environmental change over time. Due to the northerly position of Orkney, the islands have shorter growing seasons and a degree of marginality, which offers a remarkable opportunity to study the long-term effects of climate change and how people survived and adapted, from the first farmers over 5,000 years ago through to the clearances in the 19th century. As well as adaptation and sustainability, this long time frame provides the potential to study cultural changes as a result of contact and trade. This research initiative is linked to a wider research agenda investigating these themes across the North Atlantic by fellow researchers within the North Atlantic Biocultural Organisation (NABO). The field school was designed as a research programme. The majority of sites targeted for study are coastal as Orkney has a serious and growing problem of rising sea level and coastal erosion. The two main sites examined so far are both suffering from the effects of coastal erosion. These are the broch mound at Brough or South Howe, and the Knowe of Swandro. Both sites have enormous research potential, providing important archaeological and scientific data that might be used to study how people in the past confronted the marginality of these northern islands and how this changed over time with fluctuating environmental/climatic parameters. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=141 sustainability, reliance, multiperiod, coastal erosion This archaeobotanical project is part of the larger archaeoenvironmental section of the Barbuda Historical Ecology Project. It is also part of a Ph.D. research at Université Laval (supervised by Dr. Allison Bain) that includes the study of long-term human-plant interactions in both Barbuda and French Guiana. This project aims at studying economy and ecology in response to human occupations. Therefore, five archaeobotanical types of remains are studied: seeds, charcoal, pollen, phytoliths and starch residues. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=140 Archaeobotany,Environmental,Archaeology,,Barbuda Highland House was a multi-purpose complex built in the highlands of Barbuda at the direction of William Codrington. The complex was started during the 1720's and it was in use into the early 19th century. This is a distinctive site in Caribbean historical archaeology in that it was built at least in part as a hunting lodge/vacation house for European's living in or visiting the region. It had a managerial role, and possibly a defensive role as well. Not directly related to sugar production, this site has the potential to reveal new insights on the life of Georgian gentlemen, as well as the enslaved, and possibly free, Afro-caribbean residents of this region during the 18th century. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=139 Historical,Archaeology,,post-Medieval,Archaeology,,Historical,Ecology,,Barbuda,,Antigua http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=138 Barbuda,Antigua,Historical,Archaeology,Historical,Ecology,Fortifications These projects are part of the post-Columnbian/Historical Archaeology wing of the Barbuda Historical Ecology Project. Please contact George Hambrecht (ghambrecht@gmail.com) for any further information or questions. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=137 Historical,Archaeology,post-Medieval,Archaeology,Historical,Ecology,Barbuda,Antigua 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. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=136 Faroes, Norse, settlement, historical ecology, zooarchaeology, seabirds, fishing, farming The radiocarbon levels in carbon from freshwater systems of lakes and rivers can be lower than in carbon from the terrestrial biosphere. This makes freshwater carbon appear anomalously old when it is radiocarbon dated. In Iceland, freshwater systems are frequently affected by a Freshwater 14C reservoir effect, or FRE, due to inputs of ancient carbon from geothermal systems, and can appear several thousand years older than equivalent terrestrial samples. These FREs affect not only freshwater biota such as fish, but also organisms that consumed freshwater resources, such as pigs and humans. The present project centres on Myvanssveit, in the northern interior highlands of Iceland, where a large FRE has been identified in Lake Myvatn. The Norse inhabitants of the region relied upon a resource based that included freshwater resources, and consequently bone collagen from humans and pigs within the region may be affected by a FRE. The ongoing project aims to characterise and quantify the FRE within this region, and explore its impact upon 14C dating of Norse communities. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=135 Radiocarbon,Freshwater,Reservoir,Myvatn Excavation of this early Saladoid site has been ongoing since 2008. What began as a salvaging effort to rescue midden deposits being eroded away by the sea has evolved into an open-area excavation of a large settlement. The 2011 excavation, aimed at retrieval of prehistoric cultural remains and student training, has been one component of a broader BHEP effort investigating human/environment interactions on the island of Barbuda and seeking to define the island’s place within the cultural and climatic realm of the Lesser Antilles and the circum-Atlantic region. Field School students under the supervision of Dr. Sophia Perdikaris continued work begun in 2008 at Seaview, aimed at further exploration of cultural features surrounding a possible early Saladoid plaza. The excavation consisted of a large open-area trench connecting with one of the 2008 test trenches (TRB5), which produced a large posthole. Based on 2008 and 2009 C14 dates, we suspect that the inland test trenches and subsequent excavations this year represent an earlier phase of Saladoid settlement on Barbuda, relative to the midden excavations along the erosion face. The excavation was successful in finding further evidence of a Saladoid settlement situated around a plaza. The finds included artifacts and ecofacts, numerous sunken features including postholes, cooking pits, and dumping pits. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=134 Caribbean,Saladoid,Community,Outreach,Paleobotany,Zooarchaeology,Pottery This project is a multi-disciplinary longitudinal research effort focusing on the island of Barbuda from first human settlement through to the present day. The goal of the project is to investigate human/environment interactions on the island of Barbuda and define the island’s place within the cultural and climatic realm of the Lesser Antilles and the circum-Atlantic region. It is a multi-disciplinary project with scholars from across the spectrum of social and hard sciences. Issues of island biogeography, cultural geography, subsistence through each cultural epoch, resilience and vulnerability in the face of extreme weather and environmental/landscape changes,as well as regional and oceanic connections will be approached through multiple disciplines and then analyzed in a collaborative forum. The project emphasis is on interdisciplinary, international collaboration of scientists, education and outreach. The project is part of a large initiative funded by the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs on Islands of Change (IOC). The IOC initiative will connect progressive interdisciplinary science with innovative approaches to science education and heritage outreach to connect two small rural island communities of Barbuda, West Indies and Thingeyjarsveit, Iceland with the large urban island community of New York City. The islands present strong contrasts in scale, history, ethnicity, and natural environment, but common themes and processes connect these islands in both past and present. The islands today are faced by challenges associated with rapid global change- climate change, sea level rise, changes in plant and animal life, and the social and economic disruptions caused by dramatic shifts in world economy. They also share histories of external colonization, local adaptation, human impacts on landscape and resources, and changing impacts of past global economic connections. These islands are products of complex historical interaction of humans and environment which continues to affect their potential for future sustainability and likewise face common twenty first century challenges of educating citizens and future leaders for resilience and nurturing young scientists with strong social commitment. The Islands of Change program is working to connect local and global educational efforts with exciting new field science to provide lasting benefits to local communities as well as students from the City University of New York. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=133 Caribbean, Longitudinal Research, Community Outreach, Paleoclimatology, Paleobotany, Zooarchaeology Fieldwork from project: Snow, landscape and people: Modelling variations in snow distribution and melt across the landscape and the implications for human activities. Snow surveys were completed in Heidal valley, Oppland, along three discontinuous transects from valley bottom to top, two on the sunny side and one on the shady side. The transects were surveyed twice, firstly between the 28th February and the 9th March 2010, and secondly between the 22nd and 27th April 2010. Snow depth was measured with a probe every 5 metres, and a snow tube measurement was taken every 50 metres, from which snow density and SWE was calculated. Meteorological data was recorded through the melt period at varying elevations along the transects. The relationships between climate, vegetation, topography and snowcover were explored. Results: Snow depth is generally lower in clearings than forested areas due to the trapping of wind blown snow by higher vegetation. Snow melted faster in the clearings than the forested areas due to the direct radiation, and at lower elevations due to the higher temperatures. On the shaded side of the valley snow at the lower farming elevations melted almost 2 weeks earlier than on the shaded side (where landuse is used more for logging than farming, especially at higher elevations). Snow density was generally greater in the clearings where wind crusted denser snow and earlier melt occurs. Snow density increases over the melt period as the snow crystals metamorphose over time and with the weight of the overlying snow. Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) was therefore similar in the forest and clearings in the pre-melt period since the greater depths in the forest are compensated for by lower densities than in the clearings. Mid-melt, SWE was greater in the forest despite lower densities than the clearings because of the earlier melt in the clearings resulting in zero snow depths at the lower and mid-elevations clearings, especially on the sunny side of the valley. Despite snow density increasing throughout the melt period, mean SWE decreased in the clearings due to the large decreases in snow depth during melt. In forested areas, SWE increased through the melt period since the smaller decrease in snow depth due to melting was not enough to compensate for the increase in density. Implications: Throughout the winter period, higher densities in clearings result in easier mobility across the land than through the less dense snow of the forests. Whilst SWE is similar in forests and clearings through the winter period since differences in depth and density compensate for each other, the difference in vegetation becomes an important factor in the variation of SWE through the melt period. Forested areas retain snow for longer periods of time delaying the spring melt, and the increased vegetation height traps blowing snow thus increasing the magnitude of the spring melt locally. This is particularly noticeable on south facing slopes which receive more direct radiation causing exposed snow in the clearings to melt earlier and at a greater rate. Earlier melt of snow in clearings is important for farming since it allows a longer growing season, but the surrounding forests are key in maintaining soil moisture and fresh water throughout the spring after the snow has melted from the clearings. Future increases in temperature will result in earlier snow melt, thus the delayed melt in forested areas will become even more important for water supply and soil moisture levels, and a possible reduction in snow precipitation as a result of increased temperatures will increase the importance of forested areas in trapping the reduced volume blowing snow. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=132 snow,melt,vegetation,climate Fieldwork from project: Snow, landscape and people: Modelling variations in snow distribution and melt across the landscape and the implications for human activities. Method: Snow depth and density were measured in the pre-snow melt period from March 24th to April 7th 2009. A transect between the ‘Abisko Birch’ (AB) and ‘Abisko Tundra’ (AT) research sites was surveyed with depth and density measured every 50 m using a snow tube and snow probe. Four additional depth measurements were made at each sampling point 2 m from the tube core location in N, S, E and W directions. At a research site between AB and AT named the ‘Intensive Valley’ (IV), snow depth was measured across a grid with 46 points at intervals of 25, 50 and 100m, and snow density was measured at 9 locations by digging snow pits. Higher resolution snow depth measurements were also taken along a 354 m transect in the IV (which included 3 snow pit locations), with snow depth sampled every 2 m. The relationships between climate, vegetation, topography and snowcover were explored (see attached figure). Summary and implications of findings: In the pre-melt period of 2009, snow depth increases with vegetation height as reflected by the greater mean snow depth in forested areas where blowing snow is trapped. Density was greater in open areas where dense wind crusts form on the snow, and density decreases with vegetation height. Variations in these relationships are due to snow drifts of deeper, less dense snow forming in topographic hollows and sheltered lee slopes in the exposed open areas. Mean SWE was greater in forested areas, however there was not a significant relationship between SWE and vegetation height, likely because in the pre-melt period the greater depth in the forest is compensated for by lower densities. In the pre-melt period the snow depth and density variation isn’t significantly different between the forest and open areas. It is likely that this would change during the melt period when the open areas would melt earlier and at a greater rate thus resulting in patchy, more variable snow cover. There appears to be a clear differentiation in this pre-melt period between clearing and forest in terms of depth and density. Less dense snow in the forested areas results in the winter transport routes concentrating in the open areas, as observed in the field. If a warming climate resulted in earlier snow melt, these transport routes would become unusable earlier in the spring, especially since many of them cross frozen lakes or marsh area. If this area was to be considered for farming and settlement in a warmer, less snow covered climate, proximity of farming sites to patches of birch forest would be an important consideration to optimise soil moisture and fresh water supply in the spring melt period. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=131 snow,distribution,vegetation The quantity and distribution of snow across landscapes and timing of the spring snowmelt is key to a diverse range of processes, from the hydrological cycle and glaciation through to ecological and human-environment interactions. Many snow-covered landscapes are remote, inaccessible and lack observation data, especially at high resolutions and spanning multi-decadal time periods. Models are therefore valuable tools for understanding and simulating temporal and spatial variations in snow cover. The aim is to determine the most robust method of modelling snow distribution and melt across regional landscapes with limited data availability, and to apply models to understand and project variations in snow cover as a result of landscape and climate change. Physically based, high resolution snow distribution and melt models are tested through fieldwork in Sweden and Norway at research sites with detailed landscape and climate data. The impact of pseudo-limiting input data spatially and temporally on model performance and uncertainty is assessed. Methods of snow model transferral (including parameter estimation and transfer) between areas of different spatial scales and over varying time periods are explored alongside the effects on model uncertainty, with the use of additional field data from research sites in North America and Finland. The impact of variations in topography, vegetation and climate on snow distribution and melt is assessed through both fieldwork and model application. At the field sites in Norway (Heidal, Oppland) and Sweden (Abisko), relationships between snowcover (depth, density and water equivalent) and topography, vegetation and climate are determined, with exploration of the implications for landscape processes and populations. Model scenarios (including projected future climate scenarios) will be applied to look at the impact of variations in climate and vegetation on snowcover, and how this may affect human-environment interactions such as water supplies, farming, reindeer herding, hunting and movement across the landscape. In Greenland, the viability of Norse settlement and Thule Inuit migration are likely to have been influenced by 13th-17th Century climate variations, but what was the role of changing snow and to what extent did human practices affect the snowcover? Understanding how past climate variations and human influence on the landscape have affected snowcover enables current populations to prepare for the potential impacts of future climate change. The most robust method of model transferal (as determined for regions with spatially and temporally limited data) will be used to model snow distribution and melt at the Norse eastern settlement site in Greenland. The impact of variations in climate, vegetation and snowcover on past human-environment interactions will be explored using model scenarios. For example, what was the effect of vegetation removal on snow distribution and water availability? How would a series of particularly cold and heavy snowfall years affect the grazing, hunting and herding opportunities? Similarly, model scenarios can then be used to project how future climate variations and potential human influences on the landscape (i.e. vegetation changes) may affect snowcover, and subsequently Arctic processes. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=130 Snow, modelling, Arctic populations This project seeks to use very high resolution sediment accumulation records to analyse the environmental impact of population changes in this region of Iceland since Landnam. Skaftartunga has some of the best resolution records available - tephra layers from Hekla in 1341 and 1389, Katla 1416, Veidivotn 1477, Katla 1500 and Hekla 1597 document the period before, during and after the 15th century with great precision. This is important because this time sees large changes in the form of two plagues in AD 1402 and AD 1494, which kill c30-50% (Karlsson 1996) of the population. Elsewhere in Europe the black death creates an environmental record of land use regression (e.g. Van Hoof et al. 2007) but thus far there has been no attempt to correlate changes in geomorphology in Iceland with these major demographic events. Through fieldwork in 2008, 2009 and 2010 we have generated a database containing over 220 soil profiles in the region, which consists of nearly 3000 dated tephra layers, and many thousand high resolution (+/- 1mm) photogrammetric measurements of sediment accumulation. This database can be used not only to investigate changes in the period immediately following the plauge in the early 15th Century, but the relationship between population changes and the geomorphic record more generally. By analysing the relationship between climatic records for the region, and population changes over the whole settlement period we hope to begin to quantify how the geomorphic record (which is influenced by many factors) is made. In particular the influence of other major demographic events such as the 1707 smallpox epidemic, 1755 famine and 1783 haze famine will be considered. As part of this analysis agent based population modelling to establish the resilience and recovery time after demographic shock is also being developed. Initial results indicate that there was an easing of landscape pressure after the first plague in AD 1402, which is seen as a reduction in sediment accumulation rates in the period AD 1389-1416 to levels which are comparable to the pre-Landnam level and the lowest in the post Landnam sequence. While this effect is short lived with rates returning to average post-Landnam rates in the period AD 1416-1477, this easing of landscape pressure may have increased overall landscape resilience. This may explain the lag between climatic deterioration in the 14th century and the geomorphic effects appearing in the late 18th century. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=129 tephrochronology,little,ice,age,plague,geomorphology,population A geophysical survey at Housa Voe, Papa Stour, was undertaken in May 2010. The survey forms part of The Assembly Project. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=128 thing, assembly, viking age, medieval The present report summarizes the geophysical survey at Tingwall, which is home of the most important assembly site of Shetland. The survey was undertaken in May 2010 and is part of The Assembly Project. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=127 thing, assembly, viking age, medieval The Assembly Project – Meeting-places in Northern Europe AD 400-1500 (TAP) is an international collaborative research project. TAP aims to investigate the role of assemblies (things) in the creation of collective identities and emergent kingdoms in medieval Northern Europe (AD 400-1500). Main research questions are: What was the role of assemblies (things) in the creation, consolidation and maintenance of collective identities, emergent polities and kingdoms in early medieval Northern European populations and communities? The project will, in its entirety, contribute an entirely new combined data set for the study of early governance and administrative organisation in the societies of North West Europe. It will achieve a range of objectives including: - the establishment of a relative chronology of assembly sites - new knowledge on the role of assemblies in processes of territorialisation. - a study of how law and collective norms and values were established and enforced onto colonised/conquered areas. - a study of gender perspective concerning power relations and assembly access - a historiography of assemblies and their relevance to the concepts of national identity and statehood http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=126 thing, assembly, Norse, Iceland, Shetland, Norway This project will hold workshops to establish the best way to study the transformations and impacts of the volcanic ash fall from 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland. This eruption offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a new understanding of the formation of the enduring environmental record of eruptions and transform our knowledge of the environmental data preserved within volcanic ash layers. It would also refine our understanding of both past eruptions and their impacts on society and landscape. If the ways in which volcanic ash layers become transformed are better understood, then this could achieve four important goals: 1) we will be able to know more about the nature of the landscape onto which the ash fell and 2) the post depositional environmental processes operating on it; 3) we will be able to have a better idea of the nature of the initial ash fall and so 4) be able to better reconstruct the initial eruption. In the aftermath of the 2010 eruption the social and environmental impacts can be tracked in detail as they happen and it will be possible to discuss unfolding events and their consequences with the affected community. How does volcanic ash affect vegetation, water quality and drainage? What are the impacts on livestock? How does the ash-fall affect grazing, soil erosion and soil fertility? Where the ash was cleared, how was this done? What other impacts (negative and positive) has the eruption caused and how does this affect the viability of farming and other rural activities? http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=125 Eruption,Eyjafjallajökull,Iceland,tephra,impacts,environment, The project is apart of Agusta Edwald's current PhD research project at the Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen. The project is supervised by Dr. Karen Milek and Dr. Jeff Oliver. It aims to shed light on the experience of Icelandic immigrants to Canada in the late 19th century. It has been estimated that around 20,000 individuals emigrated from Iceland to North America in the late 19th century in the period from 1870-1914. The emigration amounted to an exodus from Iceland, which at the time was a sparsely populated colony of Denmark. Around one in five people left the country, an estimated 20% of the nation, with the majority settling in Manitoba. Adjustment to new cultures and environments is not automatic but involves conscious choices, decisions and actions of both individuals and groups. Archaeologists are well equipped to study periods of cultural contact as these decisions and actions are often manifested in the material culture of individuals and/or groups and are evident in the material record they left behind. By focusing on two farmsteads, one in Iceland and one in the former colony of New Iceland, Manitoba, the research aims to detect nuanced changes that were experienced during the emigration period and to narrate personal stories of peoples' lives. These narratives can then be juxtaposed with other research focussing on broad social changes and political reform during this transformative period in the history of both Iceland and Canada. The Icelandic farmstead was home to a family who emigrated to Canada in 1876. It is called Hornbrekka and is located in Skagafjörður in North Iceland. The excavation at Hornbrekka took place in August 2009. The Canadian homestead was claimed by an Icelandic family in 1878, it is called Vidivellir and is on the outskirts of Riverton, Manitoba. The excavation at Vidivellir took place in June 2010. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=124 19th-century,,emigration,,Iceland,,New,Iceland This four year PhD project focus on the dynamics between the physcial landscape, communication in various shapes, settlement structure and the society. Focus areas in the Orkneys, Iceland, Greenland and Canada provide the empirical base of the project. The project is concerned with various types of communication within the periods, and analyse active transportation strategies as well as static visual communication between e.g. farm sites or farm sites and travellers. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=118 Communication,landscape,settlements,social,transport,cairn,cairns,ships,visual,analysis A site close to Arnórsstaðamúli, E-Iceland, was threatened by imminent roadworks and a preliminary excavation demanded by the National Heritage Agency. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=117 The eruption of the Laki fissure was the greatest calamity to affect Iceland since its settlement. It is estimated that 20% of the population died from starvation and disease. The aim of this project is to investigate causes of death in people who lived near the eruption. Written sources suggest that many may have died from fluorine posining. This is done by observing skeletal material - which first had to be located in graveyards known to have been in use at the time of the eruption. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=116 Ten trenches were dug in Högnastaðir, Flúðir, prior to construction plans. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=115 Prior to construction work two trial trenches were excavated in a mound in Stokkseyri, thought to be a possible farm mound. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=114 This part of the Landscapes of Settlement project aims to do prelimiary trenching in several sites in the Mývatn area to acquire dates for settlements, both their establishment and abandonment. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=111 Several settlement remains are visible in Þegjandadalur, S-Þingeyjarsýsla, which is believed to have been abandoned in the 15th century. The current project aims to do limited excavation to acquire dating evidence for both the establishment of settlement in the valley, and for its abandonment. Furthermore pagan graves have been revealed in one of the sites, Ingiríðarstaðir. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=110 This project aims to gather archaeofauna and other comparative data from a midden dating back to medieval times in Skútustaðir, south of lake Mývatn. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=109 The islands of Breiðafjörður are unique, geographically bounded spaces, but often maintained, organized and owned from the mainland. Living on islands was a balance between surviving and living through farming and fishing. However, the communication between the islands created strongly knitted and vibrant communities. It is thought that the islands were settled early and had many good qualities for primary settlement such as easy access to wild resources, e.g. seal and birds; self-contained pasturing areas; as well as good vantage points for a variety of purposes, such as for harbouring and shelter, views and defence. The main archaeological interest is on investigating the community dynamics of the area as seen from its natural and cultural landscape. It is scheduled to investigate many aspects of the islands, for instance how the land was used, its agriculture and food production, access to wild resources, landing spots and harbours, and the impact made by people on vegetation and soil. More generally, the project is investigating farm locations and the farm communities, fishing activities, communications and routes between islands, and non-Christian burials and churches. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=108 During the renovation of a house in central Reykjavík, called Vaktarabær, it was considered necessary to monitor construction work to avoid damaging archaeology. Trenches were dug to evaluate the extent of cultural remains. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=107 In advance of road construction near Dettifoss, N-Iceland, some archaeological sites in Þingeyjarsýsla had to be investigated. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=106 Trial trenches were excavated in advance of building construction on the western side of an upstanding house in Aðalstræti 10, central Reykjavík. The aim was to see whether archaeological deposits were present in this area known to be rich of remains from both the 18th century and Viking Age. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=105 The Hrísheimar excavation is a part of the larger Landscape of settlements project. The site, dated to the Viking Age, is on the southwestern side of Mývatn, in a barren and heavily eroded area. Among other things it has extensive iron working remains and well stratified middens. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=104 Archaeological investigations were carried out in Búðarháls prior to the flooding of a stone-built enclosure. This included a measured DGPS survey, a photographic survey, as well as the excavation of four trenches across the walls of the upstanding and visible enclosure. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=103 In 1986 and 1988 midden excavations took place in Svalbarð, N-Þingeyjarsýsla, revealing one of the largest faunal collections up to that point in Iceland. The results were instrumental in the development of methods and models for reconstructing palaeoeconomies in the N-Atlantic region. In 2008 the Svalbarð midden was revisited with the aim of refining the stratigraphy and dating, to gather new radiocarbon, geoarchaeological and ecofact samples to supplement landscape history and site fomation reconstructions for the site and for the Svalbard region, and to identify potential locations for further archaeological research. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=102 Five trial trenches were excavated in Narfastaðasel to value the nature and date of the archaeology. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=101 Due to contstruction work machine digging up against the farm-mound Presthús, Akranes, was monitored by an archaeologist. A section was cleaned and recorded. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=100 In 2006 human bones were found eroding in Hringsdalur W-Iceland. An excavation was conducted and two pagan burials uncovered. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=99 In 2003-2005 investigations took place in Lyngbrekka, earlier known as Gömlu-Daðastaðir in Reykjadalur, S-Þing. The aim was to see if folklore and place names could be used as reliable sources to locate pagan burials. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=98 In 2003 a few sites in Kálfskinn, Eyjafjörður, had been surveyed and identified as possible pagan burials. In 2005 two of those were tested by opening trenches across each concentrations of stones. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=97 Trenches were excavated at two alleged farmsites in Hólsfjöll, N-Þingeyjarsýsla. The area lies at about 350-450 m above sea level and is one of the highest inhabited areas in Iceland. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=96 The focus of investigations at Gufuskálar, a well known fishing station in Snæfellsnes, were three badly eroded mounds close to the shore line. The aim was to clean the profiles and cast light on the nature of the remains, preservation etc. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=95 In relation to construction work in the farm Bakki, subject to plans for building an aluminium factory, some machine digging took place and was supervised by an archaeologist. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=94 The excavation at Naust in the town of Akureyri took place after evaluation trenches had been dug. The work was carried out in advance of building development. Two areas were excavated and some of the archaeology clearly dates to the Viking Age. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=93 The preliminary excavation in Hofstaðir, Þorskafjörður, aimed to shed light on ruins in the homefield often related to pagan activites. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=92 The excavations at the old farm site Nauthóll, Reykjavík, were conducted following on from an evaluation based on trial trenching in advance of a building development. An area of about 300 m2 was excavated. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=91 Prior to construction work a trench was excavated through a boundary. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=90 The key aim of this effort was to locate and recover animal bones, artefacts, and environmental samples from a well stratified midden sequence at Möðruvellir, in connection with ongoing archaeological work investigating local subsistence strategies in late medieval Eyjafjord. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=89 Excavations in the farm mound of Leirvogstunga, Mosfellsbær were carried out in advance of construction plans, first by trenching but later an open excavation was conducted. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=88 The aim of this project was to target possible building remains in the old center and harbour area of Reykjavík, between Hafnarstræti, Pósthússtræti, Geirsgata and Lækjargata. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=87 A ruin endangered by road construction in Siglufjörður was fully excavated. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=86 An erosion face was cleaned and recorded in Þórutóftir northeast of Hofsjökull glacier. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=85 The aim of this project was to evaluate the area in the highlands north of Vatnajökull glacier affected by Hálslón, a reservoir which stores water for use in hydroelectricity, and excavate or record archaeological sites endangered by it. This involved the excavations of several smaller sites such as huts and cairns and also the full investigation of a possible shieling, called Pálstóftir. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=84 This project aims to map and investigate an extensive system of medieval earthworks in S-Þingeyjarsýsla. The project consists of extensive surveys, mapping and excavation. Only the excavation reports are presented here. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=83 Six evaluation trenches were excavated in three different sites in advance of construction plan in Úlfarsárdalur, Reykjavík. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=82 Six trial trenches were dug in Búðatangi in Hrísey, Eyjafjörður, prior to construction work. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=81 A long trench (15 x 2 m) was excavated in the graveyard in Möðruvellir, Hörgárbyggð, prior to laying heating pipes to the church. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=80 Evaluation trenching took place prior to road construction in Daðastaðir and Brekka, Núpasveit (NE Iceland) in two sites, several kilometres apart. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=79 Archaeological evaluation took place at the site of the farm mound in Útskálar due to building construction plans. Later limited excavation was carried out in the farm mound. Post ex work is still in progress. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=78 In advance of road construction planning five trenches were excavated close to the old farm mound and graveyard in Laugarnes, Reykjavík, to verify the limits of the archaeology. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=77 An archeological investigation was conducted in Reykir in Ólafsfjörður in advance of construction plans. Three ruins were fully excavated, a trench excavated through a boundary wall and one cairn investigated. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=76 The project in Kúvíkur, a trading site established after the monopoly in 1602, was focussed on a midden which was heavily eroded on one side. A trench was excavated, revealing extensive midden layers dating back to the 18th century. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=74 A trench was excavated in a boundary wall in Möðruvellir, Eyjafjörður, in advance of road construction plans. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=73 A trench was excavated in a ruin in Hvolsvöllur, in a proposed development area, at the request of the National Heritage Agency. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=72 Saltvík is a site which holds three clusters of ancient looking ruins without homefield boundaries. The aims of the preliminary investigations in Saltvík were to shed light on the dating and nature of the settlement by trenching. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=71 Although many pagan graves have been found in Iceland, organised search for such sites has hitherto not been conducted and most have been found by coincidence. In some cases bones and artefacts have been picked up without the site being investigated by an archaeologist. This project aims to establish a methodology to locate pagan graves. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=70 The investigation in Eyri farm mound was carried out on behalf of the Town of Ísafjörður in connection with the project "The Westfjords in the Middle Ages". The aim was to understand and realise the research potential of the site by trenching. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=69 The aim of this excavation was to investigate an enclosure believed to be a graveyard and to locate the possible church within it. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=68 An archaeological evaluation was carried out at Sómastaðagerði and Hraun in Reyðarfjörður on behalf of Alcoa Primary Metals. This was done in advance of construction, and represents the first stage of a process of investigation required to meet the conditions of development constraints imposed by the Archaeological Heritage Agency of Iceland. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=67 An archaeological assessment was carried out in the land of Þverá, Öxarfjörður, in advance of road construction plans. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=66 The aims of the preliminary investigations at Höfðagerði were to shed light on the dating and nature of the settlement by trenching and intensive survey. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=65 Archaeological assessment took place at two sites in Tjörnes which were threatened by imminent roadworks. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=64 The aim of the project is to fully excavate the remains of the old church in Reykholt. This is the first time the full development of a parish church in Iceland is investigated but most church foundations are not accessible for such research as modern churches have been built on top of them. Up to this point the farm mound has been the main target of an excavation carried out by the National Museum and one of the aims was to find out whether the church was possibly built prior to the farm in Reykholt. According to written sources Reykholt is not the primary farm in the area but Breiðabólstaður, the farm east of it. It has been speculated whether the church was located at a geothermal location to form a strong and popular community center - hot baths are always sure to attract a crowd. NOTE: More reports belonging to this project were published by the National Museum. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=63 The project's overall aims encompass a full investigation and presentation of the latter centuries (17th-19th) of settlement at Skálholt, as it was prior to its abandonment after an earthquake in 1784 and at the height of its cultural influence in Iceland. The main focus of excavation is on the core of the settlement: The school, student's rooms, Bishop's rooms and other associated staff and ancillary rooms. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=62 The site Steinbogi in Mývatnssveit was threatened by imminent roadworks and therefore the archaeological potential of the endangered parts of it had to be assessed. The site was also considered of possible value for the Landscape of settlements project and in relation to that additional midden trenching was carried out. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=59 The project Assembly sites (Þinghald til forna) aims to revaluate all known assembly sites in Iceland, many of which had been mapped by antiquarians in the 19th and early 20th centuries . The purpose is to shed new light on the age, layout, and function of assemblies in early Icelandic society. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=58 One of the aims of the project "Vestnordisk byggeskik i vikingtid og middelalder" was to revaluate the archaeology of Þjórárdalur which has held a central place in Icelandic archaeology for one and a half century. Knowledge is hitherto based on survey work from the 19th century and excavations from 1939 and yet structures in Þjórsárdalur have been used to support the development of Icelandic building customs. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=56 The well known medieval trade site of Gásir lies north of Akureyri. The archaeological investigations at Gásir formed the core of a five year project aimed at typifying remains from the full functional and chronological extent of the site. The project also aimed to enhance the presentation and development of the site as a focus of public interest and amenity. Owing to the tremendous scale and complexity of the surviving remains, only selected portions of the archaeology were targeted for intrusive investigation. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=55 This project aimed to fully excavate all archaeological remains in Aðalstræti 14-18, Reykjavík in advance of proposed development. The area is historically known as an industrial area at the time of "the factories" (Innréttingarnar) in the 18th century. However, it was a pleasant surprise to reveal a well preserved Viking Age hall under undisturbed layers predating the factories. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=52 During the renovation of an old house in Hafnarstræti 16, central Reykjavík, areas at risk under and up against the house were excavated. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=51 The aim of the project was to fully excavate all structures and middens located at Sveigakot, south of lake Mývatn. The site of Sveigakot was first surveyed in 1998 in an area now completely eroded. Only midden traces were visible on the surface. It soon became clear that the site could be dated to the Viking Age and was therefore ideal for a comparative study with the larger Hofstaðir project, not least in order to compare the faunal collections from each site. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=50 The aim of this project was to investigate a site where bones, believed to derive from a pagan burial, had been found in a gravel mine. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=49 The aim of this project was to investigate a stonebuilt seawall that had to be removed. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=48 The excavation in Vatnsfjörður forms a part of a larger project called Vestfirðir á miðöldum/The Westfjords in the middle ages. The Westfjords have somewhat been neglected in Icelandic archaeology up to this point. The overall aim of the project is to add to knowledge about this important part of the country and shed some light on its economy. Research at Vatnsfjörður is a multidisciplinary investigation of the rise and decline of the chieftain´s seat at Vatnsfjörður, and the relationship between this farm´s evolution and the evolution of its surrounding landscape. The project aims to explain why this apparently infertile farm in the Westfjords was chosen as a seat of power, what factors and social processes enabled it to flourish as a social, economic and cultural powerhouse between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries, and why the importance of the farm declined after the seventeenth century. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=47 A trench was excavated along the passage floor in the upstanding farm of Laufás prior to the construction of new heating pipes under the floor. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=46 Archaeological investigations have been carried out a couple of times next to Þingvellir church at the request of the Þingvellir National Park committee. The aim of the first one in 1999 was to look for clues about the predecessors of the modern church, but according to written sources the earliest church in this location was erected in the 16th century. Furthermore, the excavations were to shed light on possible earlier churches and get an idea about the preservation of organic material and tephra layers. The second investigation was carried out in 2006 when the access when it was considered necessary to dig close to the foundations of the church. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=45 The Glerá project started when human bones were accidentally uncovered in a gravel mine close to the farm mound in Glerá in 1998. Later members of the institute were asked to visit the site several times when a grave mound was demolished and more bones came to light. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=44 In 1994 the Seltjarnarnes council decided to have archaeological evaluations carried out around the old farm of Nes in Seltjarnarnes. The old farm now houses museums and the area around it is an outdoor activity area for the public. Bones have previously been uncovered close to the farm mound. All this, among other things, has raised interest in the archaeology of the area. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=43 The aim of the project was to excavate an alleged graveyard and church ruin in Neðri-Ás. According to written sources this is supposed to be one of the oldest churches in Iceland. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=42 The Hofstaðir project aimed at re-excavating and re-evaluating Viking Age remains previously investigated in 1908. This project was the flag-ship project for the Landscape of Settlements project. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=41 Archaeological investigation was requested before Vígðalaug (consecrated pool) was repaired before the celebration of the 1000 year anniversary of Christianity in Iceland. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=40 From the end of the 19th century through to the beginning of the 20th century Northwest Greenland was frequently visited by explorers and others attempting to reach the reach the North Pole. Their adventures elicited amazing descriptions of the land and its inhabitants. However, not all of the descriptions were positive, nor did they praise some aspects of local Inuit life. Many explorers, such as Robert Peary and Elisha Kent Kane, wrote less than favourable accounts of the personal habits of the Greenland Inuit they encountered. But how accurate were those descriptions? Using archaeoentomology to analyse insects and ectoparasites recovered from several houses, we re-examine these notions. Using spatial analysis to study ectoparasite distribution in different activity areas, and by comparing the samples with those from similar contexts taken from Northern Labrador, we propose a different narrative about personal hygiene amongst the Greenland Inuit of the 19th and early 20th centuries. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=35 Ectoparasite,Greenland,Inuit,Inughuit,Explorer,archaeoentomology Möðruvellir is located in Hörgárdal, Eyjafjörður, Northern Iceland. The site lies on open lowland pasture, to the north of the river Hörgá, some 13 kilometres north of the modern City of Akureyri. Möðruvellir is situated only a short distance from the delta of the Hörgá, and may be regarded as being within a coastal environment. Möðruvellir has been a site of considerable importance throughout Icelandic history. It has been the site of a church since at least the second half of the 12th Century (Vésteinsson, 2001:10), and Möðruvellir was established as a House of Canons at the end of the 13th Century. These religious activities were supported by the produce of a large and important farming estate. Previous research at Möðruvellir: Archaeological and historical research regarding the farm was undertaken as early as the 19th Century, by Kristian Kaalund (Vésteinsson, 2001:7). A kuml (burial mound) was unearthed in the 19th Century and therefore it is safe to assume that the area was settled (at least that people were buried there) before the year 1000 AD (Vesteinsson, 2001:10). In 1985, Guðmundur Ólafsson of the National Museum of Iceland surveyed the area, and produced a list of archaeological sites. Fornleifastofnun Íslands activity at Gásir: - 2001 – Orri Vésteinsson, Expanded archaeological survey and site registration. Including a summary of Möðruvellir´s history (Vésteinsson, 2001). - 2004 – Howell Roberts & Orri Vésteinsson, Excavation of trenches in the boundary at Möðruvellir Farm, in advance of construction work (Roberts, 2004). - 2005 - Howell Roberts, excavation of an evaluation trench in the churchyard; investigative work prior to planned ground works for central heating and path construction (Roberts, 2005) The ceramics and glass objects found during the 2006 (TR1), 2007 (TR1), and 2008 (TR2,TR2b) were analyzed by Gavin Lucas (Lucas 2010) and place the most recent layers in this very deeply stratified midden mound into the 18/19th centuries. Lower deposits are hoped to be dated through C14 analysis and may thus provide proof for a long site-occupation as indicated by written sources. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=23 Monastic site, long occupation, Hörgárdalur,local-resources,archaeofauna,environment,site-formation- The highland site at Myrkárdalur contains several ruins, and the early farm ruin is clearly visible: several rooms are connected through a central corridor, reminiscent of medieval houses from Greenland. A landslide in the 14th Century destroyed part of the farm and the occupants were forced to move further west, where several more recent ruins are located (sources cited in Hreiðarsd. 2008:178). Myrkárdalur was abandoned in 1955 and the land has since been used by the nearest farm, Myrkárbakki. Midden trenching at different locations in 2008 and 2009 has resulted in a small amount of faunal remains and artefacts, dating the contents to the 17th/18th centuries in trench 1 and the 16th/17th centuries in trench 2. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=22 Hörgárdalur,local-resources,archaeofauna,environment,site-formation-processes The site of Oddstaðir farm ruins nowadays belong to the land owned by Öxnhóll farm, once a church farm. The 2009 Midden excavation yielded well preserved animal bones and was sampled for environmental analyses. Tephra analysis and C14 data may confirm an early medieval occupation and 17th Century abandonment of the site. As at Skuggi, several beads were found in 2009 and were analyzed by Elín Ó. Hreiðarsdóttir. This report is part of the 2009 GHP Field Report. A faunal report will be produced in 2010. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=21 Hörgárdalur,local-resources,archaeofauna,environment,site-formation http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=19 AMS,dates An initial study of the d13 C values for human bone collagen of 27 Norse Greenlanders in the late 1990's suggested a change in the Norse diet from predominantly terrestrial food to predominantly marine food. The shift may indicate a change in diet; the question left open in the limited initial isotope study was however whether the change in diet is a reflection of altered subsistence strategies or altered farming practises. Furthermore, the first study did not convincingly answer the question as to whether the shift in diet occurred gradually over time or within a few years – and in the last case: when? Also, the limited study did not answer questions such as dietary differences between the two Norse settlements, between individual farms, between the sexes and what kind of marine food was digested. Distinguishing local born from foreign (immigrants?) people is yet another matter of discussion. This new study includes 437 samples. 183 samples are from human bones - 118 are Norse and 65 are Inuit – and 254 samples are from animal bones. The samples are from 19 Norse sites (= farms), 13 are from the Eastern Settlement and six are from the Western Settlement. For comparison, we have also included samples of both humans and animals from 22 Inuit sites. Manuscripts submitted to Journal of the North Atlantic fall 2009. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=18 Greenland,Norse,diet,isotopes, The aim of the programme is to discuss landnam (landtaking) strategies and the later depopulation in the light of the interplay between the two economic spheres of the Norse Greenland Economy: subsistence based on the resources of the local, settled area in South Greenland and foreing long-distance trade based on the North and East Greeland resources. Identity, mobility, communication and human strategies are key concepts and focus are on the interaction between humans (action), systems (structure) and environment. Status Nov. 2009: Except from a few all Norse sites in the Vatnahverfi region have been GPS Surveyed and excavations have been carried out in middens at several farms. A dating programme of the farms in the area has been initiated. xxxx Publications: Madsen, Christian Koch: Får, geder og folde i det norrøne Vatnahverfi. Grønland 1 2008:4-14 Møller, Niels Algreen & Christian Koch Madsen: Med friske skridt i forgængeres fodspor. Grønland 5-6, 2007:306-314 Jane Benarroch: I nordboernes Fodspor (in the footsteps of the Norse). Polarfronten 1/2008 Bishop, Rosie R., Mike J. Church, Andrew J. Dugmore, Phil Clogg, Christian Koch Madsen & Niels A. Møller: Palaeoenvironmental Investigations at Ø69, Greenland. Submitted to JONA – Journal of the North Atlantic. Uffe Wilken: Mobile nordboer. Polarfronten 1/2010:8-9 http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=17 Norse,Eastern,Settlement,Vatnahverfi,Settlement,Structure,Economy,Identity,Mobility,Communication This ongoing project has been conducted since 2005 and survey and excavations at six sites, Oakes Bay 1 (or Parngnertok HeCg-08, Koliktalik 6 (HdCg-23), Evilik Bay (HeCg-04), September Harbour (HdCg-15), and Itibliarsuk (HdCg-57). Field seasons in 2005, 2006 and 2007 were conducted by field crews directed by Jim Woollett (Universite Laval) in with collaboration with Cynthia Zutter (MacEwan University) and Najat Bhiry (Universite Laval). http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=16 Labrador, Nunatsiavut, Dog Island, environmental archaeology, settlement patterns, sea ice Excavations of this extensive coastal erosion site occurred between 2003 and 2007. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=15 Faroes,Norse,coastal,erosion This inter-disciplinary project investigates the changing cultural and natural landscapes on the island of Sandoy, from first settlement to modern time. Archaeological investigations are focusing on the extensive excavations at Undir Junkarinsflötti, Á Sondum and Vid Kirkjard in the village of Sandur. Principle funding bodies: Anadarko (Faroes), Faroese Research Council (Faroes), Leverhulme Trust (UK) and National Science Foundation (US). http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=14 Faroes,archaeology The site of Everley Broch, situated in Caithness, is composed of a Middle Iron Age broch and a Late Norse house. This project aimed to study the human/plant interaction on the site and see its evolution through time. The archaeobotanical assemblage shows that hulled barley was the main staple crop cultivated in both periods. The Late Norse assemblage also indicates the introduction of cultivated oat and flax as well as a general intensification of the agricultural production. The archaeobotanical assemblage, combined with some pollen analysis, indicates that the local environment around the site was free of dense woodland. Regarding the wood procurement strategies, local gathering, short-distance timber trade within the mainland and collection of driftwood are attested. It is proposed that a long-distance trade network within the Scottish mainland or Scandinavia was established during the Norse period as a fourth wood supply strategy. Everley Broch macroplant remains indicates that the broch was housing farmers with a subsistence-based economy. The Late Norse household however proposes a wealthier economy with three cultivated plants and the establishment of a long-distance trade network. Within a wider Atlantic Scotland framework, Everley Broch follows the general agricultural patterns observed elsewhere. The main wood procurement strategy is similar to the other sites of Caithness and Sutherland, but differs slightly from the ones seen in the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland islands. As Everley Broch is located on the Scottish mainland where more timber is available, it is believed that driftwood was not as important as for the other sites of Atlantic Scotland. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=13 Archaeobotany,,Broch,,Iron,Age,,Norse The project will examine the development, operation and impact of European trade in two areas in the north Atlantic - Iceland and Shetland. In the early 15th century both were part of the Danish kingdom but, with the pledging of Shetland in 1469, it passed to the kingdom of Scotland, and led to the opening of trade to Hanse merchants. The lifting of Danish restrictions on Icelandic trade in 1490 had a similar effect. The period of trade extended in Shetland until ca. 1700, while in Iceland the restriction of trade to licensed Danish vessels in 1602 marks a similar endpoint. By far the largest item of trade from both islands was stockfish which was purchased from local fishermen who operated in small vessels inshore. English fishing vessels worked the offshore waters. Our aim is to examine selected places of trade between merchants from the south and the sub-Arctic populations to elucidate the method of operation of commerce. The objective will be to survey and classify trading sites in Iceland and Shetland during the period ca. 1400-1700. Sites will be identified using historical sources and place-names, and located in the field using the normal archaeological techniques of aerial photography and field inspection of earthworks. The survey will be undertaken using differential GPS to map the sites in relationship to the local topography with the further objective of identifying sites for future investigation by excavation. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=12 Hanseatic League,trade,fish,Middle Ages,post-medieval From the early sixteenth century, perhaps even from the second decade of the fifteenth century, ships from north Germany made there way across the north Atlantic to Shetland. The main item of trade for the Hanseatic traders was dried fish which was obtained at the trading places in Norway, Iceland, Faroes as well as the Northern Isles of Scotland and brought back to the northern German ports. The character of this trade has yet to be investigated in detail. Although the bare historical outlines of commerce are known, the details of the interaction between the merchants from northern Germany who spent three, four or five months trading fish with the people of the Northern Isles still remain obscure. The small trading site at Gunnister Voe in Shetland is one of the better documented trading sites. The right to trade at Gunnister Voe was granted to Simon Hagarskale of Hamburg in 1582, but revoked in 1603 because it was said that he had not always come there. This is evidently Simon Harriestede mentioned in Hamburg records as sailing to Shetland until 1625. The trading site can be identified with the place known as Hagrie’s Böd in Gunnister Voe, a rocky promontory projecting into the voe. Immediately behind the promontory is beach with an enclosure which would have been suitable for landing boats bringing dried fish to exchange. The Hamburg ship would have been anchored out in the voe in deeper water. Excavations by Queen’s University and Römisch-Germanische Kommission in September 2008 examined the site and revealed the surviving two walls of the böd or booth. However, deposits below the floor level contained pottery of the 18th or 19th century, suggesting the site had continued in use or, more probably, had been reoccupied when the adjoining crofts at the Setter of Enisferth were established. The building is shown as abandoned on 1881 Ordnance Survey plan, though the remains were evidently clear enough for the surveyors to map them. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=11 Hanseatic League,trade,fish,sitophilus,granarius Skuggi is an upland small sized farming site in Hörgárdalur, Eyjafjörður and may have been a tenant farm in the earlier Middle Ages, as part of the Staðartunga landholdings. Staðardunga is assumed to have been connected to the medieval monastery at Möðruvellir, situated within 5 km of the medieval trading site at Gásir. As at Oddstaðir, several beads were found in 2009 and were analyzed by Elín Ó. Hreiðarsdóttir. This report and the finds analysis by Guðrún A. Gísladóttir et al. are part of the 2009 GHP Field Report. The report of the 2008 and 2009 faunal analysis is now available. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=10 Hörgárdalur,local-resources,archaeofauna,environment,site-formation-processes Goal of this project is to gain a better understanding of the interaction of local subsistence and trans-Atlantic regional trading economy in medieval Iceland by collecting faunal materials and other environmental data from deeply stratified middens associated with archaeological sites in Eyjafjörður in the Northeast of Iceland. The Gásir hinterlands project (GHP) aims at the integration of documentary sources, site-focused environmental archaeology, and an integrative regional landscape approach to better understand economic and environmental relationships of farms within the Eyjafjörður region that played an integral part in the food supply and exchange net connected with activities at the Gásir market place. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=9 Trade,Exchange,Zooarchaeology,Gásir,midden,excavations The ruins at ruin site Ø83a were first recorded and excavated by Aage Roussell in 1935. Originally eight ruins and three cooking pits were recorded. To day four of the ruins have been removed owing to modern cultivation. Roussell's report on the 1935-excavations is very brief and the excavations in 2004 were to look into the state of the remaining ruins and – if possible – to collect material for radiocarbon dating. In 2004 trenches (2 x 4 m) were made in ruin no. 20 (one trench) and ruin no. 22 (three trenches). The excavations in ruin 20 showed that Roussell's 1935-excavations had been comprehensive here and not much was left. It was however possible to conclude that the house had functioned for a short period only. The excavations in ruin 22 revealed a single-phase house with flagged floors. This house too had functioned for a short period only. No material for radiocarbon dating was collected. After his 1935-excavation Roussell concluded that the site had no dwelling and he interpreted the buildings at Ø83a as byres, stables and barns calling the site a "dairy farm" connected to the adjacent high status farm Hvalsey fjord farm and church, ruin site Ø83 (Roussell 1941). House 20 had a byre in the western part of the building and most probably it had a dwelling in the eastern end (see also: Vésteinsson 2008). The ground plan of the houses, the layout of the site and the fact that the houses seem to have been used for at short period suggest that the farm was built at an early stage – most probably at landnam and abandoned shortly after. Two explanations for this early abandonment seem possible 1) that the area was taken over by the nearby high status farm at Hvalsey (Ø83) or 2) the farm Ø83a was a predecessor for the Hvalsey Ø83 farm (Vésteinsson 2005). References Roussell, Aage 1941. Farms and Churches in the Mediaeval Norse Settlements of Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland vol. 89(1). Copenhagen Vésteinsson, Orri 2008. Archaeological investigations in Hvalseyjarfjörður, Eystribyggð 2005. Fornleifastofnun Íslands. FS388-05301. Reykjavík Jette Arneborg, Fuuja Larsen & Niels-Christian Clemmensen, 2009: The "Dairy Farm" of the Hvalsey Fjord Farm. Journal of the North Atlantic. Selected papers from the Hvalsey Conference 2008. Special Volume 2:24-29 Collaborators Georg Nyegaard, Greenland National Museum & Archives, Nuuk. Then head of Qaqortoq Museum. Fuuja Larsen, Greenland National Museum & Archives, Nuuk Niels-Christian Clemmensen, KUAS, The Heritage Agency of Denmark. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=8 Hvalsey,Fjord,farm,church, The site of Akurvik was discovered by Haukur Johanneson in 1987 when beach erosion exposed a series of midden deposits and what proved to be a series of small turf walled booth structures superposed over an 18 m long erosion face at the small embayment at Akurvik at the tip of a rocky peninsula approximately 3 km NE of the Gjogur farm mound. This site was not recorded historically, and seems to have been long abandoned (perhaps due to ongoing uplift making the landing impractical)by the time of the Jardabok survey. The 1990 Strandasysla Historical Ecology project carried out a rescue excavation, cutting back the erosion face to provide a profile and attempting to stablize the exposed deposits. A very large archaeofauna (made up almost entirely of fish bones) was recovered from two major horizons (associated with successive booth structures) dated by radiocarbon to the early and later Middle Ages respectively. The archaeofauna and a summary of the site is published in: Colin Amundsen , Sophia Perdikaris , Thomas H. McGovern , Yekaterina Krivogorskaya , Matthew Brown , Konrad Smiarowski, Shaye Storm, Salena Modugno, Malgorzata Frik, Monica Koczela (2005) ‘Fishing Booths and Fishing Strategies in Medieval Iceland : an Archaeofauna from the of Akurvík, North-West Iceland’, Environmental Archaeology 10,2 : 141-198. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=7 Iceland,Fishing,Medieval,,Fishing,Station,Zooarchaeology,NW,Iceland,Strandasysla The site of Gjogur is a substantial farm mound now associated with a small boat landing. Gjogur is historically known to be an early settlement, and the deeply stratified midden deposits sampled in 1990 indicate a long period of occupation. The 1990 season saw a cutting back of a profile exposed by a 1920's silage (surhey) pit, which had exposed over 2 m of stratified midden deposit. Note that the 2009 excavation did not reach the lowest layers due to water flooding and the lowest layers have not been sampled. This site would certainly repay more investigation, and additional lab work continues on the remainder of the 1990 archaeofauna. Gjogur appears as a farm heavily engaged in fishing and fish processing. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=6 Iceland,Strandasysla,Zooarchaeology,Fishing,Early,Modern,Medieval,NW,Iceland In 1990 construction work around the modern farm house at Finnbogastadir (Arneshreppur, Strandasysla, NW Iceland) hit a stratified midden deposit that produced substantial amounts of well preserved bone and artifacts dating to the 18th to early 19th century. After consultation with the National Museum of Iceland and with the kind permission and active help of the farm family members of the Strandasysla Historical Ecology project worked to recover and document the archaeological deposits disturbed by the construction work. While the farm midden is exceptionally deep and certainly extends further back in time, the 1990 excavations (carried out by then-graduate students Jim Woollett and Sophia Perdikaris) were limited to what was required in this rescue situation, and the materials recovered all seem to relate to the 18th-early 19th c. The Jardabok land survey thus provided closely contemporary historical evidence for the same period, allowing a tentative connection to the two historical households who shared tenantry at Finnbogastadir in the early 18th c. See: Perdikaris, Sophia, Thomas H McGovern, Yekaterina Krivogorskaya, M. Waxman Early Modern Fisher-Farmers at Finnbogastaðir and Gjögur in Northwest Iceland, (2004) R. Gonzales (ed) Presence of the Archaeo- ichthyology in Mexico, ICAZ Fish Remains Working Group 2003, Guadalajara Mexico pp 139-144. Edvardsson, R., Perdikaris, S., McGovern, T. H., Zagor, N. and Waxman, M. (2004) Coping with hard times in North-West Iceland: Zooarchaeology, History, and Landscape Archaeology at Finnbogastaðir in the 18th century’, Archaeologica Islandica 3, 20-48. http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=5 Iceland,Fishing,Zooarchaeology,Strandasysla,Finnbogastadir,Early,Modern This project was a joint collaboration between City University of NY (Tom McGovern) and the National Museum of Iceland (Gudmundur Olafsson) with active collaboration by the Icelandic Natural History Institute (Haukur Johanneson)and the kind support of the people of Arneshreppur in Strandasysla, West Fjords, NW Iceland. The project was an early attempt to connect multiple site investigations (aimed at midden sampling rather than structures)into a landscape-focused investigation of changing human use of terrestrial and marine resources. The project involved site survey and location, and the excavation of midden deposits at the sites of Finnbogastadir (early modern deposits sampled), Gjogur (deeply stratified midden extending to early middle ages) and Akurvik (middens and small fishing booth structures dating from mid 13th- late 15th centuries. The region is very rich archaeologically, with generally excellent conditions of organic preservation and very little of the systematic field-flattening that has erased archaeological deposits in other parts of Iceland. Publication of the large Akurvik archaeofauna and the smaller 18th-early 19th c Finnbogastadir archaeofauna is completed and an initial report on the Gjogur materials are available. More work is planned in this region beginning in 2009 (led by Ragnar Edvardsson) and a PhD project (Frank Feeley, CUNY) is planned using the new and 1988-90 archaeofauna. For more information on the old 1988-90 work contact Tom McGovern (nabo@voicenet.com), for information on the new projects contact Ragnar Edvardsson (re@hi.is) http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=4 West Fjords Iceland, Historical Ecology, Zooarchaeology, Fishing, Iceland Skutustadir is an active farm and hotel center on the south side of Lake Myvatn. It figures in sagas as the home of "Killer Skuta", an early chieftain, and historically was one of two parish church centers in the Myvatn area and has remained one of the most prosperous farms down to modern times. In 2007 Dr. Arni Einarsson of the nearby Myvatn Science Center noticed animal bones and charcoal eroding from previously unsuspected midden deposits south of the present farm dwellings. Follow up work by collaborating FSI and NABO teams (led by Orri Vesteinsson, Agusta Edwald, Tom McGovern, George Hambrecht, Ian Simpson and Astrid Ogilive) in 2007 and 2008 has revealed a deeply stratified set of midden deposits with excellent organic preservation. Test trenches in 2008 have allowed for collection of ecofacts and artefacts datable by a combination of tephra and AMS C14 from first settlement (cultural deposits are directly upon the AD 871+/-2 Landnam tephra) down to the late 19th c. Analysis is still in preliminary stages and a much larger excavation is planned for 2009-10, but initial results suggest some significant changes in economy through time, including a surprisingly substantial amount of seal bones deposited post-1477 (Skutustadir is about 60 km from the sea). For updates contact Tom McGovern at nabo@voicenet.com http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=3 Skutustadir,Iceland,Zooarchaeology http://www.nabohome.org/cgi_bin/explore.pl?seq=2 Iceland,ecodynamics,historical,ecology,Myvatn