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Undir Junkarinsfløtti

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Project Content

Third Interim Report on Analysis of Archaeofauna from Undir Junkarinsfløtti, Sandoy, Faroe Islands [0.32 MB] Archaeological excavations were carried out at the site of Undir Junkarinsfløtti, on the island of Sandoy, Faroe Islands in the summers of 2003 through 2006. These excavations produced a substantial amount of well-preserved midden material associated with a Viking Age to Late Norse structure. Ongoing analysis of these archaeofauna has resulted in the identification of nearly 50,000 bone and shell fragments, over 38,000 of which have been identified to species level. This preliminary research has found evidence for a subsistence economy at Undir Junkarinsfløtti that differs significantly from those seen elsewhere in the Norse North Atlantic. In addition to the usual suite of domestic mammals (cattle, pigs, sheep and goats), the Undir Junkarinsfløtti assemblage suggests a heavy, sustainable exploitation of local seabird populations (primarily puffins and guillemot). Fishing appears to have focused primarily on cod, much of which appears to have been processed for export rather than on-site consumption.

Excavations at Undir Junkarinsfløtti and Á Klettum: Field Seasons 2004-2006: Interim Report Number 2 (Data Structure Report) [8.26 MB] This report outlines the field data and interpretations from the excavations and survey undertaken as part of an international research project investigating the settlement and environmental history of Sandoy in the Faroes during the summers of 2004-6.

Interim Report on Archaeofauna from Undir Junkarinsfløtti, Sandoy, Faroe Islands [0.16 MB] Ongoing archaeological excavations at the site of Undir Junkarinsfløtti, on the island of Sandoy, Faroe Islands have revealed a substantial amount of well-preserved midden material associated with a Viking Age to Late Norse structure. Analysis of the archaeofauna recovered during the 2003 and 2004 field seasons has recorded over 36,000 bone and shell fragments, nearly 27,000 of which have been identified to species level. This preliminary research has found evidence for a subsistence economy at Undir Junkarinsfløtti that differs significantly from those seen elsewhere in the Norse North Atlantic. In addition to the usual suite of domestic mammals (cattle, pigs, sheep and goats), the Undir Junkarinsfløtti assemblage suggests a heavy, sustainable exploitation of local seabird populations (primarily puffins and guillemot). Fishing appears to have focused primarily on cod, the vast bulk of which seems to have been processed for export rather than on-site consumption.

Fourth Interim Report on Analysis of Archaeofauna from Undir Junkarinsfløtti, Sandoy, Faroe Islands (NORSEC Report 56) [0.24 MB] This report provides an update on the ongoing analysis of the Viking Age to Late Norse archaeofauna recovered during the 2003 – 2006 excavations at the site of Undir Junkarinsfløtti (UJF), Sandoy, Faroe Islands. Nearly 60,000 bone and shell fragments have been analyzed to date, some three quarters of which have been identified to species level. Throughout all occupation phases, the UJF archaeofaunal assemblage is dominated by bird, shellfish and fish remains, with domestic mammals making up no more than 5% of the total. In addition to domestic farm animals (cattle, pigs, sheep and goats), the Undir Junkarinsfløtti assemblage reflects an extensive and sustained exploitation of wild resources, particularly seabird populations (primarily puffins and guillemot). Fishing appears to have focused primarily on cod, with some evidence for on-site production of flat-dried fish.

Marine Reservoir Effect research from UJF in The Holocene.

Academic paper in Human Ecology placing UJF into the wider Faroese landscape.

Link to academic paper in Environmental Archaeology.

Project Location

Latitude: 61.83444°N
Longitude: 6.81496°W