Gásir Hinterlands Project 2009 Midden Prospection and Excavation

This report presents the results of a very successful second Gásir Hinterlands Project (GHP) field season in 2009.

There are several finds specialists’ reports attached to the field report: Elín Ósk Hreiðarsdóttir presents a detailed account of the beads found; Guðrún Alda Gísladóttir (who also organized the artefact processing), together with Sigrid Juel Hansen and Sólveig Guðmundsdóttir Beck report on and summarize the total finds assemblage (with special details on the whetstones recovered from Myrkárdalur and Skuggi by Sigrid Juel Hansen); Gavin Lucas analyzed the ceramic and glass finds from Möðruvellir (not excavated in 2009, but between 2006 and 2008), Myrkárdalur, and Bakki.

These reports are likely to be altered upon new information and analysis and thus provide an initial account of the finds from the Gásir Hinterlands Project Sites.

During five weeks in summer of 2009 (June 9 – July 10), an international team cooperated in carrying out a program of survey, coring, and small scale test excavation on selected sites in the Eyjafjord region in Northern Iceland. This was the second season of the Gásir Hinterlands Project, concluding the NSF IPY Dissertation Improvement Grant part of a planned multi-season collaborative investigation of the hinterlands surrounding the medieval seasonal trading center at Gásir (Roberts 2004; Roberts et al, 2002-2006; Harrison 2009, Harrison et al 2008; Harrison, 2006-2008a, Harrison 2008b). Prior work at Gásir indicated that this medieval (ca. 1250 – 1350 AD) trading center was provisioned from a wide economic catchment area and that investigations needed to be extended to include the surrounding landscape.

Gásir Gásir Hinterlands Project Hörgárdalur Iceland International Polar Year midden Möðruvellir Myrkárdalur Öxnadalur Skuggi

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