Skip to content

Project Details: Ø172 Tatsip Ataa Midden Excavation Project - Subsistence Strategies and Economy in Norse Vatnahverfi


Project Description

Parent ProjectThe Norse Settlement in the Vatnahverfi Region, South Greenland c. AD 985 - c. AD 1450
Title: Ø172 Tatsip Ataa Midden Excavation Project - Subsistence Strategies and Economy in Norse Vatnahverfi
Description The Norse economy in Greenland was strongly dependent upon a balance of both marine resources (seals, sea birds, walruses) and terrestrial resources (pasture plants, woodland, fertilized soils, domestic mammals, reindeer) (McGovern 1985, 2000, McGovern et al 1996, Enghoff 2003). The Vatnahverfi project aims at improving understanding of the Norse farming and hunting strategies, as well as the use of other local resources (woodland, pasture, marine and freshwater resources) in the Vatnahverfi area, and how they changed in the face of climatic and environmental changes, especially with the arrival of summer sea ice ca. 1250-1300 and the cooling and increased variability of the 15th century (Ogilvie et al 2009, Dugmore et al 2007, 2012). This in turn may have affected the settlement pattern, and the use of landscape and natural resources in this inner fjord part of the Norse Eastern Settlement. Through zooarchaeology and environmental archaeology, we aim to reconstruct the human ecodynamics of that region and collect data that will be basis for a broader comparison with other places in the Norse North Atlantic. The farm site E172 Tatsip Ataa was chosen after the completion of a coring survey and an excavation of a 2x3m trench at this farm complex in 2007, which located and dated the midden (Śmiarowski 2007, Møller et.al. 2007). The overall main objectives for both (2009-10) field seasons were to continue excavations of the midden. The 2007 survey and excavation results confirmed good organic preservation (preserved wood, bark, and small whale baleen artifacts with soil ph 6.2 in most of the midden layers), and produced sizable archaeofauna and artifact collections. Further investigation of bone and artifact density, and excavation of datable patches of cultural deposits to recover a sample of ecofacts and artifacts from the midden layers was the main aim of the 2009-10 excavations.
Keywords:Greenland
Norse
Zooarchaeology
Climate
Subsistance
Eastern
Settlement
Sponsors/Funders NSF Office of Polar Programs,
Country Greenland
Region Quaqortoq municipality, Igaliku Fjord
Project Start Year 2007
Project End Year Ongoing

Project Contact

Contact: Konrad Smiarowski
Address 365 Fifth Avenue New York, NY
Postcode 10016
Telephone +19175742674
Email zaglobax@yahoo.com

Project Content

Konrad Smiarowski: Greenland 2007 Field Season - Preliminary Report
E172 Tatsip Ataa 2007 Preliminary Report
Digging For Clues in Greenland - The Polar Field Services Newsletter
"Polar Notes" is a newsletter ran by Polar Field Services, who provided some logistics support for the excavation project at Ø172 Tatsip Ataa Midden Excavation Project.
Konrad Smiarowski, E172 Tatsip Ataa Midden Excavation Preliminary Excavation Report, 2009-2010
Konrad Smiarowski, E172 Tatsip Ataa Midden Excavation Preliminary Excavation Report, 2009-2010


Search for downloads with the tags: Greenland,Norse,Zooarchaeology,Climate,Subsistance,Eastern,Settlement

  • Search Text

  • Download Categories

  • Download Tags



Search Projects:



 

Browse the NABO website: