Third Interim Report on Analysis of Archaeofauna from Undir Junkarinsfløtti, Sandoy, Faroe Islands

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.

farming Faroe Islands Fishing Norse Settlement Sandoy seabirds Undir Junkarinsfløtti zooarchaeology

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