| NUM3NA: Norse Use of Marine Mammals in the Medieval North Atlantic | ||
| Modelling changes in the coastal geomorphology of Unst, Shetland and the implications for understanding High to Late Medieval harbour changes in the Scandinavian North Atlantic | This sub-project is part of the SP5 Geomorphology section of the HaNoA project. The geomorphological setting of Norse harbours in the Atlantic is variable, with contrasting landform stability over short, medium and long time scales. Here we assess geomorphological change on the island of Unst, the most northerly of the British Isles, a coastline used by the Norse, as well as earlier and later societies. This island offer a complex coastline of deep fjords and arcuate embayments and thus significent differences in forces acting upon the coastline. There is also evidence for instability in the beaches used by Norse that could have been driven by the changes in climate conditions from the Medieval Climatic Anomaly to the Little Age and the present day. We model coastlines using the sediment dynamics model MIKE21. Model results agree well with the location of extant sandy beaches on Unst, but model runs with modern environmental drivers also build sandy beaches where none currently exist. Blown sand deposits were formed in the 12th-13th century, consistent with High Medieval settlement times and the onset of the Little Ice Age, suggesting that some of the Norse landing sites began to destabilise at this time. This research will show how beach instability can be modelled to determine the likely circumstances under which beaches formed, changed or disappeared and thus the potential geomorphological drivers of coastal change, harbour use and our ability to identify past harbour sites. | |
| Lækjargata | The archaeological remains of Lækjargata (64.146270, -21.938554) in downtown Reykjavík were excavated by archaeologists from Fornleifastofnun Íslands (FSÍ) under the direction of Lísabet Guðmundsdóttir in 2015. | |
| Where should I put this shieling? | The project was part of the dissertation submitted for the completion of the course MSc GIS and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh. The dissertation aimed to explore the theory of Norse pastoral subsistence system using GIS. The basic assumption was the North Atlantic setup of transhumance that a permanently occupied farmstead always had a seasonally occupied shieling. Further, the research explores the idea that the Norse subsistence system on Greenland manifested itself through the increased 'level of connection' and that the mutual exploit of resources was done through organised labour involving several farmsteads. These hypotheses formed the research question behind the dissertation: was the optimal path through the landscape between farmsteads the key factor in the positioning of the shielings in Vatnahverfi region or is their location purely governed by the distribution of the resource areas. These approaches were tested in GIS, using the least cost analysis and site catchment. After the application of the least cost analysis model in Central Vatnahverfi, where a substantial amount of shielings was known, and establishing that a fair amount of those shielings were indeed in the vicinity of the modelled communication routes, the same model was applied to Alluitsup region in Vatnahverfi where very few pastoral shielings were known. In this way, the model can be used as the basis for future surveys as it suggests the possible locations of new simple and complex pastoral shielings. | |
| Útskalar | Between 2005 and 2006 archaeologists from Fornleifastofnun Íslands (Icelandic Institute of Archaeology) conducted excavations at the coastal site of Útskalar, located on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Southwest Iceland. The site's material remains are understood in four phases dating between the late 10th century to the Modern period. A Viking Age structure was found to be the earliest indication of activity. Midden accumulation after the structure's abandonment suggests the site continued to be occupied between the 10th century and the present. Faunal evidence from all phases points to a central importance of domestic mammals, fish, birds and some marine mammals. Domestic mammals were largely caprines (sheep and goats) and cows, with lesser numbers of pigs and horses. Fish remains were mostly cod in all phases with other gadids, plus a few wolf fish and one shark specimen. A large diversity of bird species, especially alcids, including the now extinct Great Auk, may have played a special role in for early inhabitants of the site. The faunal remains were analyzed at the Hunter College NABO-NORSEC Zooarchaeology Laboratory, by Hunter College and CUNY students Megan T. Hicks, Barry Gordon, Quinn Bolte, Dylan Lewis, Barry Coe, Elisheva Charm, Regan Loggans, Lucretia Williams, Kelly Creary and Erina Perez. Gúðrun Alda Gísladóttir (FSÍ) is the post-excavation project manager and questions regarding the faunal remains can be directed to Megan T. Hicks (CUNY) meganthicks@gmail.com | |
| Investigations of the Long Term Sustainability of Human Ecodynamic Systems in Northern Iceland (MYCHANGE) | This international, cross-disciplinary NSF-funded project focuses on change, the environment, and sustainability in Iceland during the period ca. AD 1700 to 1950. A major aim of the project is to establish developments in human and social ecodynamics by considering one specific region – the Mývatn district in northeastern Iceland. The written record of subsistence and economy in Iceland is extensive, and includes detailed historical and literary accounts produced by individuals at different scales from the personal, such as diaries and letters, to the official, including documents from governmental and municipal archives. The “MYCHANGE” project has a particular focus on such documentary evidence and written accounts of daily activities include: haymaking; herding animals; subsistence; and trade, and provide a rich source of different perspectives on how people experienced, structured, and made use of their environment. The project encompasses a number of disciplines including historical ecology, environmental history, and literary studies, and includes considerable input from archaeology, in particular zooarchaeology. The project time frame begins ca. 1700 as from that time onwards the documentary evidence is extensive, and extends to ca. 1950. After that time numerous changes occurred that are beyond the scope of this exploratory project. In order to establish a synthetic view of the vulnerabilities and strengths that formed past subsistence modes the project places primary emphasis on one specific yet crucial aspect of the economy: the productivity of the grass growth and hay yield. The main elements considered are: haymaking; grassland management; and their inter-connections with climatic, environmental, and socioeconomic aspects. The project team members are: Astrid Ogilvie, Árni Daniel Júlíusson, Megan Hicks, Viðar Hreinsson and Ragnhildur Sigurðardóttir. Refer to project descr. file for more information | |
| Zooarchaeology of the Skagafjörður Archaeological Settlement Survey (SASS) | The Skagafjörður Archaeological Settlement Survey (SASS) examined the settlement pattern of Langholt, Skagafjörður, northern Iceland. Later creation of smaller farms through subdivision of larger, earlier settlements seems to have aided in the creation of social inequality in the late Norse and Medieval periods. For more information, see the SASS website (blogs.umb.edu/sass/) or contact Principle Investigators John Steinberg and Douglas Bolender. The zooarchaeological analysis is being done at Hunter College and will provide more data for the project as a whole while also addressing other questions of interest. Current research topics include the exploration of status, wealth, and social inequality through food remains. | |
| Isle of Vallay Archaeology/Climate Change Expedition 2017 | We are in our second season of a survey of Erskine Beveridge sites on he Isle of Vallay, impacted by Climate Change. | |
| Isle of Vallay Archaeology/Climate Change Expedition 2017 | We are in our second season of a survey of Erskine Beveridge sites on he Isle of Vallay, impacted by Climate Change. | |
| Parent Project: Hegranes Zooarchaeology Project Hegranes Zooarchaeology Project | This project focuses on the zooarchaeology of Hegranes, in Skagafjörður. Partnered with the Skagafjörður Church and Settlement Survey (SCASS, http://blogs.umb.edu/scass/) and the Fornbýli Landscape and Archaeological Survey on Hegranes (FLASH, http://kathrynacatlin.net/blog/), the Hegranes Zooarchaeology Project allows us to explore the economic strategies of the first settlers on Hegranes. Rather than focusing on a large-scale excavation at one site, this project has benefitted from smaller excavations at nearly every site on Hegranes. This project has begun to illuminate local trade networks, specific resource specialization, early artisanal fishing, and social practices. The varied use of wild and domestic resources contribute to our knowledge of the changes in farm size over time as well as longevity of a site. By joining these three projects, we hope to gain a more holistic understanding of not just the settlement pattern of the region but of the activities taking place on the landscape and the factors that played into early decision-making. |
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