A Bayesian approach to linking archaeological, paleoenvironmental and documentary datasets relating to the settlement of Iceland (Landnám)

YesIcelandic settlement (Landnám) period farmsteads offer opportunities to explore the nature and timing of anthropogenic activities and environmental impacts of the first Holocene farming communities. We employ Bayesian statistical modelling of archaeological, paleoenvironmental and documentary datasets to present a framework for improving chronological robustness of archaeological events. Specifically, we discuss events relevant to the farm Hrísbrú, an initial and complex settlement site in southwest Iceland. We demonstrate that tephra layers are key in constraining reliable chronologies, especially when combined with related datasets and treated in a Bayesian framework. The work presented here confirms earlier interpretations of the chronology of the site while providing increased confidence in the robustness of the chronology. Most importantly, integrated modelling of AMS radiocarbon dates on Hordeum vulgare grains, palynological data, documented evidence from textual records and typologically diagnostic artefacts yield increased dating reliability. The analysis has also shown that AMS radiocarbon dates on bone collagen need further scrutiny. Specifically for the Hrísbrú farm, first anthropogenic footprint palynomorph taxa are estimated to around AD 830–881 (at 95.4% confidence level), most likely before the tephra fall out of AD 877 ± 1 (the Landnám tephra layer), demonstrating the use of arable fields before the first known structures were built at Hrísbrú (AD 874–951) and prior to the conventionally accepted date of the settlement of Iceland. Finally, we highlight the importance of considering multidisciplinary factors for other archaeological and paleoecological studies of early farming communities of previously uninhabited island areas

Diatoms as bioindicators of site use: locating turf structures from the Viking Age

a b s t r a c t Diatoms recovered from archaeological features on a Viking Age farmstead excavation in the Mosfell Valley in southwestern Iceland are utilized as microscopic indicators of turf-based structures. Eroded turf can be difficult to distinguish macroscopically from naturally occurring sediments because turf foundations erode and melt into the landscape over time, leaving minimal evidence of site use. Turf was a principle building component in Iceland until the early 20th century. Turf strips and blocks were harvested from lowlands where organically rich peat and abundant water contributed to the development of bog plants with thick root mats that produced premium turf. Diatoms embedded in turf reflect the ecological conditions of the peat-bog at the time of deposition. Turf was cut from the bog and transported to higher elevations where drainage was more conducive to house construction. Siliceous diatom frustules are resistant to decay and preserve well archaeologically. The presence of diatoms in archaeological sediments is considered a marker of sediment provenience and an indication of human site use and anthropogenic modification of natural substrates. This paper demonstrates how diatom analysis can determine the presence and delimitation of archaeological features otherwise difficult to distinguish with the naked eye

Icelandic Viking Longhouse 1063:Digital reconstruction of Mosfell, Icelandic Viking Longhouse

Working with the Mosfell Archaeological Project (MAP) – members of the MAP Project Davide Zori Phd and Professor Jesse Byock this digital reconstruction of the Mosfell Longhouse was developed based upon archaeological and saga evidence. In 2007, (Scandinavian Section, and the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA) was awarded a five-year grant from Arcadia, administered by CMRS, to complete and document the research of the first eleven years of the Mosfell Archaeological Project (MAP), an interdisciplinary research project employing the tools of archaeology, history, anthropology, forensics, environmental sciences, and saga studies. MAP is constructing a comprehensive picture of human habitation and environmental change in the Mosfell region of western Iceland during the Middle Ages.Using the data that was gathered during that time, we have created a 3D interactive scale model of the site as it would have been around 1063

Icelandic Viking Longhouse 1063:Digital reconstruction of Mosfell, Icelandic Viking Longhouse

Working with the Mosfell Archaeological Project (MAP) – members of the MAP Project Davide Zori Phd and Professor Jesse Byock this digital reconstruction of the Mosfell Longhouse was developed based upon archaeological and saga evidence. In 2007, (Scandinavian Section, and the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA) was awarded a five-year grant from Arcadia, administered by CMRS, to complete and document the research of the first eleven years of the Mosfell Archaeological Project (MAP), an interdisciplinary research project employing the tools of archaeology, history, anthropology, forensics, environmental sciences, and saga studies. MAP is constructing a comprehensive picture of human habitation and environmental change in the Mosfell region of western Iceland during the Middle Ages.Using the data that was gathered during that time, we have created a 3D interactive scale model of the site as it would have been around 1063

Imaging the AD 1500 Katla tephra inside the Leiruvogur “Inner Skiphóll” harbour using GPR

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Mapping medieval turf buildings with geophysical methods

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