Fishing Booths and Fishing Strategies in Medieval Iceland: An Archaeofauna from the [Site] of Akurvík, North-West Iceland

Excavations in 1990 in North-West Iceland documented a stratified series of small turf structures and associated midden deposits at the eroding beach at Akurvík which date from the 11th–13th to the 15th–16th centuries AD. The site reflects a long series of small discontinuous occupations, probably associated with seasonal fishing. The shell sand matrix had allowed excellent organic preservation, and an archaeofauna of more than 100,000 identifiable fragments was recovered. The collections are dominated by fish, mainly Atlantic cod, but substantial amounts of whale bone suggest extensive exploitation of strandings or active whaling. This paper briefly summarizes the excavation results, presents a zooarchaeological analysis of the two largest radiocarbon dated contexts, and places the Akurvík collections in the wider context of intra-Icelandic and interregional trade in preserved fish. Analysis of the Akurvík collection and comparison with other Icelandic collections from both inland and coastal sites dating from the 9th to 19th centuries AD both reinforces evidence for an early, pre-Hanseatic internal Icelandic fish trade and supports historical documentation of Icelandic participation in the growing international fish trade of the late Middle Ages

A 15th C. Archaeofauna from Akurvík, an Early Fishing Station in NW Iceland

This is a report of analysis of 15th c bone materials from the site of Akurvík in NW Iceland excavated in 1990. A small international project in Árneshreppur district recovered a series of stratified midden deposits associated with small turf structures on an eroding beachfront. Radiocarbon dates identify at least two major phases of occupation and use, one extending into the mid 13th century, and the other dating to the mid 15th century. This report documents the animal bone collection from the later 15th c occupation. Dominated by cod fish, these deposits appear to be the product of seasonal fishery carried out from small temporary “booths” and are clearly not the product of a normal medieval Icelandic farmstead. Clear zooarchaeological signatures for cod and haddock preserved fish production are evident and comparisons are drawn to later 18th c contexts. Whale bone was extensively used in construction and craftwork, but it is unclear whether active whaling was carried out from the site or if stranded carcasses were extensively scavenged. Seals and sea birds provided minor supplement to the station and shellfish were probably mainly collected for bait