Viking age wood resources at Argisbrekka, Faroe Islands

A project is described concerning the examination of wood from two settlements on Eysturoy. Argisbrekka is a seasonally occupied inland settlement radiocarbon‐dated to the 9th–11th centuries, while Toftanes is a year‐round coastal settlement from the 9th–10th centuries. Preliminary investigations of wood from houses and refuse layers at Argisbrekka demonstrate the utilization of three resources: (a) local vegetation of Juniperus, tree Betula and heathland dwarf shrubs, (b) driftwood Picea and Larix, (c) imported wood Pinus and Quercus. The impact of man and husbandry on the vegetation probably resulted in the extinction of tree Betula and the almost total disappearance of Juniperus.