The Viking Age settlement pattern of Langholt, North Iceland: Results of the Skagafjörður Archaeological Settlement Survey

Abstract

An archaeological survey of the Viking Age settlement pattern in the Langholt region of North Iceland suggests that being early in this sequence conferred tremendous advantages to the settlers of this previously uninhabited landscape. Many of the farms established during the settlement of Iceland (which began about a.d. 870) are in use today. However, accessing the Viking Age landscape is difficult. In Langholt the earliest layers of most farmsteads are buried under a thousand years of occupational debris, while the abandoned sites have been covered by extensive soil deposition. Here we report on our coring and test excavation results that outline Viking Age farmstead location, establishment date, and maximum size by the end of the Viking Age. There is a strong correlation between farmstead size and establishment date. This correlation suggests that during the rapid settlement of Iceland, the farmsteads established by earlier settlers were wealthier and that wealth endured.

Keywords:

• coring
• volcanic tephra
• Norse
• farm mound
• medieval archaeology
• first-mover advantage

Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the US National Science Foundation (BCS # 9908836, 0107413, 0453892, 0731371, ARC # 0909393) and the Wenner-Gren Fund for Anthropological Research. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or supporting institutions or individuals. Products or instruments mentioned should not be construed as an endorsement. This work was done in conjunction with Sigríður Sigurðardóttir and Guðný Zoëga of Byggðasafn Skagfirðinga Glaumbæ, Ragnheiður Traustadóttir of the Hólar Research Project. The SASS project operated under permits granted by Þjóðminjasafn Íslands & Fornleifavernd ríkisins. Tephrachronology was conducted by Magnús Á. Sigurgeirsson. Guðmundur Ólafsson assisted with the excavation at Glaumbær. John Schoenfelder was responsible for mapping. Rita Shepard was responsible for the test-pitting program. Kathryn Catlin and Eric Johnson did much of the coring and helped with the figures. Reviews and comments by Orri Vésteinsson and Howell Roberts along with the anonymous reviewers were remarkably insightful and incredibly helpful for improving this paper. Landowner permission was obtained with the assistance of Hjalti Pálsson. Special thanks go to Guðrún Sigurðardóttir & Valur Þorvaldsson for their logistical support and this paper is dedicated to the memory of their daughter, Hanna. Reports can be obtained from http://www.fiskecenter.umb.edu/SASS.htm

ORCiD

John M. Steinberg http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4222-1544

Douglas J. Bolender http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3563-6116

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John M. Steinberg

John M. Steinberg (Ph.D. 1997, University of California, Los Angeles) is a Research Scientist at the Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His research interests include archaeological methodology and the economic problems of colonization.

Douglas J. Bolender

Douglas J. Bolender (Ph.D. 2006, Northwestern University) is a Research Assistant Professor at the Anthropology Department at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His research interests include the landscape archaeology and the politics of smallholders.

Brian N. Damiata

Brian N. Damiata (Ph.D. 2001, University of California Riverside) is a Senior Scientist in industry and an affiliate with the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA. His main interest is the application of scientific methods to archaeological problem solving.