The Gásir Market and the Möðruvellir Farm: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to the History of Human Ecodynamics in High Medieval Iceland

Summary

This paper reconciles the results of the long-term Gásir and Hinterlands Project with the underpinnings of historical research of the area. The harbor and trade site complex at Gásir and the monastic estate at Möðruvellir were central areas in the region. Zooarchaeological/environmental data from these sites and hinterlands sites suggest that Hörgá Valley as closest supplier of animal products, may have changed its livestock management strategies, potentially to partake in increasing internationally oriented exchange. Archaeological data from Hörgá Valley farming sites, from the Siglunes fishery in Siglufjörður, and the central sites will be evaluated. Historical data will provide a general idea of site status, land ownership, and livestock numbers.

Evidence from both disciplines serve to address the following research questions:

1) Can the historical evidence together with the zooarchaeological/environmental evidence demonstrate sustainability of Hörgá Valley farming economy?

2) Is it possible to evaluate the degree of the economic effect that international exchange had on the economy in comparison with the size of peasant subsistence farming?

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Resilience, Sustainability and Collapse in the North Atlantic

Keywords

Spatial Coverage