The Textile Trade with Iceland, AD 1400-1700.

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Medieval to Modern Transitions and Historical Archaeology" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Archaeological textile collections from the North Atlantic and specifically Iceland represent an important data-set with potential for shedding new light on issues of international trade between these remote islands and Northern Europe. Woolen cloth produced by women, along with dried fish, was one of the most significant commodities sought after and traded from the North Atlantic islands.

Textile assemblages from the sites of Skálholt (Iceland‘s southern bishopric) and Stóraborg (a large coastal farm) provide insights into the types of cloth imported into Iceland between AD 1400-1700. Some of these imports are the result of trade with the Hanseatic league and with British sailors, as well as being products introduced to Iceland through the Danish trade monopoly (1602-1787).  These studies highlight the work of women in Icelandic society and demonstrate how Iceland was integrated through trade and textile production into the evolving medieval and early modern structures of the industrial world.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Medieval to Modern Transitions and Historical Archaeology   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 349