Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.2009, Qupperneq 203

202 ÁRBÓK FORNLEIFAFÉLAGSINS
Summary
During the winter of 2001, extensive excavations were carried out at a site in Aðal stræti
in Reykjavík. During the investigations the archaeologists discovered turf wall remains
from the Settlement Period, which turned out to be the oldest man-made structures in
Reykjavik along with a slightly younger turf ruin of a long house (fig. 1). According
to Íslendingabók and Landnámabók, the first Icelander Ingólfur Arnarson is said to have
settled around 874 AD in the area. Recently scientif ic dating methods have showed
that the archaeological evidence tends to confirm the written medieval accounts, as
the oldest exposed turf remains were found to predate the “Landnám tephra layer”.
Scientific analysis of this tephra layer has dated it very precisely to 871 AD +/- 2 years
due to corresponding drillings in the Greenlandic inland ice. Due to the concordant
unique circumstances, it was decided to preserve the turf relics in situ.
But how is a 12 m3 turf ruin like this preserved and conserved in situ and pre pared
for exhibition in a modern indoor museum? During the excavation of the farm site in
2001, the archaeologists noted that the deteriorated turf quickly cracked and crumbled
at a touch and the turf changed its colour dramatically, if allowed to dry out. Hence a
large- scale conservation project was carried out on the site from 2003-2007 in order to
pre serve the unique turf wall remains from the site in Aðalstræti.
The turf walls were stabilized with the use of approximately 12,000 litres of so
called “tetraethyl silicate” impregnation liquid, a product normally used to stabilise
deteriorated stone walls and monuments. For the first time the product was used here to
impregnate old decayed turf walls, which popular speaking meant that the mineralized
turf walls were petrified, as they were filled out with glassy silicate. The project was
carried out by the authors in close cooperation with the Reykjavík 871+/-2 exhibition
management group and archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology, Ice land, who
also had conducted the archaeological excavation. The practical impregn ation was
success fully accomplished and today the turf ruin plays a central role in the “Reykjavík
871+/-2 Landnámssýningin,” which focuses on Settlement Period life in Reykjavík.