Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.2011, Page 128

HLUTVERK ÖRNEFNA Í FORNLEIFASKRÁNINGU 127
Summary
Last year a century had passed since the formal collection of place names start-
ed in Iceland and the information about place names is especially important
for one of the fundamental tasks of archaeologists, namely the registration of
archaeological sites. Visible archaeological remains are not the only subjects of
the registration, nor those known to be underground, but also all indications
of disappeared buildings and locations connected with certain functions. Such
indications are mainly of two kinds. On one hand are direct sources about ar-
chaeology. These can come from written sources, maps, photographs and oral
statements from informants. On the other hand are place names that point to
structures or local actions, such as Fjárhúsholt (Sheep House Ridge) or Þing-
bakki (Bank of Parliament). Such place names are always worth a closer look
whether there are visible remains or stories that might be connected to them
or not. They can hint of archaeological remains, their location or function.
Records of place names are a fundamental source in all stages of archaeo-
logical survey although they can be as diverse as they are many. Some records
are extremely detailed and tell the history of the farms and the place names,
while others are but a list of place names with no description of the places or
any other information. The first type is very useful in registering archaeologi-
cal sites since it is often a direct source of the archaeological remains and gives
extra information about their type, their location and age. The second one only
gives a hint of a possible site but if no other source is available it can be diffi-
cult or impossible to locate the archaeology site. If place name registrations are
terse, good informants can provide assistance. Meanwhile, if they are not, the
archaeologists can be in dire straits when the job is to locate clues about hid-
den remains for archaeological survey. However, the records of place names can
still be of some assistance; some of them have maps with place names covering
several farmlands and concerning the locations of remains these can mark the
quality and precision of the survey. The place names are not only important
in registering archaeological remains in Iceland, place names on sketches and
maps are also extremely important auxiliaries.