Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2004, Page 22

Ragnar Edvardsson, Sophia Perdikaris, Thomas H.
McGovern, Noah Zagor & Matthew Waxman
COPING WITH HARD TIMES IN NW ICELAND:
ZOOARCHAEOLOGY, HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE
ARCHAEOLOGY AT FINNBOGASTAÐIR IN THE
18TH CENTURY
As part of a cooperative archaeological project in NW Iceland (Strandasýsla)
involving the National Museum of Iceland and Hunter College of the City
University of New York, a small rescue excavation at the site of Finnbogastaðir
generated a quantifiable collection of animal bones dating to the early modem
period, mainly to the 18th century. The 18th century was a period of hardship in
much of Iceland, with widespread tenantry, adverse climate, and degradation of
many terrestrial landscapes posing severe challenges to poor farmers - perhaps
most intensely in the Northwest. The animal bone collection from Finnbogastaðir
reflects a multi-stranded subsistence economy involving seals, birds, and fish as
well as domestic stock. Reconstmction of the fishing pattem indicates a mixed
strategy that probably produced some stockfish for local exchange or for export
but was mainly aimed at household provisioning. The nearly contemporary
Jarðabók land register provides a direct comparison to the documentary record,
and ongoing site survey and excavation in the NW provides a broader land-
scape/seascape perspective on the archaeofauna and documents. This small rescue
investigation thus serves to illustrate the potential for an integrated, interdiscipli-
nary approach to Iceland's past, including periods with extensive documentary
resources.
Ragnar Edvardsson, CUNYDoctoral Program in Anthropology,
ragnar@instarch. is
Sophia Perdikaris, Brooklyn CoIIege Zooarchaeology Laboratory.
Thomas H. McGovern, Hunter College Bioarchaeology Laboratory.
Noah Zagor and Matthew Waxman, NSF Arctic Social Sciences Research
Experience for Undergraduates Program 2003.
Keywords: North Atlantic, Iceland, Early Modern, Zooarchaeology, Jarðabók,
Landscape Archaeology
Introduction: The Region
This paper provides a report of the analy-
sis of an animal bone collection excavat-
ed in 1990 from 18th - early 19th centu-
ry deposits at the site of Finnbogastaðir,
Ámeshreppur, Strandasýsla, NW Iceland
(Vestfirðir) and seeks to place the results
in the larger context of early modem
economy in the region through the inte-
gration of historical documentary sources
Archaeologia Islandica 3 (2004) 20-47