Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2005, Qupperneq 30

Ragnar Edvardsson & Thomas H. McGovern
Taxon
DOMESTIC MAMMALS
Cattle
Horse
Pig
Goat
Sheep
Caprine
SEA MAMMALS
Seal sp
Harbor seal
Whale sp
Large whale
BIRDS
Murre or Guillemot
Pufftn
White tailed sea eagle
Swan sp
Goose sp (possibly domestic)
Bird sp
FISH
Cod
Haddock
Gadid
Fish sp.
SHELLFISH
Clam sp
Large Terrestrial Mammal
Medium Terrestrial Mammal
Unidentified fragments
TNF TOTAL
Context
5 6
19-
15 20
39 42 48 56 59 63 64 65 70 73 74
5 1 3
1
1
7
1 23
1
2
1
3
1
4
3
1
1
8
4
2
3 1 7
1
1
3 10 2 5
1 1
1 1
1
1
1
7
2
5
2
1 1 6 10
28 6 1 1
_6______________29______14 21________10_________3 21 6________6
12 2 1 117 1 14 48 1 11 1 10 41 10 1 37
Table 2. Vatnsfjörður archaeofauna by contexts
species, but are too fragmentary for iden-
tification. All fragments recovered thus
far show tool marks and cuts suggesting
that they were debris left over from bone
artefact manufacture. Birds include both
guillemot and puffin (both common on
coastal archaeofauna), and the rarer swan
and sea-eagle. The goose bones recovered
could come from either wild or domestic
animals. Fish bones may be under-repre-
sented due to preservation issues, but it
was possible to identify a few cod and
haddock, the most important species for
both commercial and subsistence fishing
in historic times.
Overall the collection suggests
an economy with both terrestrial and
marine components, and indicates the
potential for further zooarchaeological
work on the site.
Discussion
The archaeological research at
Vatnsfjörður has revealed considerable
remains dating from the lOth century to
present day. The archaeology on and
around the fann mound extends over an
area approximately 200 x 200 meters.
The depth of deposits in the field around
the longhouse were no more than 15-20
28