Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2005, Page 40

Yekaterina Krivogorskaya, Sophia Perdikaris &THOMAS H. McGovern
inland archaeofauna dating to the Viking
Age (McGovem, et al. 2001; Einarsson
1994), both early and late medieval phas-
es at Akurvík and Gjögur, and the 18th
century site of Finnbogastaðir (a farm
combining a primary orientation towards
subsistence fishing with some market
production, Edvardsson, et al. 2004). As
Figure 2 illustrates, cod bones from the
upper head and jaws greatly outnumber
axial (vertebral) elements at Gjögur,
Akurvík and at Finnbogastadir. This pro-
ducer site pattem strongly contrasts with
the skeletal element distribution pattern
seen on the inland Viking Age Mý-
vatnssveit sites (Sveigakot, Hrísheimar)
or at the contemporary site of Granastaðir
in one of the highland valleys above
Eyjaijord. These consumer sites with no
direct access to salt water consistently
produce gadid collections which have
few or no jaw and skull bones and have a
disproportionate concentration of pec-
toral girdle and vertebral bones. Early
medieval Akurvík, however, demon-
strates a pattem rather distinct from the
later coastal sites in Strandasýsla, with a
higher proportion of all vertebrae being
left on site along with a large number of
head and jaw bones. It would appear that
the early medieval (llth-13th century)
phase at Akurvík was engaged in a slight-
ly different pattem of físh cutting and
bone deposition than the later occupa-
tions in the same area.
Figure 3 presents a breakdown
of the relative proportions of the verte-
bral series (thoracic and precaudal are
from the upper body, caudal vertebrae are
in the tail), again making use of the
MAU% (a complete físh skeleton would
have exactly equal proportions of all
Vertebral Series
all gadid
*
«o F u5 «o
o ro 10th 0) 10th £ 13th CNJ ■4 w o
ro g) ’o ro O X < < 3 O) :o 3 O) :0 -Q T- c c
CO LL
all gadid all gadid all gadid cod cod cod cod cod
□ Thoracic □ Precaudal I
Figure 3. Body and tail vertebral series. Cervical (neck) vertebrae normally travel with the skull
parts in flsh. A whole fish skeleton would produce a graph of exactly equal proportions for %
MAU (33% each).
38