Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2006, Síða 11

OSCAR ALDRED
THE IDEA OF LANDSCAPE
IN ICELANDIC ARCHAEOLOGY
Landscape as an idea in archaeology in Iceland has been elevated in present-day
research approaches, having its origins in the beginnings of the discipline and pro-
fession in the late 19th century. This paper measures the progress of this idea from
a critical perspective by identifying the major pieces of published research that
concerns the idea of landscape and their contribution towards archaeology in Ice-
land. It asks how emphases and directions have changed and in what form this has
taken. The partial review and commentary culminates in a suggested agenda for
the future practice of landscape archaeology in Iceland, particularly with respect
towards developing an integrated archaeology that assesses the past from varying
perspectives.
Oscar Aldred, Fornleifastofnun fslands, Bárugata 3, 101 Reykjavík
Keytvords: Landscape, history of thought, integrated archaeology, theory, practice.
Introduction
The idea of landscape and the definitions
of it can be overtly complex, but as John-
son suggests it is a simple one: “people in
the past did not simply live, discard items,
and build on sites, but they also interact-
ed with the landscape beyond” and as he
suggests “Landscape archaeology, then,
is about what lies beyond the site” (John-
son 2005, 156). Understanding what lies
beyond the site is an essential part of the
research agenda in modern archaeologi-
cal practice. Landscape archaeology, over
the last fifty years has shifted from an
economic focus, especially concerned
with site catchment and territorial analy-
sis (for example Vita-Finzi and Fliggs
1970), towards social and ideological
understandings (for example Tilley 1994,
2006; Edmonds 1998, Ashmore and Knapp
1999). Regional analyses have also domi-
nated, often demonstrating the diachronic
development of settlement and their relat-
ed socio-economic and political networks
(for example Armit 1994, Flemming
1988; Renfrew and Wagstaff 1982). There
has also been a strong tradition between
archaeology and geography as the main
proponent in the study of space, and this
has been carefully explored in Landscape
and culture (Wagstaff 1987); particularly
the chapters by Goudie (1987, 11-25),
Wagstaff (1987, 26-36) and Hodder
(1987, 134-145) and more recently with
respect to Material Culture studies (cf
Tilley 2006 (ed), especially Cosgrove
2006).
The extent to which Icelandic
archaeology has used landscape as the
basis for a research programme in a
similar way to the development of the
discipline in other countries, is the under-
lying topic of this paper beyond review-
ing existing work; a prognosis is offered
Archaeologia Islandica 5 (2006) 9-26