Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2006, Qupperneq 85

Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2006, Qupperneq 85
The bishop’s beef. improved cattle at early modern Skálholt, Iceland the Bishop’s residence at Skálholt in Ice- land was moved to Reykjavik1 and the manorial complex - which consisted of the Bishop’s quarters, a school, and con- siderable infrastructure devoted to the household - was partially abandoned, and a prosperous farm took its place. Skálholt was a major livestock farm in its own right, based in a highly fertile region (rel- ative to Iceland) in the southern part of the Iceland and had according to an early eighteenth-century land register one of the largest cattle herds in the country (Edvardsson, in progress). Church docu- ments, early maps, geophysical survey, and early modern travelers’ accounts all indicate the unusual size and intricacy of the complex of buildings currently being exposed by excavation. Skálholt can be regarded as a settlement of possibly the highest year-round density in Iceland until it was replaced by the expansion of Reykjavik beginning at the end of the eighteenth century (Lucas, 2005). The zooarchaeological assem- blage recovered so far is extensive, but this paper only addresses one particular midden, context 454, found in a 2x3 meter trench with a one meter square extension off of the southwest section (group 383) to the southeast of the main complex. This midden was found directly below a collapsed wall that originally followed the break of a slope running roughly east/ west a short distance, about 20 meters, south of the main complex and near one of its main entrances. There is no absolute date for the midden, yet the depth of the midden, over one meter, and finds found above and within the midden, such as a 17th century Dutch pipe bowl, and frag- ments of tin-glazed earthenware suggest a date within the seventeenth century. Three other 2x2 meter trenches were excavated 5 (group 1440), 10 (group 2193) and 15 (group 2008) meters east along the same slope as group 383 in June and July of 2006. They were all excavated down to a similar depth to that of group 383, a little over one meter. Group 1440 contained a 17th century Dutch pipe bowl as well as other artifacts typical of the 18th and 17th centuries such as stoneware and glazed and unglazed redware. Group 1440 also contained a midden context below a col- lapsed wall at almost the exact same depth as that of group 383 and unit 454. While analysis is ongoing the initial impression is that this midden is at the very least superficially similar to that of unit 454 in that it is dominated by cattle. Group 2193 contained little bone and the wall collapse did not appear but a single early 17th cen- tury pipe stem (with maker’s mark) did appear in one of the middle layers. Group 2008 also contained an early seventeenth century Dutch pipe bowl, fragments of tin-glaze earthenware, and a hammered sixteenth or seventeenth century coin. The deepest unit in this group contained half of a naturally polled cattle skull. No late 18th century ceramics or other arti- facts were found in any of these groups. Another hint for dating comes from Joseph Banks, an eminent Brit- ish naturalist who visited Iceland and stayed at Skálholt in 1772. His traveling companions included illustrators, one of whom included some clearly polled cattle in his portraits of the settlement. Though not definitive this is another piece of evi- dence supporting an early modern date for unit 454. Finally many of the polled European breeds, such as the Angus and 1 The Bishop returned to Skálholt after having bought the property from the crown and lived there until his death in 1796. 83
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Archaeologia Islandica

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