Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2010, Page 11

BIRNA LÁRUSDÓTTIR
ARCHAEOLOGISTS STEAL TIME!
AN INTERVIEW WITH MJÖLL SNÆSDÓTTIR
This short paper is a liberal transcription of an interview that took place with
Mjöll Snæsdóttir in Reykjavík in 2008 about her life in archaeology. She reflects
back on her career so far and the many people she has worked alongside, giving
the reader a highly personal insight into Icelandic archaeology over the late 20th
and early 21 st century.
Birna Lárusdóttir, Institute of Archaeology, Bárugata 3, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Email: birnarlar@gmail.com
Keywords: Mjöll Snæsdóttir, Excavation, Iceland, Stóraborg
Mjöll Snæsdóttir is one of the most
experienced archaeologists in Iceland.
She has worked in archaeology for almost
40 years and witnessed a lot of changes,
both in terms of methods and the working
environment of archaeologists. She has
profound knowledge of the bibliography
of Icelandic archaeology and cultural
history and many Icelandic archaeologists
have been trained by her. Mjöll was the
editor of Arbók hins íslenska forn-
leifafélags - the main Icelandic language
joumal for all matters archaeological - for
several years. She currently works at the
Institute of Archaeology in Reykjavík and
has supported many young archaeologists
starting out with words of encouragement
and assistance. She is modest yet generous
of her time, a fact I benefitted ffom when
we walked down to the bar in
Fjalakötturinn, Aðalstræti on a Friday
aftemoon to discuss her perspective on
Icelandic archaeology over beer and
snacks. Under our feet, in a basement
exhibition hall, lies a well-preserved hall
ffom the Viking Age where I first moved a
trowel under the guidance of Mjöll and
other archaeologists some years ago.
BL: Why did you become interested in
archaeology?
MS: Iwas always interested in this kind of
thing. When I finished grammar school
(Menntaskólinn in Reykjavík) I headed to
Uppsala to study archaeology. Three
Icelanders had started their studies there
ayear ahead of me: Guðmundur Olafsson,
Margrét Hermanns-Auðardóttir and Jón
Örn Thordarson who later turned to
comparative religion. After I finished I
worked in Tunsberg excavating ruins
from the Middle Ages and in Malmö,
digging up Bronze Age remains.
When I returned to Iceland the
number of archaeologists was growing
quite rapidly but up to that point only
very few people had been involved:
ARCHAEOLOGIA ISLANDICA 8 (2010) 9-12