Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2010, Page 103

RECONSTRUCTING ASPECTS OF THE DAILY LIFE IN LATE 19TH AND EARLY
20TH-CENTURY ICELAND: ARCHAEOENTOMOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE
VATNSFÖRÐUR FARM, NW ICELAND
A single specimen of the rice weevil
(Sitophilus oryzaé) has also been found
from sample S-510, collected from the
floor layer (7525). As previously stated,
this species is a serious pest of stored
grain which requires specifíc environ-
mental parameters for survival and is an
obligate synanthrope in Iceland. Even
though only one rice weevil has been
identified, it is unlikely that its presence
is accidental. This species only repro-
duces in granary stores, and the specimen
found at Vatnsfjörður probably arrived at
the site with imported cereals brought in
from Europe. In the early 20^ century
there was an increase in commercial trade
in the country, as Icelanders exchanged
more and more dried físh and mutton for
other European products including cere-
als that require more continental growing
conditions (Gjerset 1924, 361; Karlsson
2000a, 227; Vasey 1996, 155).
It is worth mention that the earliest
fínd of Sitophilus oryzae published in
Larsson & Gígja’s volume about Icelandic
Coleoptera dates from 1939 (Larsson &
Gígja 1959: 204), while all published ear-
lier fmds from archaeological sites are not
of S. oryzae but of S. granarius (e.g.
Amorosi et al. 1992; Buckland etal. 1992;
Konráðsdóttir 2007; Perry et al. 1985). It
is thus possible that the specimen found at
Vatnsfjörður represents the earliest record
of the species in Iceland.
Context D: “Midden Room ”8562
Room 8562 of the turf dwelling was
labelled the “midden room” as it was
filled with waste deposits (Table 1).
These deposits date to 1884 and 1906,
when the last turf house was still used as
a dwelling (Ævarsson & Gísladóttir
2009, 84). Preliminary zooarchaeological
analyses from context 8566 identified the
bones of fish, cattle, caprines, horses,
seals and birds (Dupont-Hébert 2009).
B Ectoparasites
12 Fauna associated with
organic matter
■ Outdoor fauna
BPests of stored
products
□ Dung feeders
H Fauna associated with
mouldy hay
Figure 13. Distribution of insects from Context D according to their ecological preferences.
101