Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2013, Page 77

THE SVALBARÐ PROJECT
palaeoeconomic data to palaeoclimate
records, most notably for critical
elements of the so-called “Little Ice
Age”. The identification of these tephras
has remained tentative until now and
Amorosi (1996: 400) reported the
possibility that the Hekla 1636 tephra
was in fact the Kverkíjöll (in the
Veiðivötn eruption area) 1477 tephra
(referred to here as the VI477 tephra).
Tephra samples collected from the
midden in 2008 by Andrew Dugmore
were analysed by Anthony Newton at the
Tephra Analysis Unit of the University
of Edinburgh’s School of Geosciences.
Geochemical characterisations of these
tephras confirm the visual identification
of the Hekla 3000 BP tephra but have
re-identifed the other two. The tephra
initially identified as Hekla 1636 is now
determined to be Hekla 1300 (H1300),
while that attributed to Vatnajökull 1717
is determined to be in fact Veiðivötn
1477 (see Woollett et al 2008, 12). These
new identifications change the dating of
the later phases of midden accumulation
significantly as specific stratigraphic
contexts (Analytical Units 6 and 7, as
defined by Amorosi 1992: 120-121) must
now be dated to between AD 1300 and
AD 1477 where they were previously
dated to between AD 1400 and 1717.
Similarly, contexts that were previously
dated to between AD1717 and 1800
(Analytical Unit 8) must now be dated to
between 1477 and ca. 1800. It must be
noted here that the stratigraphic units
associated directly with these tephras are
mostly sterile of cultural materials and
lack diagnostic artifacts; dating of these
layers depends uniquely therefor upon
geochemical analyses of the tephras
themselves. The existing chronology for
the lower midden layers (Analytical units
1 to 5) is not affected by this redating and
remains valid, except that the terminal
date for AU 5 must now be as late as AD
1300 (determined by the H1300 tephra in
AU 6), rather than AD 1400 as
previously thought.
While a more detailed re-evaluation of
the midden stratigraphy is in preparation,
these new dates do suggest that the bulk of
the midden accumulated more rapidly
than previously thought, as much as 1.5m
of net deposition of domestic and fuel
wastes in a period of about 250 years
between the mid llth century and the
beginning of the 14th century, as defined
by artefact typology and C14 dates from
the lowest midden deposits (Amorosi
1992; 1996: 400). The greatly expanded
range of dates for AU 6 and 7 limit for the
moment the precise application of faunal
materials from these layers to
palaeoeclimatic records. Efforts are
however currently underway to correct
this problem with new 14C dates and a
re-evaluation of artefact collections.
Given the clear chronological context of
industrially-produced ceramics and other
goods in the uppermost layers of the
midden, the 18th and 19th century dates
attributed to AU8 and 9 should be
regarded with confidence.
Svalbarðstunga from 2009
Given the diverse economic resources and
extensive land holdings belonging to the
Svalbarð estate and the foundation of data
produced by previous archaeological
work at the central farm, it was clear that
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