Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2015, Page 11

Editorial
Natascha Mehler use geophysical meth-
ods to explore the site of Þingeyrar, one of
Iceland’s most important central places. A
large and complex site with the remains of
an assembly, a monastery and a post-me-
dieval manor it is key to exploring many
pressing questions about the development
and nature of supra-local power in Iceland.
Ihe research presented here will aid in fu-
ture planning of research at Þingeyrar but
it also raises interesting questions about
early church building and the development
of central places. Elín Ósk Hreiðarsdóttir
and her collaborators present the results of
an innovative study of settlement change in
Rangárvellir. Growing out of a routine field
survey project this study is unusual because
it is based on a very large data set, using
topographic, onomastic, typological and
historical evidence as qualifiers, instead of
the more common trenching-of-a-hand-
ful-of-sites approach. This raises intriguing
methodological issues but also allows the
authors to question whether abandonment
of a site actually represents flexibility and
perseverance rather than depopulation. In
his paper Scott Riddell examines the idea
of harp-seal bones as a sea-ice indicator
and finds that ecosystems are more com-
plex than often meets the eye. His research
points to the growing maturity of this one
of the richest seams of Icelandic archaeol-
ogy in the last 30 years. The combination
of zooarchaeological, ethnoarchaeological
and ecological research promises to be a
fruitful source of new insights into human-
environment interactions for years to come.
I take over the editorship of this journal
from Gavin Lucas who has nurtured and
developed it from the beginning and made
Archaeologia islandica into the institution
that it is. I am sure I speak for all practition-
ers of Icelandic archaeology when I thank
Gavin for his selfless and visionary work
in establishing Archaeologia islandica as an
international venue for debate on Icelandic
archaeology.
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