Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2015, Síða 84

Gavin Lucas
women did not exist. “Women are neces-
sary, but rather tiring dont you think?”14
That is one question of conscience too
many for a married man, and happily, the
masters attention is drawn to the book-
shelf, where Marx and Engels stand tall,
alongside German Nazi philosophy. He
implies that it might get tempestuous on
the bookshelf, but I point out to him that
outside, political winds are blowing from
all directions rather peacefully. It is an Ice-
landic phenomenon.
But what is the status of German
archaeology?
Childe answers with a grin: “Gustav Ko-
ssina put forward their slogan in science:
“Die deutsche Vorgeschichte ist eine her-
vorragende nationale Wissenschaff” (Ger-
man prehistory is a magnificent national
scientific discipline). They have done great
damage to the discipline.”
Before we know it, we were discussing Ger-
man explanations of the origins of Icelan-
dic literature and social developments in
Europe and Asia during the Stone Age.
But what do you say about Icelandic
prehistory?
It is unfortunate for you that Eskimos did
not live here in ancient times; the settlers
would have learnt a lot from them. The
English learnt a great deal from the Indi-
ans in America and in that way newcomers
have acquired important knowledge from
native peoples.
This is a negative answer, but in an ar-
chaeologically deficient country our pre-
history is common with the prehistory of
those nations which engendered Icelandic
society. This common prehistory matters as
much to us as it does to them, if we want to
understand the origins of the nation and its
social heritage. No one living has contrib-
uted so much and of such importance to
the explanation of the evolutionary process
of humankind as Gordon Childe, throw-
ing light on the interdependence of society
and technology. No topic is as fascinating
as the adventure of Man, who made him-
self, and one of the best recorders of this
adventure is the professor, who wore a great
big raincoat and a sturdy belt to Iceland,
because the weather here is similar to that
in Skara Brae. But there, people lived in the
Stone Age, but not out here. Why? Profes-
sor Childe would doubtless say we need to
search better.
It is the same ghastly weather, when we
return around midnight to Hotel Garður
and a storm is playing around the large
brim of the hat on his head. “There is of-
ten good music playing on Icelandic radio“,
he says, breaking the silence. “It (the radio)
14 Childe was a bachelor all his life and there is no indication that he had any relationships, heterosexual or
homosexual.
82