Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1943, Page 128

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LE NORD
It was Dr. Poul Norlund, the present Keeper of the National
Museum of Copenhagen, who organized and led the first modern
archæological Greenland expeditions, and it is due to him that the
first arrangements for co-operating excavation expeditions to
Iceland were made with Professor Matthías Thórdarson, the
Director of Ancient Monuments of Iceland.
The idea was natural. In all other countries within the Scandi-
navian sphere of interest in the early Middle Ages, in Scandi-
navian, in Denmark, on the Scottish Isles, and even in Green-
land, the spade of the archæologist had been busily used, in Ice-
land (and on the Faroe Islands) investigations had got no farther
than the reconnaissances and scattered excavations and measure-
ments, which with one exception were amateurish and superficial.
And still it was well-known that Iceland was rich in green sites
of houses promising good results, not only for the Icelandic, but
for all Scandinavian study of houses.
When all the Scandinavian Directors of Ancient Monuments
met together in 1937 it was without difficulty agreed that an
attempt should be made at arranging a common Scandinavian
expedition composed by experts from the various countries, who
then under Icelandic control were to work each on his subject
and to compare results and previous experiences, thus in a way
a small Scandinavian congress of archæologists, who were digging
instead of eating dinners.
Iceland accordingly sent out invitations for the summer of
1939. Regrettably Norway had to withdraw because of insuper-
able economic obstacles. The expedition hence came to consist
of Professor Matthías Thórdarson as leader of the expedition
and representative of Iceland; Dr. Aage Roussell, architect, of
the National Museum of Copenhagen assisted by the young Ice-
landic archæologist Kristján Eldjárn, who had formerly taken
part in an expedition to Greenland, represented Denmark; Jouko
Voionmaa, M. A., of the National Museum of Helsingfors re-
presented Finland, and Dr. Márten Stenberger, docent in the
University of Uppsala, and Albert Nilsson, licentiate, of the
Nordiska Museet of Stockholm, were representatives of Sweden.
Further Sigurdur Thórarinsson, licentiate, who is an expert on
vulcanology, took part in the work.
After a successful expedition, which was favoured by a sum-
mer weather which according to Icelandic conditions was un-
usually fine, the various participants got back to their respective