Insect fossils from Viking age and Medieval houses in Iceland - what can they tell us about life and environment? [Poster]

Document identifier: oai:dalea.du.se:2612
Keyword: Insect fossil, Subfossils, Iceland, Hólar, Miljö- och kulturhistoriska studier av den Vikingatida och medeltida utvecklingen på biskopssätet Hólar, norra Island
Publication year: 2007
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Abstract:

During the period 2000 to 2006 subfossil insect remains, primarily beetle remains, have been analysed. The material originate from soil samples collected from former house floors during archaeological excavations at several localities and former settlements from Viking age long houses, medieval turf houses and from later historical house remnants in Iceland. Preservation and content of fossil remains in these house floor samples is totally dependent on the house history, e.g. its location in the landscape and the material used during its construction, the function of the house or activities in different rooms and finally the abandonment history of the house. But on the contrary the floor samples usually provide a high preservation degree and high organic content in the sediment. One of the aims of the investigations is to interpret the environmental conditions, the relation between a settlement and its surrounding nature, the indoor environment of the buildings and to compare the different settlements. The majority of samples from house floors from Iceland are generally poor in fossil insect remains with a domination of beetles originating from the surrounding environment and material probably used for the building, reflecting the natural environment and the building phase. But there is some variation. In house floor samples from the 18th and 19th centuries it is obvious with the typical secondary use of abandoned houses as stables and in the early medieval settlement at Keldur, south Iceland, there was a floor of waste within the medieval house representing a period when a part of the house had been used as smithy or for metal work.

Authors

Magnus Hellqvist

Högskolan Dalarna; Naturgeografi
Other publications >>

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    header: 
        identifier: oai:dalea.du.se:2612
        datestamp: 2021-04-15T12:25:18Z
        setSpec: SwePub-du
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            @attributes: 
                version: 3.7
            recordInfo: 
                recordContentSource: du
                recordCreationDate: 2007-03-31
            identifier: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-2612
            titleInfo: 
                @attributes: 
                    lang: eng
                title: Insect fossils from Viking age and Medieval houses in Iceland - what can they tell us about life and environment? Poster
            abstract: 
During the period 2000 to 2006 subfossil insect remains primarily beetle remains have been analysed. The material originate from soil samples collected from former house floors during archaeological excavations at several localities and former settlements from Viking age long houses medieval turf houses and from later historical house remnants in Iceland. Preservation and content of fossil remains in these house floor samples is totally dependent on the house history e.g. its location in the landscape and the material used during its construction the function of the house or activities in different rooms and finally the abandonment history of the house. But on the contrary the floor samples usually provide a high preservation degree and high organic content in the sediment. One of the aims of the investigations is to interpret the environmental conditions the relation between a settlement and its surrounding nature the indoor environment of the buildings and to compare the different settlements. The majority of samples from house floors from Iceland are generally poor in fossil insect remains with a domination of beetles originating from the surrounding environment and material probably used for the building reflecting the natural environment and the building phase. But there is some variation. In house floor samples from the 18th and 19th centuries it is obvious with the typical secondary use of abandoned houses as stables and in the early medieval settlement at Keldur south Iceland there was a floor of waste within the medieval house representing a period when a part of the house had been used as smithy or for metal work.

            subject: 
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: insect fossil
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: subfossils
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: Iceland
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: Hólar
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: swe
                        authority: du
                    topic: Miljö- och kulturhistoriska studier av den Vikingatida och medeltida utvecklingen på biskopssätet Hólar norra Island
                    genre: Research subject
            language: 
                languageTerm: eng
            genre: 
                conference/other
                vet
            note: 
                Published
                1
            name: 
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                    type: personal
                    authority: du
                namePart: 
                    Hellqvist
                    Magnus
                role: 
                    roleTerm: aut
                affiliation: 
                    Högskolan Dalarna
                    Naturgeografi
                nameIdentifier: mhq
            originInfo: 
                dateIssued: 2007
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                    placeTerm: Falun
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                    type: host
                titleInfo: 
                    title: Högskolan Dalarna - Forskningen Dag 20 mars 2007
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                form: print
            typeOfResource: text