RAPID: Assessing Evidence for Marine Resource Utilization at Eroding Coastal Sites in Northern Iceland

University Of Massachusetts Boston, Dorchester MA

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports the rapid-response coring and sampling of an archaeological site in imminent danger of loss due to climate-driven coastal erosion. Hafnarbúdir is a large, early specialized marine fishing or whaling site with the potential to rewrite understanding of Viking Age economies in Iceland. The site consists of numerous small structures, features, and bone deposits perched precariously on an eroding sea bank. Much of the archaeology of Viking Age Iceland centers on farms and farmsteads, though archaeologists and historians recognize that many key economic activities occurred beyond the farmstead. This site therefore has the potential to shift conventional narratives of Viking Age life to more accurately reflect its social and economic complexity, while advancing understanding of North Atlantic marine and coastal adaptations more generally. Working collaboratively with Icelandic researchers and students, the team will determine site boundaries, date deposits and recover material for preliminary analysis. Site documentation includes profiling, mapping, photography, and an intensive coring regime to bound site limits, locate concentrated anthropogenic deposits, and recover tephras in stratigraphic context. Flotation samples will be collected for identification, dating, and location of activity areas. Whalebone recovered from the site will be subjected to collagen fingerprinting and ancient DNA analysis to identify represented species. Finally, the research team will conduct a systematic review of historical documents related to the site and nearby farms. Broader impacts of the work include engagement with local Icelandic communities, experiential learning by student participants, and dissemination of project updates and findings through social media, public lectures, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed journal publications. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.