High Risk Exploratory Research: Political Economy of Free State Iceland - Regional Archaeology in the Mosfell Valley

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With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. John Steinberg and his colleagues will conduct one season of archaeological testing in the Mosfell Valley in Southwestern Iceland. The proximate goal of the study is to test techniques for locating human habitations, burials, iron smelting and livestock penning areas. While the potential for significant archaeological research in Iceland is high, because of recent soil deposition sites are extremely difficult to locate and standard surface survey techniques do not work well. Phosphates from animal excrement often are well preserved in the soil and Dr. Steinberg and his colleagues will collect systematic samples and test for elevated levels. They will use these data to select promising areas and then conduct both remote conductivity (electromagnetic) survey and magnetic survey to locate anomalies characteristic of human behavior. Limited excavation will be carried out to determine whether relevant features are, in fact present. This high risk preliminary work, if successful, will provide a basis for designing a larger research project.Iceland was first settled by Vikings between 870 and 930 AD. During this relatively warm period population expanded rapidly as inhabitants developed a lifestyle based largely on fishing and sheep herding. Particularly interesting is the existence of a rich locally produced literature which provides insight into the culture and social and political organization. While not all documents agree, the picture which emerges is one of a stratified society headed by chiefs to which individuals owed their allegiance. However "chiefdoms" were not geographically based and local level groups could choose whom to pledge their allegiance. It is an extremely rare situation in which chiefdoms lack a regional power base and do not control contiguous territories. If such were in fact the case it would increase understanding of how technological simple hierarchical societies were organized. Scholars however have noted that most historical documents are not eyewitness accounts which described contemporary institutions but rather were written hundreds of years after the fact. Archaeological data would prove very valuable to determine on the ground reality and this is the ultimate goal of Dr. Steinberg's research.